PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK’S GAMES : NO PLACE LIKE HOME

As far as John Hogrelius is concerned, teams can forget about beating Redondo on its home field this season.

“No one is going to beat us here,� he said. “It’s Sea Hawk pride, that’s all.�

Hogrelius, a junior who plays running back and outside linebacker, helped Redondo improve its home record to 4-0 Friday night by scoring five touchdowns and rushing for 159 yards in a 39-32 upset over previously unbeaten Morningside, the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division VIII poll.

The Sea Hawks have also beaten highly regarded Hawthorne and Beverly Hills at home, but are 1-3 in road games.

“They say they can’t lose at home,� Morningside quarterback Stais Boseman said. “I guess they proved it.�

Although Boseman had a hand in four touchdowns, including a 95-yard kickoff return, Redondo did a good job of containing the South Bay’s most prolific player. Boseman finished with only 47 yards rushing in 10 carries--by far his lowest output of the season--and completed six of 15 passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns. He was tackled for losses six times.

“There really was no big scheme going in; it was stop the Bose,� Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke said. “We felt if we stopped the Bose, we’d stop Morningside because he’s the threat. And look what he did tonight. Once he gets his hands on the ball, he’s a great athlete. I was tearing the hair out of my head when we kicked the ball and he ran all over the place.�

Morningside Coach Ron Tatum was disappointed with the play of his defense. The Monarchs were manhandled by Redondo’s offensive line, which paved the way for 290 yards rushing and several time-consuming drives.

“They ran the ball very well and threw effectively when they had to,� Tatum said. “They did what they had to do, they kept our offense off the field.�

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Hogrelius scored on runs of one, 14, 19 and two yards and made a diving catch on a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ted Silva, who also had a 41-yard scoring pass to tight end Jeremy Veasey. Hogrelius’ two-yard scoring run with 6:45 left gave Redondo a 39-24 lead.

“They were really pumped up at home,� Boseman said of Redondo. “We just couldn’t stop them. We scored 32 points, but it wasn’t enough.�

Redondo moved into a first-place tie with Morningside in the Ocean League at 2-1.

RUNNING WILD

Bishop Montgomery tailback Koury Clark, who went into the week leading the South Bay in rushing by nine yards, put some distance between himself and his nearest challenger Friday night.

Clark rushed for a career-high 376 yards and five touchdowns in 36 carries to lead the visiting Knights to a 44-31 Mission League victory over St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs. That gives Clark 1,428 yards for the season. Hawthorne tailback Morell Ollis, who rushed for 150 yards in a 25-16 victory over Peninsula, ranks second in the area with 1,193 yards.

Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll, whose team improved to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the league, said Clark’s big game was the result of several factors, not the least of which was the blocking of the offensive line and 230-pound fullback Tony Snowden.

But Carroll saved his highest praise for Clark.

“We have one talented football player playing tailback with a heart about a mile wide,� he said. “We weren’t playing North Torrance. We were playing St. Paul. They’re legit.�

Bishop Montgomery finished with 503 total yards.

MISSING IN ACTION

If South Torrance seemed a little down, as some suggested, in a 17-14 loss to Leuzinger Friday night, there was good reason. Last week, the Spartans had a starter kicked off the team and three others suspended for a game because of disciplinary reasons.

All-Pioneer League lineman Jacob Bianchi, a two-way starter, was dismissed from the team for “continued insubordination,� South Coach Don Morrow said.

Held out of the Leuzinger game were tailback-linebacker Ryan Brady, the team’s leading rusher, tight end-linebacker Doug Dossey and receiver Shawn Krueger. The threesome went to Oakland last weekend for a Grateful Dead concert and did not return home until Monday night, violating team rules by missing Monday’s practice.

“They made what I thought was a poor decision,� Morrow said. “If they were back (to school) Monday, that would have been fine. To the kids’ credit, they came back and practiced real hard the rest of the week knowing they weren’t going to play.�

Without Brady, who entered the week ranked third in the area with 847 yards rushing, the Spartans’ running game ground to a halt. They rushed for only 77 yards in 26 carries against Leuzinger.

GOOD COMPANY

Carson defensive lineman Lomitusi Fa’vae tied a school record with four sacks in a 21-0 victory over Gardena. Fa’vae shares the record with five other players, including three big names.

Others who had four sacks in a game for Carson were linebacker Arnold Ale in 1987 against Lynwood, lineman Alan Wilson in 1986 against San Fernando and linebacker Anthony Caldwell in 1978 against San Pedro. Ale plays for UCLA, Wilson plays for USC and Caldwell played for the University of Washington and the Raiders.

Carson had 10 sacks Friday night against Gardena quarterback Larry Roberts, one short of the school record. The Colts might have gotten it, but the game was stopped with 7:58 left after Fa’vae leveled Roberts and sent him to the hospital with a neck injury. He was released later that night.

Carson held Gardena to minus-30 yards total offense, the second-best defensive effort in school history. The Colts held Bishop Montgomery to minus-37 yards in 1987.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

* West Torrance linebacker Steve Kim had nine unassisted tackles, a blocked punt and two pass deflections, one in the end zone on the game’s final play, to preserve a 28-21 victory over North Torrance.

* El Segundo’s Chris Feeny and David Scanlan returned interceptions 40 and 35 yards for touchdowns in a 38-26 victory over Harvard-Westlake as the Eagles clinched at least a tie for the San Fernando Valley League title.

* Hawthorne defensive back Deandre Thomas returned a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown, and linebacker Tevita Moala and tackle William Tuivai each had eight tackles and two sacks in a 25-16 victory over Peninsula.

* Leuzinger defensive back Gary Mumin intercepted a pass in the end zone with 36 seconds left to preserve a 17-14 victory over South Torrance.

* Torrance sophomore linebacker Aaron Kaopua caught a fumble in midair and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown in a 21-8 victory over Centennial.

THE OTHER FORFEIT

With all the talk about Banning’s forfeit to Dorsey on Friday, it went largely unnoticed that Carson also was involved in a forfeit. The Colts were awarded a victory in their 30-27 loss to Washington two weeks ago because the Generals used an ineligible player. That makes Carson 5-3.

TURNABOUT

North Torrance outgained West Torrance, 284 to 91, in the first half, but West outgained North, 198 to 84, in the second. A strong finish proved more advantageous as West rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit for a 28-21 victory.

IN QUOTES

Morningside quarterback Stais Boseman on his team’s 39-32 loss to Redondo: “We’re capable of playing much better. We had a bad week of practice; guys were missing. We just came and threw our jerseys on the field. We thought because we’re Morningside, that was going to be enough to win.�

Serra Coach Jon Dimalante on pulling his starters in the second quarter of a 54-12 victory over St. Monica: “I feel for them over there. I thought we had a small roster (27 players), but they only had 18.�

Torrance Coach Bill Bynum, whose team moved into undisputed first place in the Pioneer League by beating Centennial, 21-8, its second victory in a row after going 1-5 in nonleague games: “Beating South (last week) was the big hurdle. After that, the kids realized that to win the league, you have to come through Torrance.�

West Torrance Coach Kerry Crabb on a 28-21 victory over North Torrance: “I’m elated for (the players). They’ve done so much. They have so much character. They never say die. It was the kind of game that should end in a tie.�

INJURIES

* Gardena quarterback Larry Roberts was released from Gardena Memorial Hospital on Friday night after suffering a neck injury that suspended play with 7:58 left in Carson’s 21-0 victory. Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai said Roberts suffered no neurological damage but would probably be held out of Friday’s game with Banning.

* Peninsula tailback Brian Durbin, the team’s leading rusher, suffered a broken collarbone in the first quarter against Hawthorne. Second-team tailback Danny Sarner also left the game with a knee injury.