Gardena Serra receivers’ success is catching

It’s a Fab Four with a show-stopping frontman and a pivotal presence in the background.

And it wouldn’t be complete, of course, without Paul and George.

Gardena Serra’s magical mystery tour of a season will make a final stop at the Home Depot Center on Saturday because of what might be the finest foursome of high school receivers in the nation.

Robert Woods, Lindsey Anderson, Paul Richardson and George Farmer are receivers for the unbeaten Cavaliers, who will play Kentfield Marin Catholic in the Division III state championship bowl game.

They combined for numerous pivotal plays and three touchdowns last week during Serra’s 42-41 overtime victory against Westlake Village Oaks Christian, making Lions Coach Bill Redell sound like a certain former Dodgers manager when asked to assess their performance.

“Remember what Tommy Lasorda said when they asked him what he thought about that guy Kingman?” Redell quipped, referring to Lasorda’s obscenity-laced tirade after Dave Kingman had slugged three home runs against the Dodgers.

Rival defensive coordinators probably consider the Cavaliers’ spread offense obscene. With four standout receivers at his disposal on every play, Serra quarterback Conner Preston called it “almost like a video game out there.”

The USC-bound Woods is the flashy one, a blazing talent who often draws -- and beats -- the double coverage designed to stop him. He has a team-high 58 catches for 932 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Farmer is the fastest and strongest of the bunch, a junior with 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash and a penchant for making the big catch. He turned 16 only five months ago.

Richardson, a transfer from Los Alamitos and a UCLA commit, has the softest hands and runs some of the best routes.

Anderson is the unsung hero, often making clutch receptions.

“He makes three or four first-down completions every game,” Preston said. “He’s really the go-to guy.”

Actually, Preston has a habit of going to whomever is open. That’s the directive from Coach Scott Altenberg, who also serves as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Farmer has been the big- gest beneficiary of defensive schemes largely devised to contain Woods, making 40 catches for 881 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In Serra’s victory over top-seeded Oaks Christian in the Northwest Division title game, Farmer made a diving catch on a 41-yard touchdown to answer an early score by the Lions. Then he perfectly executed a slant pattern late in the first quarter, turning a short catch into a 67-yard touchdown.

“It’s exciting to watch him go by the corner and it’s like the Kentucky Derby,” Preston said. “He’s gone.”

The other receivers also made timely contributions. Anderson snagged a pass on a post corner route to convert a third and 12. Richardson made a catch on second and long to help the Cavaliers sustain a drive. And, with Serra trailing in the final five minutes, Woods beat his defender on a 16-yard pass for the touchdown that forced overtime.

“We’ve never faced that kind of speed, and I think it was a shock to our system,” Redell said.

Farmer and Woods are members of a 400-meter relay team that won the state title in May. Woods is also widely considered the team’s hardest worker, running the Manhattan Beach sand dunes four days a week in the summer to prepare for his senior season. When he felt his teammates needed extra work with Preston, he persuaded the quarterback and receivers to stay after practice to sharpen their routes.

“He has a go-get-it attitude,” Preston said. “I could throw the ball up like this,” he says, motioning with his arm as if he has flung a pass backward over his head, “and he’ll make something happen.”

Serra’s receivers were already the talk of the South Bay before Richardson joined them this season. He had been close to Woods since the boys were 6, so Serra was a natural destination for Richardson when he decided to leave Los Alamitos. And he wasn’t worried about the competition.

“You compete with the best in practice then you’re going to be at your best for the game,” said Richardson, who returned last week from a high ankle sprain that had sidelined him for the Cavaliers’ first three playoff games.

Keeping four star receivers happy is not a problem for this team. They are a close bunch, hanging out off the field, often going to Farmer’s or Woods’ house to play video games. The camaraderie pays off on game night.

Preston noted that Farmer’s fellow receivers sprinted to congratulate him after his first touchdown catch.

“There’s been games when Robert didn’t touch the ball, I didn’t touch the ball,” Farmer said.

“But we don’t look at it like that. We look at it like we got the win and that’s what we needed.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com