Backups step up to lead Gardena Serra to 38-21 victory over Alemany

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Gardena Serra’s Brandon Burton, right, breaks up a pass intended for Alemany receiver Stanley Norman during a game Friday in Mission Hills, Calif. (Eric Parsons / For The Times)

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Gardena Serra running back Malik Roberson tries to break free from the grasp of Alemany defensive tackle Kyrell Naope during the first half of a game Friday at Mission Hills, Calif. (Eric Parsons / For The Times)

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Alemany quarterback Khalil Tate searches for an open receiver during the second quarter of a loss to Gardena Serra, 38-21. (Eric Parsons / For The Times)

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Alemany running back Dominic Davis, left, drags Gardena Serra defensive back Chris Pollard for a few extra yards during a game Friday in Mission Hills, Calif. (Eric Parsons / For The Times)

By Eric Sondheimer

Columnist

Oct. 24, 2014 11:09 PM PT

Injuries are piling up in the physically demanding Mission League, requiring backups to step in and coaches to come up with new strategies and revised lineups to survive the physical play.

Coach Scott Altenberg of Gardena Serra has lost six players for the rest of the season because of injuries and illness over the course of eight weeks. He’s been moving around players, mixing and matching while trying to get his team to make it through the weekly grind.

“Nobody’s going to shed a tear for us,” he said.

The Cavaliers still have six healthy big-time defensive players with college scholarship offers, and they were turned loose Friday night against an Alemany team that lost its quarterback in the first quarter to a shoulder injury and never recovered in a 38-21 defeat.

Serra (6-2, 3-1) recorded nine sacks, with 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior Oluwole Betiku, 6-5, 289-pound Rasheem Green and 6-4, 218-pound John Houston manhandling the Warriors (6-2, 2-2).

“Our defense is great,” Altenberg said. “We’ve got some guys who can play. I’m excited they were able to respond.”

Down, 14-6, in the early going, Serra put together a three-touchdown barrage, capped by a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tysyn Parker with 55 seconds left in the third quarter for a 31-14 lead.

“Everybody has to step up, even the sophomores and juniors,” said Houston, who had one of Serra’s three interceptions and added two sacks. “We’re trying to teach people to finish. We’re hanging in there. We have only eight linemen left on the whole team and they’re working hard.”

The game started well for Alemany. Quarterback Blake Green connected three times with Brandon Pierce during an opening 70-yard drive, including a 16-yard touchdown pass. But later in the quarter, Green suffered a shoulder injury, and that left the Warriors with sophomore Cayden Dunn to take over.

Facing a fierce, relentless pass rush that also shut down the Warriors’ running game, Dunn struggled at times. He finished 15 for 23 for 240 yards and two intercepted passes.

Meanwhile, Altenberg got a big lift from one of those prized backups. Caleb Wilson, who started the year competing with Khalil Tate for the starting quarterback position, caught touchdown passes of five and 27 yards playing wide receiver. Tate ran for touchdowns of five and 43 yards.

With Crespi’s 50-17 win over Chaminade, the Celts are 4-1 and end the season in two weeks against Alemany. Bishop Amat is 3-1 and plays Loyola and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in its final two games. Serra gets Chaminade and Loyola. Notre Dame defeated Loyola, 28-21, with third-string quarterback Adam Carr passing for 284 yards.

Again, it’s all about finding a way to win when starters are suddenly unavailable.

“We had to be creative,” Altenberg said.