HS FOOT: Points After Touchdown

Alemany of Mission Hills' defense figures to be put to the test Friday in a Western Division quarterfinal at Warren of Downey (10-1), led by superstar running back Jesse Callier, who has rushed for 2,864 yards and scored 45 touchdowns, two on kick returns.
In an 51-21 opening playoff victory Friday over West Torrance, Callier rushed for 232 yards in 15 carries and scored six touchdowns, including a 73-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and an 89-yard kick return.

Callier has rushed for 232 yards or more in six consecutive games, and he has yet to be held to fewer than three touchdowns in a game this season.

"Someone told me he's the seventh-leading rusher in the country," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said. "We've faced a lot of good running backs this season, and this is another one we'll have to face. I've already talked to the team and told them this is a big challenge because (Callier) is 90 percent of their offense. We'll do our best to slow him down."

Alemany (8-3) was missing linebacker Bryce Henderson (ankle) and safety Malcolm Marable (toe) in a first-round victory over Highland of Palmdale, and both should return. Marable, held out for precautionary reasons, is definite, and Henderson is probable.
Warren's only loss was a Week 5 defeat to Vista Murietta (11-0), a top program in the larger Inland Division.

-- It was a night of grinding decisions Friday for Thousand Oaks coach Mike Leibin at top-seeded Valencia, first deciding whether injured quarterback Avondre Bollar could play on a sprained ankle, then opting to go for a two-point conversion in the final 28 seconds of what turned out to be a 28-27 loss.

During the week, Leibin had said Bollar would be a game-time decision, and the coach really meant it.

"We were in pregame warmups, and three different times we were like, 'OK, Avondre is playing,' and then, 'OK, he's not playing,'" Leibin said. "Ten minutes before the game, he was sitting on the bench, so I asked him if it was just too painful, and he said he was playing, so I said, 'Allright, he's playing.'"

Bollar completed 7 of 11 for 59 yards but was sacked three times before giving way to backup Jackson Lucht with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Lucht ended up passing for a 13-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left to pull Thousand Oaks within 28-27, and that's when Leibin decided to go for a potential winning two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point - ultimately failing when a desperate conversion pass from Lucht was intercepted in the end zone.

"We HAD to go for two," Leibin said. "By that point, half of my offensive line could barely walk. Where we were at in the game, Valencia had had the lead and were playing conservative, so if there would have been an overtime, they were more fresh. After the game, everyone seemed to be talking about it being the right move."

-- The Pac-5 quarterfinal Friday between Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (9-2) and host Mission Viejo (11-0) should prove intriguing, as Notre Dame's prolific offense goes head to head with Mission Viejo's tough defense.

The team that executes best and imposes its will should win.

Notre Dame, led by quarterback Ryan Kasdorf and running back Kenny Boggs, averages 32.8 points and more than 400 yards per game. Second-seeded Mission Viejo limited Long Beach Wilson to 221 yards in a 41-14 opening playoff victory, as linebacker Nick Dzubnar recorded four tackles for losses, including two sacks.

-- If you're into timeless smash-mouth football -- particularly double-wing offenses -- you should enjoy the City Section Div. II quarterfinal Wednesday at 7 p.m. between Poly of Sun Valley (9-2) and host El Camino Real of Woodland Hills (10-1).

Both love to run the football with two tight ends, no wide receivers and two pulling blockers at the point of the attack.

Poly's Kevin Ervin has rushed for 1,955 yards and scored 34 touchdowns to help the Parrots advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993. The junior has 13 consecutive 100-yard rushing performances dating back to last season. El Camino Real's Ra'Shon Harper has rushed for 1,487 yards and scored 29 touchdowns, and he is the school's all-time career rushing and touchdown leader.

"I think it's going to be quick game," Poly coach Scott Faer said. "We're definitely evenly matched. They're seeded third and we're 11th, but you can think what you want because it's going to be evenly matched."

-- Arleta coach Jeff Engilman is miffed about being seeded No. 2 behind Roosevelt of L.A. (10-1) even though defending champion Arleta (10-1), which has outscored opponents by 40 points per game, has returned most of its key players and has added electrifying running back Antonio Bray, a prime Player of the Year candidate.

"We got screwed. Our only loss was a forfeit, so we've won 25 in a row on the field," Engilman said. "At the seeding meeting, there were a couple of administrators who didn't know what they were doing who kept voting for their own leagues."

Arleta continues its quest to return to the L.A. Coliseum with a quarterfinal against visiting Cleveland of Reseda (8-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Monroe High in North Hills. The contest is being switched from Arleta's home field because there are no stadium lights, and it would have cost close to $9,000 to install temporary lights -- a fee the City Section was not willing to pay.

-- Cory Bess, Tru Jarvis and Brando Tessar all rushed for more than 100 yards Friday for visiting Chaminade of West Hills in a 37-14 victory at Inglewood in a Western Division first-round upset - Chaminade's first playoff victory since 2006.
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Tessar rushed for 123 yards on 10 carries, Bess had 119 yards on 23 carries and Jarvis totaled 103 yards on 21 carries.

-- Gerry Gittelson