Hurns Is Difference for Taft

The rain was relentless. And so was Sedric Hurns.

While everyone else struggled to keep their feet on a marshlike football field Friday night, Hurns of Woodland Hills Taft High looked as if he was walking on water.

Riding the wave of Hurns’ 47-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion reception, Taft held off Sylmar for an 8-6 victory in a City Section 4-A semifinal at Taft High.

Taft (12-0) will face San Pedro next Friday at the Coliseum in a rematch of last year’s 4-A title game. San Pedro defeated Taft, 22-20, in last season’s final.

Hurns, who finished with 130 yards in 13 carries, had a hand in 156 of Taft’s 191 yards and kept coming up with big runs when Taft needed them most.

“Somebody had to step up and do it,” Hurns said.

Hurns scored late in the first quarter on his second carry of the game after a fumbled snap by Sylmar at midfield. After Steve Alvarado connected with Dominic Early on a 15-yard pass play, Hurns took a pitch and went left, slicing through defenders and racing untouched into the end zone.

On the conversion, a bad snap prompted holder K.C. Bounds to scramble right. Bounds spotted Hurns in the back of the end zone and threw up a lob which proved to be the difference.

Sylmar scored its only touchdown on its next possession on a five-yard run by Angel Guerrero.

On the two-point conversion, junior quarterback Noah Albiston fumbled the snap and Taft’s Larry Jones recovered to preserve the Toreadors’ lead.

Carson 17, Chatsworth 0--Running back Maurice Miller gained 215 yards in 30 carries and the Colts limited the Chancellors to 60 yards of offense in a 3-A semifinal at Gardena High.

Top-seeded Carson (6-5-2) advances to the 3-A championship game Friday at the Coliseum against El Camino Real, a 34-0 winner over Jefferson on Friday.

Carson put the game out of reach early in the second quarter off a fumbled a punt return by Ryan Martinez. Machtier Clay picked up the loose ball and ran 23 yards for the score and led 13-0.

The loss was the final game for Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford, who announced his retirement before the season.

“We got taken out of our passing game,” Gibford said. “And their defense did a great job of stopping the run.”

Chatsworth didn’t get a first down until midway though the second quarter.

The Colts added two safeties in the fourth quarter, when the ball was snapped out of the zone on a punt attempt, then Martinez fell on the ball in the end zone on another failed snap.

“We couldn’t do anything,” said Cassel, who completed three of six passes for 17 yards. But we didn’t want Coach Gibford to go out a loser like this.”

Woodland Hills El Camino Real 34, Jefferson 0--A soggy field hardly slowed Quincy Wright, who carried 33 times for 261 yards and four touchdowns as the Conquistadores crushed the Democrats in a City Section 3-A Division semifinal game at Canoga Park High.

“We’ve practiced in the rain, so I was kind of used to it,” Wright said. “We kept pounding them. They didn’t have a chance.”