It was a quick exit for Bay League teams in post season but they did not go down without a fight.
In the highly-competitive Northern Division, Mira Costa, Redondo and Palos Verdes showed their grit while competing to the very end against higher ranked opponents in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
Playing at defending champion and second-seeded Oaks Christian, the Bay League’s third representative Mira Costa held the host team scoreless in the second half but couldn’t overcome a 43-0 halftime deficit.
Brandon Edmond led the Mustangs with 59 yards rushing and scored the team’s lone touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. Gavin Jerrigan put the first points on the board for Mira Costa with a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter.
While Mira Costa was playing on the road, Bay League champion Palos Verdes used the Mustang’s home field that features stadium lighting to host Hart. Palos Verdes (9-2), the eight-ranked team in the Northern Division, came close to upsetting the No. 5 Indians (7-4) before giving up a 51-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion in the final minute of the game to lose 15-14.
Hosting third-seeded St. Bonaventure (9-2), Bay League runner-up Redondo (5-6) put up a valiant battle against the heavily favored Seraphs.
Averaging 39 points per game, St. Bonaventure’s explosive offense was held in check by the Sea Hawks defense led by linebackers Brandon Kim, Ryan Spiwak, Zach Zent and defensive linemen Sam Ben-Amor, Steven Vaughan and Harry Whitson.
Redondo jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter after quarterback Harrison Faecher connected with Davion Goodall on a 12-yard pass play for a touchdown and Hunter Bradshaw nailed a 32-yard field goal.
Despite being penalized 10 times for 76 yards, Redondo remained in the game with the inspiration of a strong senior class and Faecher who completed 15-of-26 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Entering the game as underdogs, Faecher credits head coach Gene Simon for Redondo’s resiliency.
“Coach Simon is confident in what he does.” Faecher said. “He kept telling us to do what we were taught and to execute on turnovers. At first, I think we had some doubts but as the week went on, we believed in what he was telling us.”
Redondo’s performance can only provide optimism for Gene Simon and his program. Only a sophomore, Faecher threw for 1,754 and more than doubled his touchdown-to-interception ratio with 21 scoring passes this season.
After returning quarterback Nick Pope abruptly transferred to Long Beach Poly prior to the opening of the season, Faecher saw his opportunity as grabbed it.
“I knew I had to beat the backup quarterback and kept working hard during the summer, trying to improve in the passing tournaments,” Faecher said. “Fortunately, I had the support of seniors like Kim, Spiwak, Bradshaw, Ben-Amor and (Deon) Williams who gave me confidence knowing they were by my side. Our offensive line was great this year and helped me relax in the pocket even though we played a pretty tough schedule.”
Along with St. Bonaventure, Redondo’s schedule included playoff-bound team such as Orange Lutheran, Serra (seeded No. 1 in the Western Division) and Culver City, who upset Serra 41-38 in the first round last Friday.
“I think Orange Lutheran was the toughest team we faced this year,” Faecher said. “They were a solid team that had played together for a long time.”
Feacher said his personal highlight of the season was leading his team into Bay League competition after a 1-4 start and eventually beating rival Mira Costa.
“We hadn’t beaten Mira Costa in a long time,” Faecher said. “That was a huge win for us and put us in second place in league. We really turned our season around.”
