Entering Sea Hawk Bowl Friday evening, visiting West Torrance had revenge on its mind after dropping two games to Redondo in 2015 including a first-round contest in the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs.
But, on a night when Redondo honored its teachers, it was West that was taught a lesson in a 58-10 rout by the Sea Hawks.
Redondo founds its offense that had been missing the two previous games while dominating in all facets of the game.
Following a shutout at Vista Murrieta and scoring only six points at San Pedro, Redondo (2-2) erupted for 32 first-half points to begin the onslaught.
Jermar Jefferson was all over the field for the Sea Hawks, rushing for two touchdowns adding another two on a 62-pass reception and a 78-yard kickoff return. He also had an interception to halt a Warrior drive.
The junior finished with 19 rushes for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Redondo quarterback Jack Alexander hit Julian Woodard for touchdowns of 26 and 40 yards.
“This was a big win for us. We had lost some of our confidence after losing two straight and weren’t playing as a collective unit,” Alexander said. “Julian and I talked throughout the week on how we could get back to doing what we do best.”
Alexander, who admitted he had been struggling the two previous weeks, said a meeting with head coach Matt Ballard and offensive coordinator Stephen Kelly helped.
“We needed to get everyone on the same page,” the junior said. “We had a good game plan and everyone was focused this week and it showed.”
Warrior quarterback Drake Peabody put West (2-1) on the board with a 72-yard first-quarter touchdown run. West entered the game ranked No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 6 while Redondo hopes the win will move the Sea Hawks back into the top ten in Division 4.
Jefferson answered Peabody’s score with an 8-yard run then Alexander tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Diego Balcarcel.
Earlier in the week, Balcarcel turned in his No. 21 jersey after being selected to wear the RUHS Football No. 4 Legacy Number, the highest team honor given to a Sea Hawk football player.
The number 4 was originally retired after both Keith and Kevin Ellison wore it for Redondo. The three brothers, Keith, Kevin and Chris all agreed to keep the legacy alive by passing along the number when there is a deserving player, willing to bear the responsibility.
Following his interception, Jefferson scored on a 4-yard run with 20 seconds remaining to give Redondo a 42-10 lead at halftime.
Derron Session helped Redondo control the ball – and the clock – in the second half gaining 135 of his 142 yards including a 59-yard scamper for a touchdown.
Alexander completed 10 of 14 passes for 191 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He connected with Woodard six times for 103 yards.
“We got back on track with a balanced offensive attack,” Redondo head coach Matt Ballard said. “Other than a breakdown on one big play, our defense held strong and kept the Warriors from moving the ball consistently all night. Our disciplined and detail-oriented week of practice paid off..
Redondo hits the road again Friday for a 7 p.m. contest at highly-ranked Mission Viejo (4-0).
The Diablos are ranked No. 4 in CIF-SS Division 1 and have outscored opponents 164-77 including a 42-14 victory over Long Beach Poly on Friday.
Mission Viejo is led by quarterback Matthew Macdonald who is averaging 258.3 yards passing per game.
“This will be our last pre-season opportunity to test out grit, challenge ourselves and prepare for a Bay League run,” Ballard added.
Mira Costa (1-2) has it’s turn to play West with a 7 p.m. road game Friday. The Mustangs suffered a heartbreaking 18-14 loss to visiting El Segundo last week.
The loss dropped Mira Costa four spots to No. 9 in Division 6 while El Segundo moved from No. 2 to the top spot in Division 7.
Mustang quarterback David Arredondo gave his team a 7-6 halftime lead after connecting with Casey Bonner for a 69-yard touchdown but early in the second quarter, the senior signal caller was forced to leave the game with a knee injury.
Sophomore Reed Vabrey replaced Arredondo and played admirably, putting Mira Costa on top 14-12 with a 78-yard touchdown pass to Sean Walker late in the third quarter.
With 59 seconds remaining in the game, El Segundo quarterback Jake Palmer scored on a 9-yard run to give the Eagles an 18-14 lead.
Vabrey moved the Mustangs into Eagle territory but the final drive was thwarted when Waker’s catch on fourth down was ruled out of bounds.
