Often used as a term to describe the illumination cast from high school football stadiums, “Friday Night Lights” became an understatement last Friday when, after the red-tinted sun set amid Santa Ana conditions, the campus of Redondo Union High School became aglow with new lights showcasing the school’s recently completed aquatic center, tennis courts, field house and softball and soccer fields.
Former athletic director Les Congelliere, who retired at the end of the school year in June, attended the day’s festivities and referred to the radiant site as “the sports Mecca of the South Bay.”
The athletic venues are a large part of district-wide improvements made possible by Measure C, the $145 million bond issue approved by voters in 2008.
Unfortunately for the Sea Hawk football team, the lights went out on the road to an undefeated Bay League season when visiting Palos Verdes defeated Redondo 21-7, putting a damper on a day full of ceremonies and homecoming activities that included a parade at halftime.
Scores of alumni and athletic backers watched as the Redondo’s new aquatic center was officially opened in an afternoon ceremony. Many prepared for the gridiron clash with a pre-game dinner at Alumni Park at the west end of Sea Hawk Bowl.
Palos Verdes scored on its first possession, setting the tone for the game with a 78-yard drive behind a power running game that featured Marc Sasso. The senior running back ran for 172 on 30 carries and accounted for all three Sea King touchdowns.
The performance was a precursor of what Redondo can expect when it faces Mira Costa in the final game of the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs are led by a physical running game led by Deon Morris and J.R. Tavai.
“We’ve got to practice harder and get to that next level,” linebacker Ryan Spiwak said after the disappointing loss. “We’ll need to stop the run. Our defense takes pride in stopping the run and we proved tonight that we’re not that great at it. We’ve got to work harder at it and that’s what we saw with Sasso, who is a great running back and that’s what we’re going to see with Costa.”
Spiwak, the workhorse of Redondo’s offense, rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries and capped off an 80-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to cut the lead in half at 14-7 with 6:25 left in the first half. Spiwak has amassed 676 yards and nine touchdowns on 118 carries this season.
Redondo head coach Gene Simon said the loss hit hard and he took full responsibility for the defeat.
“We really wanted to win this game and I think our guys are hurting right now,” Simon said. “The positives are that we put a lot of heart and energy into it. It’s rewarding to see that. Unfortunately, we just didn’t execute that well. We were right in this ball game and just didn’t pull it out. I blame myself. I didn’t get them to play in the second half.”
Simon knows it’s not going to get any easier. After taking on defending league and CIF champion Mira Costa, the Sea Hawks will enter the post season in a much stronger division. The Bay League moved into the Northern Division this season which features teams three of the top 20 teams in the MaxPreps.com state rankings. St. Bonaventure and Westlake hold the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, and Oaks Christian is ranked at No. 17.
Mira Costa is ranked No. 5 in the division while Palos Verdes remains in the 7th slot.
“Mira Costa is going to provide a tougher test for us than we had tonight,” Simon said. “Stopping the running game will be key and also trying to score on them will be a problem. They have a pretty tough run defense.”
The loss drops Redondo (6-3, 3-1) into a second-place tie with Palos Verdes (8-1, 3-1) and ended the Sea Hawk’s four-game winning streak setting up a showdown with Mira Costa which will determine the Bay League championship.
Mira Costa (6-3, 4-0) is riding a five-game winning streak after shutting out Leuzinger 32-0 last Friday in a game highlighted by defensive coordinator Ray Lee’s unit which held Leuzinger to minus two yards in the first half. The Mustang defense has allowed just 105 points and only two in the first quarter this season.
Coach Don Morrow’s Mustang squad continue to rely on the leg of kicker Brendan Sofen who was successful on field goals of 40, 27, 50 and 30 yards, including three in the second quarter.
Tavai opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Morris, who finished with 50 rushing yards on 13 attempts, added a one-yard scoring run in the third quarter and Tajee Mobley provided the only scoring in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard scamper for a touchdown.
Morris is averaging six yards per carry while gaining 575 yards and six touchdowns on 96 carries this season. Tavai and Stephen Giovati have rushed for 255 and 239 yards, respectively.
Wide receiver Sam Stekol leads the Mustangs in receptions with 24, gaining 392 yards for a 16.3 yards/catch average. Tight end Derek Largent averages 21.8 yards per reception, gathering in 10 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns.
Josh Qerbash blocked a Leuzinger punt to set up a Mustang touchdown and Joshua Stump made an interception to preserve the shut out. Tavai is among the area leaders in sack with 11. ER
