TORRANCE TRIBUNE November 19, 2015 Page 5 Up and Adam JOIN US ON SUNDAYS FOR THE NFL FOOTBALL EXTRAVAGANZA! Food & Drink Specials in our Lounge Must be 21 years of age Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Monday Night Football Specials Also Available Douglass To book your event or for more information, please call Rick or Charlotte at 310.326.5120 or charlotte@pvbowl.com M O R T U A R Y “Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954” B U R I A L - C R E M A T I O N - W O R L D W I D E T R A N S F E R P E T M E M O R I A L P R O D U C T S 500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245 Telephone (310) 640-9325 • Fax (310) 640-0778 • FD658 See Up and Adam, page 8 Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Saxons Shine in Playoff Debut By Adam Serrao, asixlion@earthlink.net If there was any doubt remaining about how ready the North High Saxons are for the playoffs, they’ve erased it all. After finishing the regular season with a disappointing loss to South High, head coach Todd Croce, linebacker Mique Juarez, and the rest of the Saxons were chomping at the bit to take the field again and prove that they were a dynamic football team. Last Friday night at North High, the Saxons made the word dynamic look like an understatement. Behind excellent play from Juarez and an extremely strong defense, the Saxons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. With a 48- 14 rout of Agoura in the first round of this year’s CIF Southern Section Western Division playoffs, the Saxons had no problem earning a date with Mira Costa in the second round. Almost before the game even got started, Juarez started his scoring. Three minutes in, he took the ball from 23-yards out and got into the end zone for the first points of the contest. Neither Juarez nor the Saxons looked back from there. “The key tonight was us playing together as a team,” Juarez said. “We did everything we were supposed to do and we executed. Not only on offense, either. The North High defense forced three first quarter fumbles, two of which led to Juarez touchdowns. By the end of the first quarter North held a 20-point lead. By halftime, the lead ballooned to 34. “We came out with high energy,” coach Croce said. “Overall our defense was solid tonight.” Not just solid, but excellent. Agoura (1-10, 1-2) was held without a first down in the game until just two minutes remained in the first half. They would eventually put up one score in the first half and one to begin the second, but aside from those 14 points, North would hold them in check for the remainder of the night. Juarez finished the day throwing for 115 yards and one touchdown to his favorite receiver, Justin Allmond. He also ran for 150 yards on 13 carries for five more touchdowns to bring his TD total to six in the 34-point win. The win means that the Saxons (9-2, 4-1) will move on to play Mira Costa (9-2, 3-2) - a team that they have not traditionally had much success against. The Mustangs, in fact, have won the last four matchups between the two teams. “Mira Costa is a solid football team,” coach Croce commented. “They are as well coached as anybody and they are going to know their stuff and play well at home. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.” Keep it tuned in right here to see if Juarez and the rest of the Saxons are up to the task of taking on a strong, Bay League opponent who beat Ventura 34-24 in their first round matchup. The game will be played this Friday night at 7:30pm. West High The West High Warriors would have asked for any other matchup but the one they got with the Redondo Beach Sea Hawks last Friday night at Redondo High. Not only do Pioneer League teams traditionally not do well versus Bay League teams, but the Warriors also had lost to Redondo 14-3 earlier in the year and have a 4-9 overall record against the Sea Hawks in their last 13 games. Tides didn’t change much for the Warriors last week. The game was a tale of two halves of football, but in the end, Redondo put together the more complete game. With 35-28 victory, the Sea Hawks kept their streak against West High alive and bounced the Warriors out of the playoffs in the first round. Things looked a bit murky for the Warriors as the game got started. Right out of the gate, Redondo’s Jermar Jefferson ran the ball 80-yards for a touchdown to put the Warriors in an early hole. Greg Holt and his team would respond. Two consecutive touchdowns by starting quarterback Drake Peabody followed by an interception returned for a touchdown by Denver Silverlake accounted for three straight touchdowns for the Warriors to put them up 21-7 in the second quarter. Things were looking good for West. Momentum changed, however, as Redondo put a touchdown on the board just before the half. A 5-yard pass pulled the Sea Hawks to within seven points at 21-14. “That touchdown made a big difference,” coach Holt explained. “If we go into halftime up 21-7, it could be different.” Instead, Redondo took to the ground in the second half and ran the Warriors right out of the stadium. The Sea Hawks ran the ball 10 straight times in the fourth quarter, tiring out West’s defense. A 20-yard gain by Malik Spencer that dragged Warriors defenders with him followed by a 2-yard touchdown plunge gave Redondo a 28-21 lead with under two minutes remaining. A pair of turnovers by Peabody led to another Sea Hawks touchdown, eventually putting the game out of reach for good. West fought until the end, but ultimately ran out of steam, taking the seven-point loss. Peabody went 8-for-18 through the air on the night for 82 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. The loss ends a season that was up and down for the Warriors. Winners of their first two games, West went on to lose four of their next five. Will Football Ever Come To L.A.? By Adam Serrao, asixlion@earthlink.net The idea of having football here in Los Angeles seems like a pipe-dream. Sure, there has been talk about it, but that talk has gone on for years now and still, nothing has happened. From Los Angeles to Inglewood to Carson and back, different areas of land have been talked about that would serve well in the site for a new NFL stadium. Still, nothing. Last week, though, something happened that may have officially set the idea of football in L.A. in motion. Robert Iger - chairman and chief executive of Disney - has agreed to join in on efforts to bring football back to the Los Angeles metropolitan area and with his support, a move might finally get done once and for all. At first the Minnesota Vikings were talked about. Then it was the St. Louis Rams. Now, however, with Iger’s backing, it looks like the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers will be coming to Los Angeles to play in the city of Carson. Of course, don’t believe that until something legitimate happens. Other plans have come and gone, like Rams owner Stan Kroenke buying out the Hollywood Racetrack to bring the Rams to town. Obviously, that has still yet to happen. This may not ever happen either, but if there’s one thing that this world knows about Disney, it’s that they’re capable of just about anything. Like the theme park, should the Raiders and Chargers move to Los Angeles, ticket prices will undoubtedly rise. NFL fans here in Los Angeles don’t care about that, though. They simply want a team to root for. With Iger’s backing, they’ll get two. Iger, as CEO of Disney, is currently one of Hollywood’s most powerful executives and the clout that he brings with him could be just enough to make a potential move actually happen. Just recently, in addition to his Disney business, Iger has been named non-executive chairman or Carson Holdings - the joint venture between the two teams that is working with the city of Carson on a project to bring a stadium to the city. With Iger now a part of Carson Holdings, sponsors should be lining up at the door to take part in a venture that would bring the NFL to America’s second largest media market. L.A. has been without a team since 1995 when the Rams left Anaheim for St. Louis and the Raiders left Los Angeles to return back to Oakland. With Kroenke still proposing a plan to build a stadium in Inglewood, and Iger now a part of the proposals for the city of Carson, it’s certainly not long before something - anything - gets done. Like Kroenke and his Rams, the Chargers and the Raiders are now solely seeking to gain support for their stadium plan from the NFL owners. “Should the owners approve the move, Los Angeles will proudly welcome two incredible teams to our community and build a stadium worthy of their fans,” Iger stated. With the backing of the owners, any plan will instantly become a green light. One must think that Iger involving himself in such a venture would mean that he has some word that his inclusion will certainly push a plan for a stadium and the relocation of the two teams over the edge. The only thing that could be better than living off of Disney money for the rest of your life would be to own a stake in not one, but two NFL franchises. “This is a major deal that Iger is a primary stakeholder,” explained David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the USC Marshall School of Business. “Iger would not have agreed to do this if he didn’t think his involvement could help drag the proposal over the finish line.” Now, a competition seems to have arisen. Would the owners rather back a billionaire like Kroenke and welcome the Rams, or have Iger, who earned 46.5 million in 2014 alone, bring the Raiders and Chargers to town. How can you say no to a guy who acquired Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm all in his tenure as CEO of Disney? Disney already owns ESPN, which has a $1.9-billion annual contract with the NFL for Monday Night Football. All that being said, Iger seems to have the inside track. Who knows, maybe if the Oakland Raiders attach their name and their brand to Disney, the team’s current classification as a ruckus team with rowdy and even sometimes violent fans would then change for the better. Everything becomes a little bit happier and nicer when Mickey Mouse is attached to it. The wait certainly isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination, but Angelinos can certainly rest easy knowing that both the NFL and toptier executives from around the world now see Los Angeles as a gold-mine for an NFL team. It’s been 20 years since the city of Los Angeles has been able to call a football team its own. While it may be another few until an actual stadium is constructed, both the Raiders and the Chargers could conceivably move to L.A. and be playing in front of home crowds as early as next year. Though everything still seems so far away, the owners decision on a destination for a team will set in place an avalanche of movement that will have the NFL back in Los Angeles in no time. Fans have been patient enough. Now, with Iger’s involvement, it’s time to let the games begin. •
Torrance_111915_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above