WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Taft 62, El Camino Real 15--Lee Marks and Steve Smith each scored three touchdowns and Rick Clausen passed for three more as the host Toreadors clinched a playoff berth.

Taft (8-2, 4-1) tied Birmingham for the league title.

Clausen completed 24 of 34 passes for 254 yards and threw scoring strikes of 15, 28 and 46 yards in little more than two quarters.

After Smith’s 48-yard interception return for a touchdown and Waylon Witcher’s 15-yard scoring reception gave Taft a 14-0 first-quarter lead, the Toreadors exploded for 28 points in the second quarter.

Marks started the rout by intercepting a pass and returning it 65 yards for a touchdown. Marks followed with touchdown runs of nine and 19 yards.

Smith, who finished with 10 catches for 161 yards, caught a 28-yard scoring pass from Clausen to give Taft a 42-0 lead at the half.

Smith, a sophomore, leads the region with 82 receptions for 1,412 yards.

Marks rushed for 73 yards in eight carries and caught eight passes 56 yards.

El Camino Real’s Jeremy Boyle threw touchdown passes of 40 and 10 yards to Terrish Weston in the fourth quarter.