Los Altos Topples Foothill, 27-10

It may have been the quietest 209-yard rushing performance in Southern Section championship history. So fierce was the defense of Hacienda Heights Los Altos that Mike Liti’s big night was nothing more than a footnote.

Instead, Los Altos won its third championship in four years, defeating Liti and Santa Ana Foothill, 27-10, for the Division VI title before 8,020 at Edison Field.

Led by linemen Brigham Harwell, Armando Soto and Andrew Rodriguez, linebacker Oscar Ibanez and defensive backs Caleb Flores and Daniel Drayton, Los Altos showed it was just as quick as Foothill’s vaunted offense, and certainly more physical.

Liti came into the game with 2,136 yards and 28 touchdowns. He finished with 209 yards in 21 carries, but he scored only once, on a 29-yarder with 9 minutes 14 seconds left, to cut Foothill’s deficit to 20-10.

“Offense scores, but defense wins championships,” said Harwell, who had one of Los Altos’ five sacks and also wrapped up punter Doug McAuley while Tony Ortiz blocked the kick, setting up Carlos Ordonez’s five-yard scoring pass to Flores for a 20-3 lead.

It was the only shortcoming for Los Altos. The Conquerors outrushed Foothill, 204-178, with Randall Brown carrying 26 times for 146 yards, including touchdowns of two and one yards.

Foothill quarterback Don Poole had completed 63% of his passes for 2,756 yards and 20 touchdowns coming into the game, but he was five for 14 for 36 yards. He took only four snaps in the second half -- two of them resulting in sacks -- after suffering a hip pointer.

-- Martin Henderson

La Habra 27, Garden Grove Pacifica 21 -- The Highlanders did what they had to do early in the game, then held off Pacifica to win the Division IX championship at Cal State Fullerton.

It was the first Southern Section title for La Habra (13-1), which was playing in its second championship game in three years.

The Highlanders took a 27-7 lead early in the second quarter, then finished off the final 3 minutes 46 seconds of the game with a march from their own 20-yard line to the Mariners’ 27.

Pacifica (11-3) used a six-yard pass from quarterback Justin Turner to Tim Brannen to pull within 27-14 at the half, then scored on a 27-yard touchdown pass play from Turner to R.J. Koch late in the fourth quarter.

That’s when La Habra, which lived by the pass most of the season, kept the ball on the ground. Running back Sean Findling banged up the middle four times for 36 yards and quarterback Daniel Morales gained 30 yards on two bootlegs during the drive.

Findling finished with 129 hard-earned yards and three touchdowns on runs of one, 13 and four yards in the first 14 minutes. His 27-yard interception return also set up a score.

Turner completed 23 of 34 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Paul McLeod

Lompoc 16, Gardena Serra 13 -- Andrew Jones scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 2:17 left to play as the Braves, who had built a 10-0 lead, rallied to beat previously undefeated Serra in the Division X title game at Serra.

The top-seeded Cavaliers (13-1) took a 13-10 lead with 9:53 left on Terry Wilson’s 43-yard touchdown pass play to Devin Stearns.

Lompoc (11-3) responded with its 14-play, 80-yard, game-winning drive. Robert Adams ran for 37 yards in five carries, Jones completed both of his passes for 29 yards and caught a nine-yard pass from Matt Winn. Adams would finish with 108 yards in 17 carries.

Serra drove to Lompoc’s 39 on its ensuing possession, but the Cavaliers’ comeback hopes ended when Winn intercepted a Wilson pass at the Lompoc 15.

Lompoc drove 78 yards in 16 plays on the game’s opening series, settling for Armondo Gutierrez’s 21-yard field goal. Benny Ornelas then returned a Robert Munoz punt 40 yards for a touchdown and a 10-lead.

-- Steven Herbert