South Hills Takes Walnut to Task

West Covina South Hills may have finished second to Walnut in the San Antonio League standings, but the Huskies got the last laugh on Saturday. And it was a big one.

Avenging a loss seven weeks ago, South Hills won the Southern Section Division VII championship with a 36-8 victory in front of 5,000 at Cal State Fullerton.

“There was a lot of motivation,” said South Hills lineman Michael Armijo Jr., who had two of his team’s nine sacks. “They didn’t face the real us the first time.”

In winning its third championship, South Hills (11-3) hardly looked like the team that had five turnovers in a 30-9 loss to Walnut. The Huskies dominated Walnut (12-2), which was playing for its first title after having not won a playoff game since 1978.

Tailback Stephano Smith, who missed the first game because of arthroscopic knee surgery that kept him out of four games, rushed 23 times for 212 yards, including touchdowns of one and seven yards.

Brandon McKinney rushed 18 times for 72 yards and scored on runs of one and five yards, and quarterback Phillip Guerrero completed seven of 10 passes for 155 yards.

Bryan Payton blocked a field goal on Walnut’s first possession and intercepted two passes -- one in the end zone, the other setting up a 24-yard scoring drive following his 52-yard return on Walnut’s second possession. He has a school-record 11 interceptions.

Mike Earnest returned a fumble 14 yards for a 36-0 lead with 31 seconds left in the third quarter.

-- Martin Henderson

Carpinteria 26, Cerritos Valley Christian 22 -- Joel Carty scored the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run with 34 seconds left to complete an undefeated season and give Carpinteria its sixth Southern Section title in the Division XI final at Santa Barbara College.

Carpinteria (14-0) trailed, 22-19, when it took possession at its 34-yard line with 3 minutes 30 seconds left. A 29-yard pass play from Aaron Gonzales to tight end Evan Boardman put Carpinteria at the Valley Christian four, and Carty plunged in one play later.

Valley Christian tried three long passes, but the game ended when Nick Zemke sacked quarterback Taylor Cameron as time expired.

Valley Christian (12-2), which led, 15-12, at halftime, took a 22-19 lead on a 30-yard pass play from Cameron to Brad Boekestein with 10:25 left to play.

Chase Twedell, who rushed for 214 yards in the first half, finished with 260 yards and two touchdowns in 29 carries for Valley Christian; however, he was injured on a carry late in the third quarter.

Luis Soto had 123 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries for Carpinteria, which won its last title in 1991.

-- Peter Yoon

Ontario Christian 27, Edwards AFB Desert 19 -- Greg Talen completed seven of 13 passes for 177 yards, including a game-winning 55-yard touchdown to Danny Belko with 26 second left in the third quarter for the host Knights (13-1), who overcame a 13-0 second-quarter deficit to win the Division XII championship.

Drew Robinson rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries, increasing his season total to 2,195 yards, and broke up a desperation pass at the Knights’ two-yard line with no time left. Don Vanden Berge added 80 yards in eight carries for fourth-seeded Ontario Christian, which won its third section title and first since 1982.

Rudy Burgess carried 12 times for 194 yards, including touchdowns of 67 and 69 yards, and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass for the second-seeded Scorpions (13-1).

Talen scored the Knights’ first touchdown on a five-yard run midway through the second quarter, and Brent Vander Eyk kicked field goals of 31 and 33 yards in the fourth quarter for Ontario Christian.

-- Steve Galluzzo

Pasadena Poly 14, Simi Valley Grace Brethren 7 -- Galen Hall intercepted Eric Durso’s pass at the 24-yard line with 38 seconds to play and the Panthers ran out the clock to seal the Division XIII victory at Moorpark High.

John Clark rushed 23 times for 187 yards, including a three-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Hall scored on a 41-yard pass from Jurdie Gaffney with less than one minute left in the first half to give the Panthers (11-2) a 14-0 lead.

Grace Brethren (10-4) mounted a nine-play, 41-yard drive on its second possession of the third quarter and capitalized on a pass interference call to push the ball to the seven before Durso connected with Chad Kackert for a touchdown to pull the Lancers within 14-7 with 4:58 left in the third quarter.

Beau Kelsey intercepted a pass and Taylor Sergey had a blocked punt for Grace Brethren, which played its first season of 11-man football.

Pasadena Poly, which last won a title in 1999, outgained the Lancers, 183-57, on the ground.

-- Mayar Zokaei