CITY CHAMPIONSHIP: NO STOPPING TAFT'S SMITH IT'S NOAH, NOT STEVE, WHO CARRIES TOREADORS TO VICTORY TAFT 42, ROOSEVELT 13.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer

Roosevelt's football team knew it had to stop Smith. It couldn't.

It was Smith running around end for a touchdown. It was Smith going deep and hauling in touchdown passes by leaping over defenders. It was Smith taking a short pass, faking one way and running the other way for a score.

Yes, Roosevelt had problems stopping Taft receiver Smith. Noah Smith.

With the more famous Steve Smith out with a shoulder injury, it was the Toreadors ``other'' Smith stepping forward with 98 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the host and sixth-seeded Toreadors' 42-13 victory Thursday in a City Section first-round playoff game.

Steve Smith injured his shoulder last week against Granada Hills. His mobility limited, Smith wasn't cleared to play against the No. 11 Rough Riders (8-2). He watched on the sideline, his left arm in a sling. Coach Troy Starr said Smith might be available for Taft's (8-2) quarterfinal Wednesday at No. 3 Carson.

On this night, Steve and his area-best 68 receptions for 1,164 yards and 11 touchdowns were't needed. Just about every time Noah Smith touched the ball, he scored.

He opened the scoring with a 33-yard run on fourth-and-three. After Roosevelt tied the score, he hauled in a 43-yard pass from quarterback Cary Dove for a 14-7 lead, leaping over two defenders in the end zone.

Later in the first half, he caught a 25-yard pass from Dove, again beating his man deep. And in the fourth quarter, he caught a short pass from Dove, faked right and ran left for a 32-yard score and a 42-13 lead.

For the uninitiated, Steve and Noah aren't brothers. Noah just played like it.

``I executed the offense like we're supposed to,'' Smith said. ``With Steve out, we lose a little piece of the offense.''

Dove completed 12 of 17 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns, plus a 1-yard touchdown rush to finish the first-half scoring and give the Toreadors, who scored on all five of their possessions, a 35-13 lead.

Running back Justin Tryon, who Starr called ``the most underrated running back in the Valley,'' rushed 13 times for 126 yards and one touchdown, a 68-yard run.

``The truth is, they run the right offense for their personnel,'' Roosevelt coach Jose Casagran said. ``They have a lot of speed.''

Roosevelt, which won the Eastern League, effectively ran the ball, but Taft's defense bent but didn't break. Jody Adewale rushed 23 times for 140 yards and a touchdown, and Robert Salazar carried 16 times for 106 yards.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Taft defenders Mike Pratt (6) and Lance Broadhus double-team to bring down Roosevelt ball carrier.

David Sprague/Associated Press