An early touchdown was all Redondo needed Friday night as the Sea Hawks escaped with a 7-0 victory over visiting Oxnard in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs.
Fourth-seeded Redondo (10-2) will travel to take on top-seeded Calabasas (11-2) in a semifinal contest at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27. The Coyotes defeated Lawndale 33-7 in their quarterfinal game.
“The defense picked the perfect time to deliver a shut out, and our offense did enough to keep the ball moving and secure the win,” Redondo coach Matt Ballard stated. “Our enjoyment of the victory will be short lived but we have the honor of practicing over Thanksgiving break. Calabasas has a high powered offense and a shutdown defense so we’ll need to focus on our preparation.”
Jerone Jackson scampered 45-yards for a touchdown during Redondo’s first possession against Oxnard and its bend-but-don’t-break defense held strong to keep the Yellowjackets off the board.
Jefferson finished with 114 yards on 21 carries to lead Redondo’s offense but it was the Sea Hawk defense that kept the Yellowjacket’s passing game off balance.
Cedric Muzik had three sacks and Danny Zimmerman added while pressuring Oxnard quarterback Dalton Pagano all evening limiting the junior to only 18 yards passing.
Oxnard had chances to score but untimely penalties halted several drives. The Yellowjacket’s best opportunity to get on the board came with just over five minutes left in the game when they reached Redondo’s 23-yard line. But Raymond Caldera’s run on fourth-and-3 came up short.
Caldera finished the game with 185 yards on 42 carries.
Seniors Jerone Jackson and Ryan Armalin were named Redondo’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Game, respectively. Junior Derron Session earned Special Teams Player of the Game honors and the Scout “Eager Beaver” Player of the Week award went to sophomore lineman Jesus Ramirez.
