PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK’S GAMES : HOLDING THE LINE

If not for two fourth-quarter defensive plays, Banning might have lost to Carson in the rivals’ Pacific League finale Friday night.

But the Pilots’ Chris Smith and Jason Grayson were at the right place at the right time.

Smith, a senior cornerback, intercepted a pass in the end zone with a little over six minutes to play and Grayson, a senior outside linebacker, tackled Carson running back Damin Hurst for a four-yard loss on fourth down with 3:37 left to help Banning hold on for a 21-20 victory before 10,000 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Carson drove inside the Banning 35-yard line three times in the fourth quarter, but failed to score because of Smith’s and Grayson’s big plays and a missed 42-yard field goal attempt by Michael Rodriguez. In the third quarter, Rodriguez missed an extra point after Carson’s third touchdown to leave Banning with a 21-20 lead.

“When he missed that kick, I wasn’t too concerned,� Carson co-coach Marty Blankenship said. “I thought for sure we were going to score again. I thought we had the momentum in the second half. I thought the game was ours, but it just didn’t turn out that way.�

Carson’s last scoring chance ended on a fourth-and-three play at the Banning 32. Quarterback Jamie Sander pitched the ball to Hurst, who ran to the right before being caught in the backfield by Grayson. Banning then ran out the clock.

Asked if Carson might have been better off attempting a pass with three yards to go for a first down, Blankenship replied: “I don’t think so. I think on fourth and three, it warranted a high-percentage run play. Maybe the only thing we could have done differently is not run to (Grayson’s) side.�

Nonetheless, Blankenship said he was encouraged that Carson was able to rally from a 21-7 deficit with two touchdowns in the third quarter and, for the most part, dominate play in the fourth quarter. He said he is looking forward to a possible rematch with Banning in the second round of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs, if both teams get past their openers Friday.

“Our team feels that we can beat Garfield and come back and beat Banning,� Blankenship said. “I’m sure Banning feels they got out by the skin of their teeth.

“We think we have the team to beat them. We just need to capitalize on our opportunities and put it all together.�

DUELING QUARTERBACKS

In a matchup of two of the South Bay’s top quarterbacks, Steve Sarkisian of West Torrance outperformed Jason Kendall of Torrance to help the Warriors win a share of the Pioneer League title Friday night.

Sarkisian, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 225 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, led West rushers with 49 yards and intercepted a Kendall pass as the visiting Warriors defeated Torrance, 24-16. Kendall, the area leader in passing yardage, completed 13 of 23 attempts with two interceptions for 196 yards and two TDs.

“I kept telling (Coach Kerry Crabb), ‘I gotta to get a pick (interception), I gotta get a pick on Kendall,’ � Sarkisian said. “This is great. It’s the first league title our class has won. We’re on a roll right now.�

Sarkisian has been especially sharp the past two weeks, completing 43 of 63 passes (68%) for 532 yards.

West (4-6) tied South Torrance for the league title with a 3-1 record. Because South (6-4) beat West, the Spartans will enter the CIF Division VIII playoffs as the league’s No. 1 representative. Torrance (3-6-1), which could have won the title outright by defeating West, slipped to third at 2-1-1.

FLIPPED OUT

Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll drove to Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks Saturday morning hoping for the best. What he got was the worst.

The Knights lost coin flips with St. Paul and Alemany to break a three-way tie for third place and determine the Mission League’s final entries in the CIF Division III playoffs. St. Paul won the first flip to gain the No. 3 entry and Alemany won the second to determine the No. 4 entry, which is eligible for an at-large berth.

“Any time all of your hard work comes down to a coin flip, and you don’t win that coin flip, it’s frustrating,� Carroll said. “It’s very, very hard. What’s going to be tough is looking in the paper and seeing teams with worse records than ours going to the playoffs.�

Bishop Montgomery had a chance to clinch second place Friday night, but lost at home to Chaminade, 35-8. The Knights finished 3-3 in league play and 6-4 overall, their first winning season since 1983.

“What happens in a coin flip should not take away from our kids’ accomplishments this season,� Carroll said. “It doesn’t take away from the fact that our kids had a fantastic season.�

BUILDING MOMENTUM

Perhaps no South Bay team has improved more from its opener to the 10th game than El Segundo.

Friday night the Eagles completed their regular season with a 40-14 nonleague victory over visiting St. Bernard to extend their winning streak to seven games entering the CIF Division VII playoffs. St. Bernard, despite a 2-8 record, has beaten Culver City and Alemany, talented teams with winning records.

El Segundo lost to Mira Costa, 39-7, in the opener.

“It’s just unbelievable how good this team is,� Coach Steve Newell said. “I know that sounds funny because of the way we started the season, but this team can compete with anybody in the South Bay.�

El Segundo (8-2), with the area’s longest winning streak, won the San Fernando Valley League title with a 4-0 record. Newell said the improvement on offense in recent weeks has helped the team play at a higher level.

Friday night, the Eagles pulled away after leading St. Bernard, 9-6, at halftime.

“We were flatter than a nail at halftime,� Newell said. “We came out in the second half and just buried them.�

El Segundo running back Chris Feeny finished with 155 yards and four touchdowns rushing behind an offensive line led by tackles Mike Fransz (6-foot, 195 pounds) and Jake Howard (5-11, 200), guard Hauss Hancock (6-3, 215) and center Sam Ward (6-3, 240). Fransz, a sophomore, is the team’s best blocker and a future “blue-chipper,� Newell said.

“I thought a week ago we came together as a team,� Newell said. “Our offensive line is opening up holes like crazy.�

JUST A THOUGHT

What would El Segundo have been like if twins Eran and Eric Taulua had not transferred to Carson after their sophomore seasons?

Friday night, the seniors both played key roles in Carson’s loss to Banning. Eran, playing middle linebacker and fullback, led the Colts with 13 tackles and a sack. Eric contributed at defensive tackle and as a blocking back alongside his twin brother.

HAPPY ENDING

Mira Costa won’t be going to the CIF playoffs after finishing last in the Ocean League, but the Mustangs made their season Friday night by upsetting rival Redondo, 17-13.

The Mustangs drove 80 yards in the last two minutes to score the winning touchdown on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Greg Gilmer to wide receiver Cam Kissel with 24 seconds left.

“I feel absolutely fantastic,� Mira Costa Coach Bill Lysle said. “We’ve played close all year and we finally won one.�

The Mustangs (4-6) lost three games by six points or less.

“The kids had character,� Lysle said. “They hung in there at the end. They could have quit and they didn’t, and I knew they wouldn’t.�

Is the same true of Lysle? Asked if he plans to return next season, the first-year coach replied: “No comment.�

REGRETTABLE CALL

Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke regreted a decision to punt on fourth-and-nine from the Mira Costa 39-yard line with less than two minutes left. Mira Costa took over at its 20 after the punt went in the end zone. From there, the Mustangs drove for the winning touchdown.

“I should have gone on fourth down,� Hyduke said. “I listened to too many people. That’s my mistake. But that’s the way it goes. We’re going to the playoffs.�

Although Redondo finished in a three-way tie for second in the Ocean League with Morningside and Culver City, the Sea Hawks will enter the Division VIII playoffs as the league’s No. 2 entry because they were the only one of the threesome to beat Ocean champion Beverly Hills. Morningside gained the No. 3 entry because it beat Culver City. The Centaurs are eligible for an at-large berth.

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

* El Segundo defensive end Frank Taormina, the team leader in tackles, had five sacks in a 40-14 victory over St. Bernard.

* Hawthorne defensive back Corey McCoy returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown, passed for a two-point conversion and ran for a two-point conversion in a 34-3 victory over Leuzinger.

STREAKS

* Banning defeated Carson, 21-20, to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Colts dating to 1986.

* Serra defeated Pius X, 57-6, to extend its winning streak to five games and clinch its fifth consecutive Camino Real League title.

* El Segundo defeated St. Bernard, 40-14, to extend its winning streak to seven games.

* Narbonne fell to Washington, 20-7, to complete the season with seven losses in a row.

* Mary Star fell to Salesian, 8-7, Thursday night to end its season with six consecutive losses.

IN QUOTES

West Torrance Coach Kerry Crabb on his team gaining a share of the Pioneer League title with a 24-16 victory over Torrance after starting the season 0-5 in nonleague games: “It all comes down to the same thing; what we did in the preseason did not matter. I tried to impress on people that this could be the last thing you do in your high school career.�

Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell on his team’s slow starts this season, including Friday night in a 29-27 loss to Inglewood: “We had a tough time executing in the first half. The only time we got off to a fast start (this season) was against Torrance, and that was a long time ago.�

First-year Inglewood Coach Angelo Jackson on the victory over Peninsula, which left his team with a 1-3 Bay League record: “We finally played defense like I knew we could . . . You need defense in this league or they’ll kick your butt.�

Morningside Coach Ron Tatum on a 51-20 victory over Centennial that broke a two-game losing streak: “We ended up doing some serious soul-searching. We definitely needed a win and a game where we were able to play everybody.�

INJURIES

* Carson running back Theron Hill, the Colts’ leading rusher and second-leading receiver, strained an Achilles’ tendon in the first quarter and sat out the rest of a 21-20 loss to Banning.

* Redondo fullback/linebacker John Hogrelius, the team leader in rushing, suffered a separated shoulder in a 17-13 loss to Mira Costa and is out at least three weeks, assistant coach Tim Ammentorp said.

* Peninsula linebacker Taso Papadakis pulled a hamstring muscle in a 29-27 loss to Inglewood and is questionable for Friday’s CIF playoff opener, Coach Gary Kimbrell said. Kimbrell also said that tailback/kicker Brian Durbin, who suffered a broken collarbone two weeks ago against Hawthorne, might suit up Friday but probably would only kick.