WHITTIER – Balanced scoring and a stingy defense gave La Serna High School all it needed to open the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 playoffs with a victory after winning the CIF-SS Division 4 title and state championship in 2023.
The Lancers (8-3) received touchdowns from four different players in a 28-7 first-round win over visiting Troy Friday night at Cal high.
With the win, the Lancers will host Rio Mesa (7-4) of Oxnard, a 21-18 winner over Ventura, next Friday in the quarterfinals.
La Serna sophomore quarterback Grady Long threw for 161 yards and four touchdowns, and junior Zeb Bontemps caught seven passes for 100 yards and a TD and Emre Law also hauled in a touchdown reception.
Jacob Quinones scored on an eight-yard run and senior Kaimana Tufaga scored on a 21-yard run to go with his four catches for 34 yards.
Troy was led by senior quarterback Rudy Alcala, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Alcala’s lone TD pass was to senior wide receiver Vander Ploog for eight yards, while senior fullback Caleb Huss ran for 56 yards on nine carries. Junior running back Ethan Mundt had 30 yards on seven carries.
“I’m so excited for this team,” La Serna coach Andy George said. “They put in the work and more than ever I want to see this team succeed and experience playoff victories. We had to dig deep and I’m just proud of the effort of the guys.”
La Serna came close to scoring midway in the first quarter on its opening possession on a 33-yard run by sophomore Jordan Bonilla but was called back on a holding penalty.
In the second quarter, both teams got on the scoreboard, with the Lancers taking a 7-0 lead on the first play of the quarter.
The touchdown was set up by a 43-yard pass from Long to Bontemps to the Troy 37 on the last play of the first quarter.
“It (win) feels great,” said Long, of his first playoff win as a starting quarterback. “I’ve watched it my whole life and to finally be the one doing it is great. This team fought and battled and we’re on to the next one.”
Long had three brothers lead the Lancers before him, quarterbacks Dylan and Jake and running back Owen.
The Warriors evened the score at, 7-7, midway through the second quarter after a La Serna fumble on its own territory and marched 38 yards, highlighted by runs of 15 and seven yards by Mundt and junior running back Charles Rippon.
Alcala culminated the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ploog.
The Lancers surged ahead in the third quarter, 21-7, with a 43-yard touchdown reception by Bontemps and an 8-yard run by Quinones.
“It was a fake reverse and once I saw that corner and looked the other way, I just took off and my lead blockers came down too and it was really helpful,” said Quinones, of his long run to set up his touchdown run up the middle.
Tufaga added the final score with a 21-yard run around the left end untouched, and junior safety Ayden Contreras made the final play on defense with an interception.
“Our defense played great throughout and gave up one touchdown, and to that team, one touchdown is an achievement,” Contreras said.
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