By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze
POSTED: 11/15/13, 11:36 PM PST |
Serra running back Adoree’ Jackson #21 runs for a touchdown against the defense of Pacifica during the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs at Serra High School on Friday, November 15, 2013 in Gardena, Calif. Michael Yanow — Daily Breeze
Serra scored on an interception return, then recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, then added a touchdown on a run and another on a pass. No, it didn’t take long for the top-seeded Cavaliers to prove their superiority over visiting Pacifica of Oxnard on Friday night.
The first-round CIF Southern Section Western Division playoff game was all but over by the end of a very one-sided first quarter. Serra then went on to a 48-16 victory over Pacifica and advanced to face Buena of Ventura in the second round next week.
Serra (11-0) extended its winning streak to 21 games in a row. Cavaliers coach Scott Altenberg played his backups in the second half and was happy enough with the result to offer a faint smile after the game. He wasn’t satisfied, though.
The Cavaliers were too sloppy to suit him. They had too many penalties and missed too many assignments to make him believe they were ready for the tougher opponents in the rounds to come. They got away with a slew of mistakes because the Tritons (4-7) were overmatched.
“We can’t have the penalties or we’re not going to last very long,” Altenberg said after the Cavaliers built a 27-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and then put their game into cruise control the rest of the way. “It’s disconcerting. It was terrible.”
Altenberg shrugged.
“We did what we had to do,” he added. “It’s a win and you move on.”
The opening minutes were impressive, however.
Serra linebacker Dwight Williams intercepted a pass from Pacifica’s Mike Moraga and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown only 90 seconds into the game. Williams then blocked a punt and Akinyele Turner recovered the ball in the end zone to make it 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
The Cavaliers’ Adoree’ Jackson scored on a 3-yard run and then quarterback Jalen Greene connected with Jordan Lasley on a 24-yard pass to push the lead to 27-0 with 3:49 left in the first quarter. It was about that time that the Cavaliers began to lose their focus.
Serra outscored the Tritons 21-10 in the second quarter, but its play was far from as crisp and clean as Altenberg wanted. A commanding 48-10 halftime lead was enough to prompt Altenberg to turn things over to his reserves, but it also served to open the door to a sloppy second half.
Greene completed 9 of 13 passes for 148 yards and two touchdown passes. He also ran 51 yards for a score before yielding to Khalil Tate to start the second half. Tate and the backups couldn’t increase the Cavaliers’ lead, but Pacifica’s only second-half score was on Kevin Davis’ 9-yard TD run.
Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher in the regular season, gained 44 yards on 19 carries for Pacifica.
“The thing is, it could come down to something like penalties,” Altenberg said, referring to the later rounds of the playoffs. “It’s about advancing. You’ve just got to keep going. Tonight, it was about not making so many mistakes.”
POSTED: 11/15/13, 11:36 PM PST |
Serra running back Adoree’ Jackson #21 runs for a touchdown against the defense of Pacifica during the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs at Serra High School on Friday, November 15, 2013 in Gardena, Calif. Michael Yanow — Daily Breeze
Serra scored on an interception return, then recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, then added a touchdown on a run and another on a pass. No, it didn’t take long for the top-seeded Cavaliers to prove their superiority over visiting Pacifica of Oxnard on Friday night.
The first-round CIF Southern Section Western Division playoff game was all but over by the end of a very one-sided first quarter. Serra then went on to a 48-16 victory over Pacifica and advanced to face Buena of Ventura in the second round next week.
Serra (11-0) extended its winning streak to 21 games in a row. Cavaliers coach Scott Altenberg played his backups in the second half and was happy enough with the result to offer a faint smile after the game. He wasn’t satisfied, though.
The Cavaliers were too sloppy to suit him. They had too many penalties and missed too many assignments to make him believe they were ready for the tougher opponents in the rounds to come. They got away with a slew of mistakes because the Tritons (4-7) were overmatched.
“We can’t have the penalties or we’re not going to last very long,” Altenberg said after the Cavaliers built a 27-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and then put their game into cruise control the rest of the way. “It’s disconcerting. It was terrible.”
Altenberg shrugged.
“We did what we had to do,” he added. “It’s a win and you move on.”
The opening minutes were impressive, however.
Serra linebacker Dwight Williams intercepted a pass from Pacifica’s Mike Moraga and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown only 90 seconds into the game. Williams then blocked a punt and Akinyele Turner recovered the ball in the end zone to make it 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
The Cavaliers’ Adoree’ Jackson scored on a 3-yard run and then quarterback Jalen Greene connected with Jordan Lasley on a 24-yard pass to push the lead to 27-0 with 3:49 left in the first quarter. It was about that time that the Cavaliers began to lose their focus.
Serra outscored the Tritons 21-10 in the second quarter, but its play was far from as crisp and clean as Altenberg wanted. A commanding 48-10 halftime lead was enough to prompt Altenberg to turn things over to his reserves, but it also served to open the door to a sloppy second half.
Greene completed 9 of 13 passes for 148 yards and two touchdown passes. He also ran 51 yards for a score before yielding to Khalil Tate to start the second half. Tate and the backups couldn’t increase the Cavaliers’ lead, but Pacifica’s only second-half score was on Kevin Davis’ 9-yard TD run.
Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher in the regular season, gained 44 yards on 19 carries for Pacifica.
“The thing is, it could come down to something like penalties,” Altenberg said, referring to the later rounds of the playoffs. “It’s about advancing. You’ve just got to keep going. Tonight, it was about not making so many mistakes.”