Prep Football Playoffs : Hawthorne Takes Wary Approach Against 3-7 Foe : Southern Section: Fourth-seeded Cougars play host to St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs, which has the worst record of any team in the playoffs.

The Hawthorne High football team appears to have a favorable matchup heading into the opening round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The fourth-seeded Cougars (8-2) will be playing host to St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs (3-7), which has the worst record of any team in any division in the Southern Section playoffs.

However, Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins says St. Paul is a perfect example of how records can be deceiving. The list of teams that have defeated the Swordsmen includes Southern Section Division I powers Fontana, Mater Dei and Bishop Amat.

“They’ve played a real tough schedule,” Robbins said. “They’re a real tough team and they’re a lot to prepare for. They’ve got a tradition of discipline. They look good on film and they impress me in terms of how aggressive they are.”

Robbins has first-hand knowledge about St. Paul’s tradition. He said the Cougars still haven’t forgotten when the teams met in the Division III semifinals last year and St. Paul won, 31-0.

“That’s still on the minds of our seniors,” Robbins said. “The feeling is not as great as it was last year because we only have about nine (starters) who played against them. But it’s there.”

St. Paul, which has only four starters returning from last year’s squad that reached the division final, has been led by quarterback Matt Lenzen and tailback Shawn McKinney.

Hawthorne suffered two losses midway through the season to Redondo and Beverly Hills, but the Cougars have won their past three games impressively.

The Cougar offense has relied on running back Morell Ollis, who ranks among the South Bay leaders with 1,474 yards and nine touchdowns. Quarterback Ronnie Morrissette has passed for 800 yards and 14 TDs.

Here is a look at other first-round games involving South Bay teams:

DIVISION III

Peninsula (7-3) vs. Schurr (8-2) at Montebello High, 7:30 p.m. Friday--Longtime Schurr Coach Ken Davis acknowledges he is concerned over the prospect of playing Peninsula. “They’ve got a lot of talent and they’re real big and physical,” he said. Schurr, which finished second to highly regarded Hart in the Foothill League, has a ground-oriented offense that features quarterback Ray Donahue and running back Kiki Casillas. Donahue has passed for 914 yards and nine TDs. Peninsula relies on its running attack, led by sophomore tailback Jim Durroh, who has rushed for 393 yards and four TDs in the past two weeks.

DIVISION VII

Laguna Hills (6-3-1) at El Segundo (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday--El Segundo has won seven games in a row and have outscored its opponents, 257-79, during that span. The Eagles, who won their first San Fernando Valley League title, are led by running back Chris Feeny, who has rushed for 712 yards and 13 TDs in 100 carries, and running back and defensive back David Scanlon. Laguna Hills, runner-up in the Pacific Coast League, is led by quarterback Justin Vedder and running back Dave Webber, who has rushed for 1,129 yards and seven TDs.

Century (7-3) at Serra (7-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday--Since a loss to Lompoc in its fourth game, Serra has been on a scoring frenzy. The Cavaliers, who won their fifth consecutive Camino Real League title, have outscored their past five opponents, 252-50, and are averaging 42 points a game. The leaders have been running back Rashaan Shehee and quarterback Eugene Davis. The defense has been led by twin linebackers Chris and Corey Long. Century features running back Juan Garcia, who has rushed for 1,114 yards and 15 TDs and has 104 tackles as a linebacker.

DIVISION VIII

Bloomington (5-5) at Redondo (6-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday--Redondo is 5-0 at home, including victories over Southern Section powers Hawthorne, Beverly Hills and Morningside. The Sea Hawks have been led by quarterback Ted Silva. He has completed 77 of 161 passes for 1,383 yards and 12 TDs. Redondo, the No. 2 team in the Ocean League, also features running backs John Hogrelius and Scott Moore. Bloomington, which placed third in the Sunkist League, is led by quarterback Larry Humphreys and halfback Joe Maynes. Humphreys has passed for 1,328 yards and 15 TDs, and Maynes has rushed for 923 yards and 10 TDs.

Morningside (7-2) at Nordhoff (7-3), 7:30 p.m. Friday--After back-to-back losses late in the season, Morningside is apparently on the road to recovery after its 51-20 victory over Centennial last week. Morningside, which was the No. 3 team in the Ocean League, has been led by junior quarterback Stais Boseman, who has passed for 1,049 yards and 15 TDs and rushed for 1,000 yards and 14 TDs. Running back Jesse Swayze has 708 yards in only 73 carries. Nordhoff won the Frontier League, its first league title in 25 years. The Rangers are led by tailback Nacho Vega.

West Torrance (4-6) vs. Valley View (9-1) at Moreno Valley High, 7:30 p.m. Saturday--West will get a look at the all-time rushing leader in state history, David Dotson of Valley View. He has rushed for a remarkable 3,354 yards and 44 TDs in 332 carries and 7,075 yards in his career. West, which tied South for first place in the Pioneer League but enters the playoffs as the league’s No. 2 team, has been led by quarterback Steve Sarkisian. He has completed 140 of 245 passes for 1,826 yards and 21 TDs.

Torrance (3-6-1) vs. Beverly Hills (8-2) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, 7:30 p.m. Friday--Torrance, which finished third in the Pioneer League, has an outstanding quarterback in Jason Kendall. He has completed 161 of 286 passes for 2,543 yards and 19 TDs. Ocean League champion Beverly Hills also has quarterback Ziv Gottlieb, an excellent passer, and receiver David Saraf.

St. Joseph (6-4) at South Torrance (6-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday--South has been led by running back Ryan Brady, who has 1,271 yards and 12 TDs in 188 carries. Two other integral members of the backfield for the Pioneer League champions are quarterback Alan Hook and running back Mike Lee. St. Joseph of Santa Maria, which finished third in the Los Padres League, relies on running backs Dale Esquivel and Chad Marsalek and quarterback Matt Brunell, whose brother Mark plays quarterback at Washington. Matt Brunell has passed for 1,095 yards and eight TDs.