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Redondo looks to break Hart in playoffs
by Lenny Miller
Despite losing its final regular season game at home, Redondo earned an at-large bid into the playoffs.
Going into last Friday night’s Bay league match-up against Leuzinger, a guaranteed playoff berth was at stake. In falling to the Olympians 16-6, Redondo had to resort to wild card hopes for its playoff opportunity.
Redondo's battle seemed uphill from the start. The Sea Hawks were facing a Leuzinger team that needed a win for its own playoff berth, and with 1,000-yard rusher Thomas Brown sidelined by a sprained MCL, offense was going to be hard to come by on this night.
Leuzinger came out with an aggressive offensive strike. A kick-off return close to midfield gave the Olympians great field position, and they used their momentum to convert on 4th and 3 for the game’s first touchdown. They ran the ball effectively throughout the drive, and capped it off by scoring a two-point conversion with a run, taking an early 8-0 lead.
Redondo, lacking a potent part of its offense in Brown, looked to find other ways to produce. Quarterback Keith Ellison was used at various skill positions in an attempt to give needed life to the offense. The Leuzinger defense also knew Ellison would be one to watch, and keyed on him wherever he went.
"We couldn't block them the way we needed to block them," coach Gene Simon said.
This game was a rare match-up difficulty for the Sea Hawks. The size and strength of Leuzinger was a factor.
"I give them credit for being better on defense than we were on offense," Simon said.
Redondo didn’t score in the first half, but strong defense allowed the game to stay fairly close. Leuzinger scored its second and final touchdown of the game in the second quarter, and a two-point conversion was again converted to give the Olympians a 16-0 halftime lead.
Redondo started the second half with the ball. Much of the year, the Sea Hawks have played their best football in the final 30 minutes. Sophomore running back Kyle Thompson started the drive strongly, carrying for 15 yards on the first play, and catches by Mark Reyes and Gino Silva put Redondo back in business. Ellison scored a touchdown on a 1-yard keeper, but a two-point conversion attempt was stopped, making the score 16-6.
Another promising Redondo drive came up empty after Leuzinger recovered a fumble in the backfield on their own 21 yard line.
"We just couldn't execute on offense tonight," said Ellison, who struggled without his right-hand man."You lose Thomas, you have got over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns this year, a big part of our offense," he added.
Redondo still managed an at-large bid into the playoffs and will be matched against second seed Hart. Hart has won three consecutive Division III titles and finished the season 10-0.
Brown, who injured his knee in last week’s Peninsula game, hopes his team can carry on with out him. "I wish the team all the luck," he said. ER