Prep football: CdM season heading South (Hills)

Barry Faulkner

COVINA - Corona del Mar High football coach Dick Freeman was hoping

it wouldn’t come to this.

But, after two straight Pacific Coast League losses dropped the Sea

Kings from first place to third, the resulting CIF Southern Section

Division IX playoff draw was as predictable as it was unkind.

CdM visits Valle Vista League champion South Hills (9-1) Friday at 7

p.m. at Covina High. The Huskies, who have been to the playoffs eight

times in Steve Bogan’s nine seasons as head coach (winning six of those

first-round dates) are the No. 2 seed.

“It’s a tough team with some good athletes from a good league up

there,” said Freeman, who believes his 5-5 team’s chances hinge on

attitude.

“Some teams approach the playoffs with a desire to play four more

weeks and others aren’t sure,” Freeman said. “But our kids have played

pretty hard all year. Probably the one week we didn’t work so hard was

Estancia (a 27-24 loss in Week 9). We came back and played well last week

(a 22-15 loss to league champion University). Hopefully, our kids know

the difference between how they prepared against Estancia and how they

got ready for University. If we play the way we did against University,

we can compete with anyone.”

Since reaching the CIF Division V semifinals in 1995, the Sea Kings

have not fared well in the postseason. They lost in the first round to

Valencia last year, 23-15, after dropping a first-round clash with

Servite, 26-0, in ’98.

South Hills went to the semifinals in 1996, but has reached the

quarterfinals five additional times under Bogan. The Huskies’ lone loss

this fall was a 17-14 verdict against Charter Oak in Week 3.

“We’re three points from being 10-0,” Bogan said. “We’ve been playing

really good football the last few weeks. We scored on our first four

possessions last week (a 41-22 triumph over Ganesha).”

The 41 points is a season high for the Huskies, who are paced

offensively by quarterback Chris Eadie.

Eadie has completed 127 of 211 passes (60%) for 1,999 yards and 22

touchdowns. He has thrown nine interceptions.

Marcus Nolan (607 yards and five TDs on 89 carries) and Jaron Fairman

(585 yards and seven TDs on 57 attempts) share the rushing chores.

Fairman also has 17 receptions for 327 yards and four TDs and is the

second-leading tackler with 89.

Jason Murray, with 53 catches for 916 yards and eight TDs, is the

primary receiver and a college prospect, according to Bogan. He also has

four interceptions and has returned a punt for a touchdown.

“They run a little bit of everything,” Freeman said of the Huskies’

offense. “They like to spread the field.”

Defensively, the Huskies unleash above-average team speed from an

attacking four-four scheme, which has surrendered just 11.5 points and

averaged three sacks per game.

The Sea Kings must rely on their offense, which produced the most

regular-season points (274) in the school’s 39 varsity seasons. The 1995

team scored 269 points its first 10 games, en route to a single-season

record 366.

CdM has rolled up more than 63% of its 2,949 offensive yards on the

ground, with the bulk of that coming from 5-foot-6, 170-pound senior tailback Blake Hacker. Expected to start after sitting out most of the

second half against University with a sprained ankle, Hacker has amassed

1,385 yards and 10 TDs on 234 carries. He needs 194 yards to break the

school single-season record set by J.R. Walz in 1993.

The Sea Kings have gained 1,079 yards through the air, but junior

starter Dylan Hendy has thrown for less than half of that (442), missing

more than three games with a broken wrist. Hendy, who started for the

first time since the injury last week, has completed 26 of 62 with six

TDs and seven interceptions. He is 1 of 8 for 8 yards since coming back

from the injury.

Senior speedster Matt Moore is the leading receiver with 21 catches

for 513 yards (24.4 yards per catch) and five TDs.

If the ankle injury limits Hacker’s effectiveness, sophomore Matt

Boyce will assume the running load. He had 77 yards and a TD on 12

second-half carries last week.

Cornerback Charlie Alshuler (seven interceptions), outside linebacker

Nick Prosser (a team-high 59 tackles), middle linebacker Taumata Grey and

safety Eric Snell, all seniors, lead a CdM defense which has given up 25

points per game and has lost three starters the last two weeks.

Friday’s winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face either

Pacifica or Valencia.