Pressure kicks are part of the program at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Game-winning field goals are becoming routine for kickers associated with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Former Notre Dame kicker Erik Folk has beaten USC the last two seasons with game-ending field goals for Washington. Last season, Eric Solis made a 51-yard field goal with one second left to give Notre Dame a 23-21 victory over Encino Crespi.

And on Friday, Hayden Ross made a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give the Knights a 21-18 victory over Los Angeles Loyola in a Serra League opener.

“It was probably the greatest feeling I ever had,” Ross said.

Notre Dame had lost five of its first six games, but it’s league play that matters most, and with one field goal, Ross has put the Knights in first place for the next two weeks because they have an open date Friday.

“There’s always that time when you’re kind of nervous,” he said. “I tried to clear my mind as much as possible. I had more confidence than nervousness at that point.”

Notre Dame spends an hour before practices on special teams. Kickers are subjected to shouting and screaming in an attempt to simulate the atmosphere and pressure of a game-winning attempt.

“Coaches don’t realize how useful special teams can be,” Ross said. “We’ve done the same tradition for the past 20 years.”

Probably the biggest issue for Ross was dealing with the celebration afterward. He didn’t want anyone to suffer an injury when mobbed by teammates.

“I tried to stay up as much as possible,” he said. “Someone broke a leg in a dog pile in baseball, so I tried to make sure no one got hurt in our dog pile.”

Rise of Mater Dei

After losing its first two games, to Carson and Corona Centennial, Mater Dei has won four in a row, and the Monarchs’ turnaround is real. The offensive line is blocking better, the defense is quicker and the addition of defensive lineman-running back Todd Hunt, a transfer from Connecticut, gives the Monarchs a top player on both sides of the ball.

“We’re playing more as a team,” receiver Victor Blackwell said. “I think everybody was worried about their stats instead of championships. We found our rhythm.”

Accurate QB

Quarterback Nick Isham of Westlake Village Westlake is probably good at throwing darts at a bull’s-eye because accuracy is his strength. Last season, he completed 74% of his passes. After six games this season for the unbeaten Warriors, he has completed 72 of 94 passes (77%) for 1,124 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception.

Apologies

Gardena Serra Coach Scott Altenberg and La Canada St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds went to school at UCLA in the 1980s. They are friends. But after Serra’s 41-14 win over St. Francis on Saturday night, things happened and were said that each regretted.

Serra was called for a series of personal fouls in the fourth quarter, but it was a shot to the head suffered by St. Francis’ best player, receiver Travis Talianko, away from the ball and missed by the officials that set Bonds off and even had a priest shouting at Serra players.

On Sunday, Bonds said, “I was upset at the end. I said, ‘You could win with class or like thugs.’ I wish I could take it back. I was very frustrated. Scott and I were teammates at UCLA. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done with their program.”

Altenberg said he apologized for the “bad judgment” of his player.

“I don’t think that one hit typifies what we’re about,” he said.

Baseball risers

Two junior baseball players have become hot college prospects based on their performances during summer and fall ball.

Long Beach Wilson pitcher Chase DeJong and Anaheim Fairmont Prep pitcher Felipe Perez are being pursued by top schools. Perez is playing for the under-16 U.S. national team, which won the gold medal Sunday at the Pan Am Youth Championships in Mexico.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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