Hawthorne, Leuzinger Win and Stay Even

Hawthorne and Leuzinger are at it again. The football teams that played to a 13-13 deadlock, tied for second place in the Bay League and lost to league champion Santa Monica by identical 41-28 scores kept pace with each other Friday night in the first round of the CIF Division II football playoffs.

Hawthorne posted a less-than-inspiring 13-0 win over Pacific League tri-champion Pasadena at Pasadena City College, while visiting Leuzinger rallied from a 14-0 deficit to score a 32-20 victory over Arcadia, another Pacific League co-champ.

The rivals now must prepare for second-round games at home Friday against formidable opponents from the Golden League. Hawthorne (8-2-1) faces second-seeded Canyon (9-2), and Leuzinger (9-1-1) meets fourth-seeded Antelope Valley (9-2).

Not much separates those teams, either. Canyon beat Antelope Valley, 10-9, in a game that decided the Golden League title, and both opened the playoffs impressively. Antelope Valley hammered Dos Pueblos, 37-10, and Canyon routed Camarillo, 44-6.

“I talked to the Hawthorne coaches (Friday) night, and we both feel we’ll have to play our best games to win,” said Leuzinger Coach Steve Carnes. “I don’t know much about Antelope Valley, but I know it will be a very tough game for us.

“It’s nice to be playing at home. You never know what can happen. I think our league is pretty tough. Antelope Valley and Canyon will have something to contend with, too. I don’t think Canyon has seen a Curtis Conway.”

Conway, the elusive Hawthorne quarterback, worked his magic again Friday night. He broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead.

Hawthorne squandered two other scoring chances. A 29-yard touchdown pass by Conway in the first quarter was nullified by a penalty, and Conway fumbled the ball away in the third quarter on the Pasadena 1-yard line.

But an opportunistic Cougar defense, which intercepted 4 passes, kept Pasadena from scoring. Ron Bolden had 2 interceptions, the first setting up his 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and defensive end Carlos Ramsey intercepted a pass at the Hawthorne 1 on the last play of the first half.

Afterward, Conway was confident that the Cougars could go a long way in the playoffs.

“If we play like we played tonight, maybe a little sharper on offense, I think we can go all the way,” he said.

Conway was Hawthorne’s leading rusher and passer. He had 71 yards on 7 carries and completed 4 of 7 passes for 35 yards. The Cougars finished with 178 yards rushing.

Leuzinger got 2 touchdowns each from tailback Damon Whitmore and wide receiver Quang Banks, who put the Olympians ahead for good on a 31-yard pass reception from quarterback Zak Odom early in the fourth quarter.

Beverly Hills, fourth-place team from the Bay League, pulled one of the biggest playoff upsets by beating top-seeded and previously unbeaten Santa Barbara, 29-21, on the road.

Junior quarterback John Johnson passed for 2 touchdowns and tailback Danny Edwards ran for 2 scores as the Normans (8-3) set up a meeting with Palmdale (8-3) in the second round Friday. Beverly Hills is the home team but will have to play off campus because its field does not have lights.

Surprisingly, the only Bay League team that lost Friday was first-place Santa Monica, which was beaten by Muir, 22-15, at Santa Monica College.

The Mustangs, who tied Pasadena and Arcadia for the Pacific League title, scored the winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter when defensive back Jerry Phillips stripped the ball from Santa Monica fullback Damian Lunetta and ran 65 yards, snapping a 15-15 tie.

It was a rough night for Lunetta. He also dropped 2 passes that could have gone for touchdowns.

Another surprising CIF playoff result occurred at El Segundo, where the previously unbeaten and third-seeded Eagles were beaten by Agoura, 30-7, in a Division VIII game.

Don’t be too surprised, however. Although Agoura (7-3-1) was a third-place team, it played a more demanding schedule than Santa Fe League champion El Segundo (10-1) in the competitive Frontier League. All three of the Frontier League’s playoff teams won, while all three of the Santa Fe entries lost.

El Segundo’s fate was sealed early in the fourth quarter when Erik Evans, the team’s star tailback and the leading scorer in the state, left the game with an injured arm.

Gardena will get a chance for revenge Wednesday night when it faces defending L.A. City 3-A champion Franklin in the second round of the playoffs. The game is tentatively scheduled for L.A. Wilson High.

The Mohicans (4-7), who dropped a 12-0 decision to Franklin in the third game of the season, opened the playoffs with an impressive 43-12 win over host Marshall, as running back Khybdeed Hairston rushed for a school-record 307 yards and 3 touchdowns. Franklin (11-0) advanced with a 21-0 win over North Hollywood.

“We’re fortunate to get another chance to play one of the better teams in the City,” Gardena Coach Dale Hirayama said. “The first time we played them, we had a lot of injuries and a ton of problems. I’m not saying those problems have ceased, but I think the kids have learned to overcome.”

Hirayama said the offensive line of tight end Charles Roberson, tackles Bobby Jones, Brian Byrd and Alex Martinez; guards Baylen Maglasang and Iona Leulu, and center Tony Ross played a pivotal role in Friday’s win.

Morningside rolled to its eighth consecutive win, romping past St. Bernard, 51-0, in a CIF Division VII playoff opener at Sentinel Field in Inglewood. The Monarchs (8-2) will travel Friday to Lompoc (5-6), which upset third-seeded Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, 26-6.

Fullback Deshon Mosley rushed for 2 touchdowns and scored another on a pass from quarterback Ernesto Carmicle, who finished with 2 TD passes and a scoring run. Wide receiver Shannon Thompson ran 80 yards for a TD.

Morningside was the only Ocean League team to get past the first round. League runner-up North Torrance was beaten by Chaminade, 35-14, third-place Redondo fell to Temple City, 24-23, and fourth-place South Torrance lost to San Marino, 28-19, despite 3 touchdown catches by wide receiver John Morton.

Redondo’s loss was the most frustrating. The Sea Hawks drove for a touchdown with less than 2 minutes left but missed the PAT that would have tied the game and perhaps forced a tie-breaker.

Meanwhile, Camino Real League champion Serra (7-3) advanced to the second round of the Division VII playoffs with a 30-8 win over Harvard. The Cavaliers will play at Temple City (9-1-1) on Friday.

Mira Costa’s bid to reach the CIF 2-A water polo finals fell a goal short Friday, as the Mustangs lost in overtime to La Serna of Whittier, 12-11, in a semifinal game at the Belmont Plaza at Long Beach.

La Serna scored the winning goal with a little more than 2 minutes left. Mira Costa goalie Adam Griffin blocked a shot, but in the scramble for the rebound the ball was pushed into the goal.

“All of us made one mistake,” said Mira Costa Coach Mike Nollan, whose team finished with a 23-9 record. “It was a team effort. I have no regrets. I think we would have done it the same way the second time around.”

J. Chapin led the Mustangs with 4 goals.

Two-time defending champion Miraleste will face Corona del Mar for the CIF 4-A girls tennis title at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Claremont Club in Claremont. Miraleste, led by singles player Kimberly Po, defeated Corona del Mar, 13-5, earlier in the season.