ALL FOR ONE
When Peninsula tailback James Durroh sprained an ankle in the second quarter Friday night against Diamond Bar, some may have thought the Panthers' chances of winning were dashed, too.
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Prep Football Spotlight / Facts, Figures And Comments From Last Year's Games
They would have been wrong.
With Durroh sidelined in the second half, Peninsula again proved that it can win without its leading rusher by rallying from 14-6 deficit to defeat Diamond Bar, 24-14, in the first round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs at Torrance High.
"For all those newspaper people who (wrote) that if you stop Durroh, you stop Peninsula, I guess we proved them wrong tonight," said senior co-captain Tony Persichina, referring to an article in a local paper. "It's a team effort. It's not one person."
Persichina, a starting fullback, took over at tailback after Durroh was injured and rushed for 190 yards in 25 carries. His three-yard touchdown run with nine minutes 36 seconds left to play broke a 14-14 tie. Keith Harter added a 42-yard field goal with 3:27 left.
Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell pointed out that the Panthers have won before without Durroh, who has missed several games in the past two seasons because of injuries.
"Everybody picked up the slack," Kimbrell said. "Tony (Persichina) just played a typical Tony game. Everybody else picks up on that and rallies around that kind of attitude and effort. It gave everybody a lift."
The Panthers also got a lift from safety Bryce Currence, who made the play of the game when he intercepted a pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Quarterback Peter Krogh's two-point conversion run tied the score, 14-14.
"This is so great," Currence said afterward. "My coaches say (the interception) turned the game around, but really it was the whole team."
The teams combined for nine turnovers, six by Diamond Bar (7-3-1).
Peninsula (10-1) will travel to play Bell Gardens (8-2-1) in the quarterfinals Friday in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal game won by Bell Gardens, 23-6.
CHEAP SHOTS
Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins was not all smiles after the Cougars (10-1) rolled to a 59-17 victory over visiting Baldwin Park (6-4-1) in a Division III playoff opener. He accused Baldwin Park players of intentionally hitting Hawthorne players in the knees.
Offensive tackle David Camacho and wide receiver Justin Stallings did not return after suffering knee bruises in the second and third quarters, respectively. Stallings was sidelined earlier in the season with a strained knee ligament.
"One guy would hit one of our players with their helmet and the other would dive at his knee," Robbins said. "When they're running plays like that, it really bothers me as a coach.
"I was disappointed in their lack of class. They were making some hits that were planned to injure us. But that's OK. We made a statement and showed what we're supposed to do."
Said Stallings: "They wouldn't even look at my face. They just went straight for the knee. They were really playing dirty and I was surprised about that. But they didn't do a good enough job because I'll be back next week."
Camacho is also expected back in the lineup for Friday's quarterfinal game at Westlake (8-2-1), which advanced with a 42-26 victory over Santa Barbara.
TOUGH TIMES
With time expiring on Banning's first losing season since 1974, senior quarterback London McBride could only watch from the sideline as the Pilots fumbled away a chance to tie the score. McBride injured his left ankle early in the fourth quarter of the Pilots' 28-20 loss to host Garfield.
"I feel like I let the team down," McBride said. "I know people will tell me different, but even if your arm or leg is broken, you want to get in there. It's so hard to watch."
It was hard to watch for all Banning fans. It was the second year in a row that the Pilots were eliminated by Garfield in the first round of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs.
Banning (5-6) fell behind by 14 points, but rallied for a 20-14 lead at the end of the third quarter. Two quick Garfield touchdowns, one coming after it recovered a Banning fumble at the Pilot 17, gave the Bulldogs a 28-20 lead.
"We made more mistakes, but I'm not going to say they have a better team," Banning Coach Ed Paculba said. "I'm not going to take anything away from our kids. I'm proud of the way they played."
With starting tailback Sean Turner ailing, junior Ricardo Diaz (185 yards, two TDs) matched rushing numbers with Garfield's Armando Figueroa (183 yards, one TD), but committed a costly fumble at the Garfield 10 with 1:52 left to play.
Diaz, who was inconsolable after the game, summed up Banning's disappointment.
"I can't believe it," he said, over and over.
Garfield (10-1) will play host to Carson (7-4) in a quarterfinal game Wednesday night.
DELAYED DEBUT
Senior cornerback J.J. O'Neil made his season debut for Mira Costa in the Mustangs' 28-7 Division VII playoff victory over visiting Pomona and played well in a reserve role, Coach Don Morrow said.
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