A Defensive Gem

In the "if you don't have anything nice to say" department, Serra's defensive front line turned in a defensive gem Friday night against the Bishop Amat Lancers.  But it's hard to win football games with defense alone.  The Lancers won 14-7 in a game they dominated. 

Defensive gem, yes, but not your diamond or emerald-type gem.  More like cubic zirconium.  The Cavs stopped the Lancers inside the red zone time and again, winning fourth and goal twice.  But outside the red zone, the Lancers moved more or less at will, especially in air.  Amat had the ball 65% of the time thanks, in part to two turnovers and a successful on-sides kick.  Unofficially, Serra ran 42 plays to the Lancers' 80.  The Lancers had 20 first downs, the Cavs 10.  But for all those stats, the Cav defense held Amat to one touchdown in the first half and one in the second, and squelched what was threatening to turn into a rout. 

Even against mighty Bellevue, Serra scored enough to offset a 14-point lead.  Not on Friday.  The offense had dengue fever, or the flu, or simple lack of focus.  The running game was almost all Khalil Tate, and but for a fumble, that might have been enough.  The passing game was arthritic.  If a receiver got open, the pass wasn't there; if the passer had time, the receiver couldn't get open.  There was one significant pass completion all night, a 20-yard dart from Tate caught by Deontay Burnett despite close coverage that moved the ball to the 15 on Serra's only scoring drive. 

When a potent offense is stopped this decisively, it's logical to give credit to the opposing defense.

No doubt Amat played good defense all night, but it didn't appear to be as much a case of dominant defense as a case of lethargic offense.  Neither Tate nor Wilson had much time to pass, when they did pass, accuracy and touch was an issue, and it was striking that Amat could throw short passes to multiple receivers at will, while Serra receivers was almost always closely guarded.  Let's face it: the 2014 Serra offense still needs to have its points adjusted and the timing chain tightened.

There are going to be those days.  Consider SC at Boston College.  But the Mission League looks to get tougher not easier.  Next week the Cavs play Crespi at Crespi.  Crespi is 5-0.  They beat Amat in overtime with a two point conversion, and put it on Loyola Friday night 35-13. 

Beyond Crespi, it's just as grim:

Superior Grocers Grand OpeningSuperior Grocers made a donation of $5000 to the Serra High School Music Department for performing at their grand opening in Gardena, CA on Saturday, October 4. Superior Grocers is located at the corner of Crenshaw and Marine, please pay them a visit and welcome them to our Gardena community!

U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Be sure to catch Coach Scott Altenberg along with seniors Rasheem Green and Stanley Norman, as they represent Serra High School on the national stage in San Antonio, Texas on January 3, 2015 10 A.M on NBC! The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the longest-running active high school All-American game. The game was first played on December 30, 2000, in Highlander Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Since 2002, however, the game has been played in San Antonio. The game enjoys a worldwide audience thanks to broadcast partner NBC Sports.