CITY SLICKERS QB LOMBARDO READY FOR SHOT IN TITLE GAME.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Ryan Lombardo didn't take the politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but path to the City Section football final. Other Birmingham of Lake Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). seniors said they wouldn't have been satisfied with anything less than making the championship game after disappointing quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. losses the past two seasons. Lombardo is easy to please: He was elated e·lat·ed adj. Exultantly proud and joyful. e·lat  ed·ly adv.e·lat just to be in the playoffs for the first time in his career. Transferring to Birmingham from Newbury Park in the spring, Lombardo had no idea football could be played in December. Even in early November, football was a meaningless diversion A turning aside or altering of the natural course or route of a thing. The term is chiefly applied to the unauthorized change or alteration of a water course to the prejudice of a lower riparian, or to the unauthorized use of funds. at Newbury Park, where Lombardo's teams went 3-7 in his sophomore and junior seasons despite his impressive statistics. ``It's pretty refreshing to be playing in December for the first time,'' said Lombardo, who will lead Birmingham against Taft of Woodland Hills on Friday at the Coliseum Coliseum: see Colosseum. . ``I'd rather be playing now than getting to throw every down, like they were doing at Newbury Park this year.'' Lombardo would have been a three-year starter at Newbury Park if his parents didn't decide to move to Colorado. They sold their house in Newbury Park and rented a home in Van Nuys so Lombardo, who wants to stay in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , could be closer to the relatives in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. he likely will stay with after his folks find a home in Colorado. Lombardo said his parents found the home near Birmingham first, then decided the school would be a good fit for him because of its passing offense and departing de·part v. de·part·ed, de·part·ing, de·parts v.intr. 1. To go away; leave. 2. To die. 3. senior quarterback. The departure of quarterback Scott Jensen, who now is starting for Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is a geographical term that is generally taken to mean the area of the state of Oregon east of the Cascade Range, save the region around The Dalles and sometimes Klamath County. The area around Bend is considered to be Central Oregon rather than Eastern Oregon. , left a vacancy that had Birmingham veterans worried they weren't going to get another chance to make the City final. ``Losing Scotty was a big hit for us,'' wide receiver Chad Green Chad Elton Green (Born: June 28, 1975 in Dunkirk, New York) is a former switch-hitting, righthanded minor league baseball player. An outfielder, he attended Mentor High School and then the University of Kentucky. said. ``I didn't know who was going to be quarterback, and it was a concern. It was tough to see how we were going to be better this year. But Ryan came in and picked up where Scotty left off.'' Actually, Lombardo has done even more. He became the first Birmingham quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards after last week's semifinal victory over Gardena. On the season, Lombardo is 151 of 269 for 3,101 yards and 28 touchdowns. That's more yards than he ever threw for at Newbury Park. Having receivers like Green, who leads the City Section in average yards per catch, helps. Lombardo had to earn the position after transferring but quickly impressed coach Ed Croson with his poise. ``You could tell he'd been playing quarterback for a long time,'' Croson said. ``He has such good mechanics and gets the most out of his body. He throws a nice, accurate ball.'' Normally, that's true. But it wasn't when Birmingham lost to Taft in the final game of the regular season Nov. 15. Under constant pressure, Lombardo completed just 10 of 23 passes for 126 yards and no touchdowns with three interceptions. ``We didn't really have much of an offense last time,'' Lombardo said. ``Taft pressured me, there was a lack of communication with the wide receivers. Everything fell apart and, as the quarterback, I have to take my share of that responsibility. But that was then. We were nervous going into that game, and I think we'll be fine now.'' Lombardo knows what a big game under the spotlight of the City final could do for him. He has yet to draw attention from many big colleges and doesn't have a scholarship offer; the school that has given him the most attention is UC Davis. Lombardo said he scored a 1,250 on his first attempt at the SAT and has a 3.85 grade-point average. He began applying to schools for academics in case he doesn't get a good-enough football offer. ``I think you get more publicity when you're in a championship game than if you are throwing every down and putting up big numbers,'' Lombardo said. ``I'm hoping to win the championship, and then coach can talk to some colleges for me and hopefully get me somewhere. ``It helps when you're on a stage like this, where everybody is watching the game. It's a great opportunity for everybody on the team. Even the young guys can make a name for themselves in a game like this.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) RYAN LOMBARDO (2) Birmingham quarterback Ryan Lombardo |
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