WIN IS WORTH WAIT FOR TAFT TOREADORS TOP BIRMINGHAM FOR FIRST TIME IN CITY PLAYOFFS TAFT 39, BIRMINGHAM 34.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Taft of Woodland Hills began looking forward to this game before it was even scheduled. Each offseason lift in the weight room and drill on the field was made with this game in mind. The proof was in the T-shirts they sweated in, which sported the motto ``BEAT `EM TWICE.'' The Toreadors did just that Wednesday, finishing off nemesis Nemesis (nĕm`ĭsĭs), in Greek religion and mythology, personification of the gods' retribution for violation of sacred law; the avenger. Sometimes she was said to be the goddess of good and ill fortune. 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). 39-34 in the City Section football quarterfinals at Taft. ``This game was what we've been waiting for,'' Taft receiver Jamere Holland said. ``We knew that, before we could focus on winning a City title, we had to beat them for a second time.'' Taft (12-0), seeded first in the City and ranked No. 2 by the Daily News, advanced to face Sylmar in the semifinals Dec. 2. It's the first time Taft has beaten Birmingham in the playoffs. The Patriots upset Taft in the postseason last year and in 2002 despite losing the regular-season meeting between the teams. Taft beat Birmingham 25-0 earlier this season. Holland made the game's big play, perhaps the most important play for Taft this decade. Birmingham had the momentum and was about to get the ball back down by six points with 5 1/2 minutes to go. On third-and-17, Holland got open over the middle, caught the pass from Exavier Johnson for a first down and used his state-champion sprinter speed to get to the outside for a 67-yard touchdown. ``That play broke our back,'' Birmingham running back Milton Knox Jr. said. ``If we had stopped them there, I think we would have come right out and scored.'' Birmingham (6-6) did score on its next possession, with Knox running for his third touchdown of the game with 42 seconds left. However, Jeshua Anderson recovered the onside kick onside kick n. Football A kickoff in which the ball carries just far enough, at least ten yards, to be recovered legally by the kicking team. for Taft to clinch Clinch, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, formed by the junction of two forks in SW Va., and flowing generally SW across E Tenn. to the Tennessee River at Kingston. the victory. Knox finished with 130 yards on 32 carries. The first half was full of big defensive plays. Taft struck first on a 48-yard interception return by Alfred Taylor. Will Chandler fumbled the kickoff, and Taft had another score two minutes later to go up 13-0. Birmingham quickly tied the score in shocking fashion early in the second quarter. Justin Ramirez intercepted an ill-advised flip pass by Johnson and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown. On Taft's very next play from scrimmage A play from scrimmage is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. , Birmingham defensive back Dominik Baker jumped in front of an out pass to Holland and returned it 39 yards to tie the score, giving the Patriots two defensive touchdowns in 14 seconds. Andre Harris gave Taft the lead for good when he scored from 3 yards out with 43 seconds to go in the first half. Harris finished with 97 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. The Toreadors played without the other half of their running back double-threat, Malcolm Smith Malcolm Smith may refer to:
Johnson completed 12 of 20 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Holland, his favorite target, caught five passes for 108 yards, including the big touchdown. ``When you have to play your rival twice and beat them twice, it's without question the most difficult thing to do in sports,'' Taft coach Troy Starr said. ``This is definitely a monkey monkey, any of a large and varied group of mammals of the primate order. The term monkey includes all primates that do not belong to the categories human, ape, or prosimian; however, monkeys do have certain common features. off our back.'' Matthew Kredell, (818)713-3607 matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Taft's Andre Harris rushes for a first down against Birmingham in a City Section 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. playoff game Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship Wednesday. (2) Birmingham's James Beloff is sacked by Taft's Alfred Taylor, left, and Anthony Evans Anthony Evans is the head men's basketball coach at Norfolk State University. • • [ in the first quarter of a City Section quarterfinal playoff game Wednesday. The sack caused a turnover. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer Box: CITY SECTION QUARTERFINALS |
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