Charter Oak Gives Los Altos the Brush

All Patrick Fuller has heard about since arriving at Covina Charter Oak is the rivalry between the Chargers and Hacienda Heights Los Altos.

Teammates and coaches have inundated the junior transfer from Pasadena Muir with stories about the teams’ swapping Miramonte League and Southern Section championships over the last four years.

Friday night at Charter Oak, Fuller proved he got the point. He rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries and returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown in leading Charter Oak to a 31-16 victory.

“I didn’t know the history,” said Fuller, who made his second start of the season in place of Aaron Capers, who is academically ineligible. “But everyone was talking about it. It gave me a boost.”

Charter Oak (7-1, 2-0 in league), ranked No. 18 by The Times, and No. 11 Los Altos (6-2, 1-1) have alternated as league champions the last four years and have combined to win the last four Division VII titles. They played each other in the last three Division VII championship games, with Charter Oak winning last year.

Still, Charter Oak is ranked No. 3 in the Southern Section Division VI poll and Los Altos is No. 1. It’s been that way all season, and most of the last three in Division II.

“We’re like the second relative around here,” Charter Oak Coach Lou Farrar said. “But we can play football. There’s no question about that.”

Charter Oak took a 17-6 halftime lead on a 44-yard field goal by Jonathan Granger, then extended it to 24-6 on a 17-yard pass play from Michael Perry to Rafael Falcon on the third play of the second half. Fuller set up the score with a 54-yard run.

Los Altos got a 43-yard field goal by Peter Suarez to close to within 24-9, but Fuller took back the ensung kickoff for a 31-9 lead with 2:39 left in the third quarter.

Charter Oak limited Los Altos to 51 yards in the fourth quarter until a late drive resulted in a Los Altos touchdown with 19 seconds left.

-- Peter Yoon

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Corona Centennial 49, Norco 21 -- A no-huddle offense helped the Huskies make quick work of their Mountain View League opponent.

Centennial, ranked No. 15 by The Times and No. 1 in the Division V poll, scored six consecutive times after its opening drive and had the ball on the Norco five-yard line 15 seconds before halftime, but an eventual field goal try failed.

Quarterback Shaun Lewis led Centennial (7-1, 3-0) by completing 14 of 22 passes for 330 yards. He passed for touchdowns of 11, 32 and 24 yards as the Huskies took a 35-point halftime lead.

Running back Terrell Jackson, who scored on a 33-yard run up the middle four minutes into the game, finished with 142 yards and four touchdowns.

Running back Toby Gerhart of Norco (4-4, 2-1) carried 23 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

-- Paul McLeod

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Moorpark 35, Agoura 7 -- Cliff Cardwell rushed for a school-record 292 yards and two touchdowns in 24 carries and host Moorpark opened up a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a Marmonte League victory.

Ryan Deirmendjian scored on a 14-yard fumblerooski run with 8:37 left in the first half to pull Agoura (5-3, 3-2) to within 14-7, but the Chargers never threatened again.

Chris Blum ran 21 yards for a touchdown, his second of the half to give No. 24 Moorpark (8-0, 5-0) a 21-7 halftime lead.

Agoura’s Dustin Croick completed 15 of 35 passes for 195 yards, but the senior committed four turnovers, including two fumbles and had a pass intercepted in the second half.

Moorpark, No. 4 in Division IV, came into the game with a Southern Section best 50 points allowed for the season and held Agoura, No. 10 in Division IV, to 51 yards rushing.

-- Mayar Zokaei

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Gardena Serra 14, Encino Crespi 0 -- There’s no denying what has enabled the unbeaten Cavaliers to win eight consecutive games: speed.

Two long touchdowns helped Serra (8-0, 3-0), ranked No. 1 in Division X, move closer to wrapping up the Del Rey League championship.

Devin Stearns was on the receiving end of a 78-yard touchdown pass play and William Boyd ran 87 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half to account for the game’s only scores.

The victory puts Serra in ideal position to win the Del Rey title after knocking off its two toughest league foes, Cathedral and Crespi (6-2, 2-1), the last two weeks.

On Serra’s only score of the first half, quarterback Corey Jones threw a high, hanging spiral down the middle, and Stearns grabbed it out of nowhere and raced into the end zone.

“I just saw it and went to get it,” said Stearns, a heavily recruited senior receiver.

Crespi, No. 8 in Division X, was led on defense by lineman Kurtis Hodgins, who helped prevent Serra from putting together any scoring drives.

Serra’s defense, however, dominated throughout. Crespi’s best chance to score was in the third quarter, when quarterback Michael Hart fumbled on the one-yard line.

-- Eric Sondheimer

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Fountain Valley Los Amigos 49, Garden Grove 13 -- Anthony Matagi and the Lobos took a major step toward repeating as Garden Grove League champions with a victory at Garden Grove.

Matagi rushed for 171 yards and scored four touchdowns in 11 carries to lead Los Amigos (6-2, 4-0), No. 7 in Division IX.

The Lobos can clinch the league title with a victory next week over Garden Grove Santiago.

Matagi scored on runs of 80, 39 and four yards and also caught a pass that went for a 53-yard touchdown from quarterback Maopu Tuato that helped give Los Amigos a 35-13 halftime lead.

Tuato completed four of five passes for 118 yards, gained 90 yards rushing in nine carries, including 55- and 27-yard touchdown runs.

Quarterback Jose Calderon completed seven of 18 passes for 148 yards with two interceptions for Garden Grove (5-3, 3-2).

-- Mark Alai

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Claremont 34, Rancho Cucamonga 10 -- Jamaal Floyd rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s Baseline League victory at home.

Claremont (6-1, 3-0), No. 4 in Division II, held the rushing attack of Terrell Thomas and Josh Sayles to a combined 48 yards.

The Wolfpack also held Rancho Cucamonga (4-3-1, 2-1) without a first down in the second and third quarters.

A 47-yard pass from Matt McDonald to Carlos Castillo early in the fourth quarter increased Claremont’s lead to 27-3, and Floyd added an 11-yard touchdown run.

-- Phil Witte