ROUGHING PENALTIES BURY SEAHAWKS' UNDEFEATED STREAK IN TOUGH LOSS
The Los Angeles Harbor football team saw its overall 10-game regular season winning streak come to a halt by the first team it beat to begin its streak last season.
Two roughing-the-kicker penalties late into the 4th quarter took opportunities and momentum from the Seahawks and into host San Bernardino Valley College as the 9th-ranked Seahawks ended the regular season and Mountain Conference play with a stunning 29-21 loss Saturday night.
Harbor (9-1, 6-1 conference), however, qualified for the playoffs due to clinching a share of the conference title with Golden West College. However, Harbor holds the tiebreaker with a Week 4 victory over the Russlers and earned a No. 7 seed in the state playoffs. But a tough game with San Bernardino Valley College kept Harbor from completing a 10-0 perfect regular season, partly due to the costly penalties and one major turnover.
With Harbor leading 21-20 after the Wolverines (5-5, 5-2 conference) missed a 40-yard field goal, a bad snap led to a sack and fumble for quarterback Dominique Blackman, which was recovered at Harbor's 8-yard line by San Bernardino Valley.
However, the Seahawk defense stuffed Wolverines running back Kristin James twice and sacked quarterback Roman Neville on 3rd down to force another field goal. San Bernadino Valley connected on a 29-yard field goal, only to get a roughing-the-kicker penalty called against Harbor, giving the Wolverines a new set of downs at the 6-yard line. San Bernardino scored three plays later to take the lead at 26-21.
Harbor then began its next drive to begin the 4th quarter at its own 38-yard line and drove all the way to San Bernardino Valley's 20-yard line by two big passes from Blackman, both to Jonathan Davis. On a 4th-and-7, Blackman scrambled 14 yards to the 6-yard line for 1st-and-goal, but the spectacular run was called back for a holding penalty, leaving the Seahawks with a 4th-and-17. Blackman then threw an incomplete pass to Dwayne Frampton, who finished the game with seven catches for 100 yards.
San Bernardino Valley then took over and used the ground game to eat up over five minutes of the final quarter. Included in the drive were a pass interference and personal foul penalties called on the Seahawk defense, which pushed their woes further down the field. The Wolverines then kicked a field goal from 34 yards out to take an eight-point lead with 6:59 remaining.
Harbor got as far as San Bernardino Valley's 45-yard line on its next possession before being stopped on three straight plays before punting. The Wolverines then got the ball at their 22-yard line, but were stopped by an aggressive Seahawks defense and had to punt. However, penalties reared their ugly heads in Harbor's direction and led to another unearned possession for the Wolverines. Harbor was called for another roughing-the-kicker penalty - this time on San Bernardino Valley's punter - which led to the Wolverines getting 1st-and-10 at their 37-yard line, as they ran out the clock to end the game.
Blackman completed 21-of-39 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown pass to Jon White, who fought hard for 59 yards on 14 carries. White also had seven receptions for 65 yards.
Kyle Sharman had arguably his biggest game of the season with 11 tackles (1.5 for loss) and a sack. Delque Chalk led the team with 12 tackles.
Harbor, despite the loss, will travel to Cal State Fullerton to face No. 2-seeded Fullerton College in the American Bowl for the first round of the CCCAA state playoffs. Fullerton enters the match-up at 9-1 and the 2nd-best defense in the state, while Harbor boasts the state's top-ranked offense. Both teams are in the top-10 in rushing offense, each averaging at least 200 yards per game on the ground.
Harbor's game vs. Fullerton is at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, November 21 at 1 p.m.