Martin Bears Hard Knocks

By BEN BOLCH

Sept. 30, 2002 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Fontana Ambassador Christian quarterback Brent Martin suffered the fourth concussion of his varsity career when his helmet was struck by two defenders’ helmets Thursday against Riverside California School for the Deaf.

The hard knocks haven’t tempered his desire to play, though.

“He was mad at us when we told him he had to stay out at least two weeks,” said Dawg Coach Gary Martin, Brent’s father. “He wanted to be back next week. I told him that wasn’t his decision.”

Brent Martin suffered two concussions as a sophomore and one as a junior. He received a CT scan and was held out of competition for two weeks after each concussion, his father said.

The senior was knocked out of Ambassador Christian’s 18-12 victory on the third play Thursday and did not return.

Top-ranked Long Beach Poly wasn’t thrilled about playing only the second day game in Coach Raul Lara’s 13 years with the program, but the Jackrabbits emerged unscathed after their 34-20 victory over Harbor City Narbonne.

“It felt like a JV game,” Lara said.

Poly at times looked like a junior varsity team after coming out sluggish. The Jackrabbits didn’t take control until the final two minutes of the first half, when quarterback Leon Jackson connected with Derrick Jones on touchdown plays of 34 and 49 yards to take a 27-7 halftime lead.

Poly had tried to move the game to Veterans Stadium or Gardena High so it could be played at night. But Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas refused.

“It was our only home game,” he said. “Why should we have to move it?”

Mission Viejo struggled so mightily to move the ball through the air the last two weeks that Friday it turned to junior cornerback Marty Tadman, whose claim to fame this season had been three interceptions.

Tadman took over as quarterback in the fourth quarter and led the No. 4 Diablos to a 10-7 come-from-behind victory over Huntington Beach Marina. Interestingly, Tadman’s biggest play came on the ground, as he rambled seven yards for the winning score with 4:25 left. He also kept the decisive drive alive by running for a 19-yard gain on third and three.

Mission Viejo had expected to use the pass to set up the run this season, but an injury to quarterback Josh Rodarmel in the Diablos’ opener put those plans on hold. Rodarmel is expected back in two weeks.

Marina suffered a casualty of its own against Mission Viejo when senior nose guard Sean Evans was lost for the season because of a broken right leg and torn ligaments.

La Canada St. Francis needed points so desperately from its offense that it utilized the fumblerooski play to register its first offensive touchdown this season. Guard Will Harrahill ran 43 yards for the score and the Golden Knights went on to rout Burbank Burroughs, 37-12.

St. Francis’ offense had been shut out in previous games against Crescenta Valley and Arcadia.

“Hey, I’m not proud,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said. “We’re going to score anyway we can. It worked perfect.”

Woodland Hills Taft also used some trickery in its 42-6 victory over Jefferson.

Trailing, 6-0, after turnovers on their first two possessions, the Toreadors used gimmick plays to score twice in 42 seconds in the second quarter.

Taft first utilized the double pass. Quarterback Cary Dove threw a lateral to receiver Paul Pratt, who connected with Noah Smith for a 29-yard touchdown.

After the Democrats fumbled on their ensuing possession, Dove completed a “Statue of Liberty” play, rolling toward the right sideline and drawing the bulk of the Jefferson defense while Ian Bell went around left end for a 28-yard score and a 14-6 Taft lead.

Santa Margarita backup kicker Jason Graban didn’t suffer from nerves as he lined up for a 42-yard field goal in a tight game against Dorsey, and with good reason.

The junior had tied a school record last season with three field goals in a game against Anaheim Servite. Graban was listed as the backup to Will Johnson to start this season but was thrust into the lineup the last two games after Johnson suffered an adverse reaction to flu medication.

Graban converted the 42-yarder as time expired in the second quarter to help Santa Margarita beat Dorsey, 5-0.

“It was a spark for our team, a big confidence booster going into halftime,” he said.

Brea Olinda’s Matt Votaw connected on a pair of 52-yards field goals to cut the Wildcats’ deficit to 22-19 in the second half of a 32-19 loss to Diamond Bar.

Votaw, however, missed an extra-point attempt.

A defense designed by Beverly Hills Coach Carter Paysinger and his brother, defensive coordinator Vonzie Pay- singer, did what neither of Long Beach Wilson’s first two opponents were able to do--contain their cousin, Bruin receiver Brian Paysinger.

After making 17 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns in two games, Brian Paysinger was held to two fourth-quarter catches for 39 yards in Wilson’s 27-26 nonleague victory over Beverly Hills.

“They doubled me all game long,” the senior receiver said after the Bruins improved to 2-0-1. “They had me on lockdown and they took away my game pretty good. I was fortunate to have two catches.”

Last year, Brian Paysinger received more acclaim during track, finishing fifth in the long jump in the state meet. In football, he was primarily a blocker as Long Beach Wilson used the run-oriented double wing-T formation, which first-year Coach Larry Mohr abandoned in favor of a more conventional offense this season.

“This is my year right here,” said the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Brian Paysinger, who said he is being recruited by UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State and Fresno State.

Times staff writers Paul McLeod, Eric Sondheimer and Eric Stephens, and correspondents Steven Herbert and Eric Maddy contributed to this report.