ALL IS WRIGHT FOR BIRMINGHAM AS ECR RUNS INTO WALL : BIRMINGHAM 27, ECR 24.

Byline: Jim Inghram Daily News Staff Writer

John Wall said it was like any other kick - there was no doubt in his mind he was going to convert it. It wasn't an ordinary 24-yarder, though; this one helped Birmingham defeat El Camino Real 27-24 in overtime at Canoga Park High on Friday.

It set off a wild celebration by the Braves as their fans rushed onto the field.

``Everybody was coming up to me on the sideline and telling me that it was going to be up to me,'' Wall said. ``I told them not to worry about it, because I knew I could do it.''

Wall's steely performance overshadowed a tremendous performance by El Camino Real's Quincy Wright, who rushed for 255 yards on 36 carries with a touchdown.

It also helped the Braves come back from a 12-0 halftime deficit and a 24-16 deficit with 3:06 left to play.

Birmingham forced the game into overtime when Scott Doherty connected with Jerome Riley on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:12 remaining. It moved the Braves to within two at 24-22. Emmanuel Evans then willed himself into the end zone to convert the two-point conversion.

El Camino Real (5-2, 2-2) won the overtime toss, electing to begin the California tiebreaker (four plays from the 10-yard line) first.

A clue to the game's outcome came in the teams' reactions to the final regulation score. The Braves ran back to their sideline in a celebratory mood while the Conquistadores glumly walked to theirs to receive overtime instructions.

An incomplete pass and two rushes that gained 3 yards left El Camino Real with fourth down at the six. Lacking a quality kicker, coach Rick Hayashida went for the touchdown. A botched snap ended any chance of a score.

The Braves (6-1, 3-1) then got their chance. Doherty plunged straight into the line twice before Wall came in on third down.

Doherty held for the game-clinching kick.

``We are a good team,' Doherty said. ``We wanted this, we deserved this. Everybody shares in this victory.''

At times it appeared the Braves tried to give it away, fumbling twice deep in El Camino Real territory and committing a crucial pass interference play on fourth down that gave El Camino first-and-goal on the Birmingham 3 instead of allowing the Braves to take over on downs.

``We tried to give it away,'' Birmingham coach Dave Lertzman said, ``and we still came back and won. I hope my team learned something from this, even when you're down and look beat you can still come back. You can overcome adversity.

``This was two very good football teams giving it everything they had. The only bad thing was that someone had to lose. We played our hearts out, I couldn't be more proud of my guys.''

The Braves' victory sets up an intriguing matchup next week with undefeated Taft.