Back-to-back wins over Palos Verdes and Inglewood propelled the Leitzinger High football team to the top of the Bay League hierarchy.
On Thursday night, despite losing quarterback Russell Sekona to a broken hand in the second quarter, Leuzinger (5-0, 2-0) relied on its defense and the play of running back Journey Tong to earn a 40-14 victory over Palos Verdes at SoFi Stadium.
Tonga contributed touchdown runs of 14 and 21 yards on option plays. Leusinger's quarterback, Kelton Strickland, then ran 84 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter. And Tonga added a 61-yard touchdown pass. It all happened because Palos Verdes (4-3, 1-1) thought the 5-foot-8 Tonga wouldn't pose much of a threat. With the help of his offensive line, Tonga found holes in the Sea Kings' defense.
The Olympians' defense frustrated Palos Verdes quarterback Ryan Rakowski, who was ejected at 11:41 after an altercation with Leuzinger linebacker Samu Moala. The game was postponed while the officials spoke with both coaches to try to resolve the ejection issue. Moala was ejected along with two teammates.
“High emotions,” Moala said. “Lesson learned.”
Those eliminated may be sidelined for one to three games, depending on the referees' report.
Rakowski completed a 12-yard pass at halftime and finished with 87 yards.
Palos Verdes made a short play in the fourth quarter, recovered an onside kick, recovered another fumble and pulled to within 27-14 behind two touchdown passes from senior cornerback Giorgio DiMascio. But Pakipole Moala sealed Leuzinger's win with a 100-yard interception for a touchdown. Tonga then added his third rushing touchdown of the night.
