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El Segundo upsets Inglewood 21-20
by Julian Jenkins
The last football game of the season is usually an emotional one, especially for seniors. The thought that most players might not wear another football uniform again is a depressing one. But that thought didn’t shake El Segundo (5-4, 4-3) as they edged CIF bound Inglewood High School 21-20 in Friday night’s game at Coleman Field.
Inglewood (8-2, 5-2) was ranked 22nd in a Los Angeles Times poll for area football teams and slated to contend for the Ocean League championship this year. The Eagles not only spoiled their homecoming game, but also put a crimp in Inglewood’s near perfect league record and lowered their post-season seeding.
El Segundo started with an effective drive that ended with a 5-yard Jeremie Hopson touchdown. A Sentinel defender tipped the ball away, but Hopson somehow managed to come down with the ball and the early lead, 6-0.
Inglewood bounced right back with a 37-yard touchdown run by Solomon Jones. The two-point conversion was stopped by El Segundo’s leading tackler, Steve Eno, tying the score 6-6 with 2:55 left in the first quarter. The next drive, led by El Segundo quarterback Matt Engle, used an effective air attack and resulted in a Brad Franks touchdown. A diving catch by tight end Eno secured the two-point conversion. The Sentinels used their Wing-T offense to show El Segundo that the game wasn’t nearly over, driving down and scoring on an 8-yard pass. They completed a two-point conversion to go into halftime with a tie game, 14-14.
The Eagles stopped a 3rd quarter drive only to give the ball back to the Sentinels on a penalty for roughing the kicker. The ball was then moved to the Eagles 34-yard line. With Inglewood knocking on the door, the El Segundo defense, led by Rick Talanoa, Steve Eno and a key hit by Chris Ornelos, stuffed a 4th and 1 touchdown attempt. The Eagles weren’t able to capitalize on their next possession, and the Sentinels got a second chance. Inglewood beat the Eagle secondary to score on a 50-yard Solomon Jones pass completion with 3 minutes left in 3rd quarter, making the game 20-14.
With 8:41 left in the 4th quarter, Steve Eno placed a punt deep in Sentinel territory. Inglewood, playing with their backs against the wall, felt the pressure of a fired up Eagle defense and failed to mount a drive. El Segundo’s offense got the ball back, and with great protection from his offensive line, Engle threw again to Eno, who made a spectacular catch to lift the Eagles 20-20 with 1:13 left in the game. The crucial point after attempt was wide, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave El Segundo a second chance. Matt Engle put the ball through the uprights and the game winning point on the board, 21-20. A last ditch attempt by Inglewood resulted in a fumble recovery for El Segundo, sealing the Sentinel’s fate.
"I think our defense played a huge game," said El Segundo coach Steve Shevlin. "We worked all week for this. To take a team like Inglewood and hold them to 20 points, with that offense and the skilled kids they have, that’s quite a task, and we were up to the challenge."
The CIF playoffs were elusive this year for El Segundo, but they now are looking at the possibility of league realignment. The school has just a squeak over 1,000 students, and some folks contend that schools like Santa Monica--with a school population more in the 4,500 range--have an unfair advantage. This is why every two years the leagues are assessed and realigned as needed. Realignment, if it occurred, would take effect by the 2002 season. ER