HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS : Antelopes Outrun Peninsula : Southern Section: Throwing only two passes, Antelope Valley reaches first final since 1988, 28-0.

Mr. Aw-shucks himself, Antelope Valley High Coach Brent Newcomb, came as close he gets to actually boasting Friday night.

His Antelopes had just demolished Palos Verdes Peninsula, 28-0, in a Southern Section Division II semifinal.

Maybe it was the euphoria of the moment. Or the magnificent wide-open space. Or that brisk Antelope Valley air that can numb opposing teams and fans alike. But Newcomb felt good.

“You know, I don’t really know how to say this . . . but . . . I’m a low-key guy . . . but . . . I’m not really surprised by the outcome of this game,” Newcomb said. “I mean, there’s some talent on this team. And they’re young guys, too. We might be back to the finals next year. Who knows?”

Antelope Valley (10-2), which reached its first section final since 1988, will play the winner of tonight’s semifinal between Hart and Quartz Hill.

Antelope Valley threw only two passes (one incomplete, one intercepted) but it didn’t matter.

Antelope tailback Jermaine Lewis gained 148 yards in 27 carries.

Chad Shrout, Antelope Valley’s kicker and standout lineman, was a prime mover in the victory. He returned a Peninsula fumble 29 yards for a touchdown to ice the game in the third quarter and also kicked field goals of 50 and 40 yards.

“It’s a lineman’s dream,” he said of the touchdown, on which Panther tailback Petros Papadakis was stacked up at the line of scrimmage and had the ball ripped from his hands by Shrout.

“It’s nothing you can prepare for,” said the 6-foot-2, 235 pound senior. “I saw the open end zone and said, ‘I’ve gotta go.’ ”

Peninsula (11-2), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped, managed only 106 yards.

“They’re the toughest team I’ve played against--ever,” said Papadakis, who entered the game with 1,944 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns but gained only 66 yards in 17 carries.

“They hit real hard, they’re on top of the ball, they’re a great team,” he said.