PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Bishop Amat tied at top

Students descended from their end zone bleachers and stormed the field Friday night at La Puente Bishop Amat High.

It was an evening that will be long remembered for the Lancers because they defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 31-14, to win a share of the Serra League title with the Knights. It was the Lancers’ first league title since they won the Del Rey League in 2001.

Bishop Amat (9-1 overall, 2-1 league), ranked No. 14 in the Southland by The Times, will start the playoffs as the league’s top entrant because it defeated No. 11 Notre Dame (8-2, 2-1), which will go as the league’s second entrant.

“We’re just happy to be in the playoffs,” Lancers Coach Steve Hagerty said. “As of earlier tonight we weren’t even sure we were going to be there.”

Coin flips for playoff pecking order became unnecessary after Los Angeles Loyola upset Encino Crespi, 41-37, to force a tie between the Cubs and Celts for third place in league. Crespi could contend for an at-large playoff berth because it finished with a .500 record, unlike Loyola.

Junior tailback Jay Anderson rushed for 167 of his 206 yards and all three of his touchdowns in the second half as the Lancers transformed a 10-7 halftime lead into a blowout.

Lancers quarterback Jerry McClanahan upstaged his more ballyhooed counterpart, completing 18 of 28 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown with an interception.

Notre Dame quarterback Ryan Kasdorf completed 16 of 31 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown but failed to find any sustainable rhythm.

“I think the guys up front were pushing pretty good for him,” Hagerty said.

“Guys just showed up and played tonight. I’m real happy for them.”

Bishop Amat sacked Kasdorf four times in the second half and held tailback Kenneth Boggs to four yards in seven carries for the game.

-- Ben Bolch

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Mission Viejo takes South Coast League

All week, Mission Viejo Coach Bob Johnson emphasized to his players to stay “humble but hungry” as they prepared for their season finale against Dana Hills for the South Coast championship.

Consider it done.

Mission Viejo’s 49-17 victory over Dana Hills clinched the South Coast League title outright for the eighth time in 10 seasons, secured a 10-0 record and provided momentum on its quest to win the Pac-5 Division title.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins (8-2, 4-1) missed the chance to win their first league championship since the school opened in 1973.

“We couldn’t come out here thinking we had the title already won,” said Diablos senior quarterback Dallin McEwen, who completed nine of 15 passes for 197 yards with a touchdown. “We had to come out and perform.”

Senior tailback Exavier Edwards-Ford had 14 carries for 145 yards with four touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Joey Branker caught six passes for 169 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown catch that illustrated his speed and gave the Diablos a 28-9 lead with 1:55 left in the second quarter.

Said Edwards-Ford: “The main part was everyone was focused and not worrying about the playoffs.”

-- Mark Medina

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Two-minute drill

Jerry Neuheisel connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Fennessy with 31 seconds left in the game to lift L.A. Loyola (4-6, 1-2) to a 41-37 victory over visiting Encino Crespi (5-5, 1-2) in Serra League play. . . . Denzel Hawkins finished with 116 yards and three touchdowns as No. 18 Corona Centennial (8-2, 6-1) clinched second the Big VIII League with a 42-29 victory over Corona (2-8, 1-6). . . . . Shaquille Richard scored two touchdowns as No. 7 Gardena Serra (10-0, 4-0) claimed its third consecutive Del Rey League title with a 21-7 victory over L.A. Cathedral (9-1, 3-1). . . . Josh Armstrong scored on an 85-yard interception return to help propel No. 9 Redlands East Valley (10-0, 7-0) to a 37-7 victory over Redlands (8-2, 6-1) for the Citrus Belt League title. . . . Anaheim Servite (9-1, 5-0) became the first team to clinch the Trinity League title outright with a 48-20 victory over San Juan Capistrano JSerra (6-4, 1-4). . . . L.A. Crenshaw (10-0, 5-0), The Times’ top-ranked team, finished the regular season undefeated with a 46-0 victory over L.A. Jefferson.