LAWNDALE - Talk about passing a big test...

San Pedro High football appeared to have their intersectional battle at Lawndale under control when junior running back Kai Kaneshiro scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals quickly scored 17 seconds later on a 70-yard touchdown connection from junior quarterback Jalen Hamler to senior wide receiver Hunter Williams, and then recovered the ensuing onside kick. 

However, the Pirates stood tall, and held off the hard-charging Cardinals down the stretch in the final 70 seconds to escape with a 30-27 victory. 

Coming off a bye week the previous week, San Pedro (3-1 overall) has now won their last three games and have posted back-to-back wins against two top South Bay teams from the CIF-Southern Section, building up from their 25-6 win at home over Redondo Union back on September 9.

This one definitely felt good with a sigh of relief.

After the recovered onside kick, Lawndale (1-3) would promptly march 30 yards to the San Pedro 14-yard line, but a clutch sack of Hamler by San Pedro senior defensive lineman Nick Ford and senior linebacker Einar Ramirez combined, followed by a holding penalty, pushed the Cardinals back to the 30.

On the final play, Hamler, who completed 22-of-31 passes for 353 yards, a phenomenal 311 of those yards on 11 passes caught by Williams, tried to hook up with Williams one final time, but senior cornerback Raymond Geha suddenly ripped the ball out of Williams' grip on the final play, the pass was incomplete, and the Pirates wildly celebrated the narrow victory.

It seemed at least in the first quarter that San Pedro would win going away, when the Pirates scored on both of their offensive drives, both culminating with a seven-yard touchdown run from senior FB/LB Sohl Gafa, whose two scores came with 8:17 & 1:05 left in the period, but in the second quarter, two touchdown strikes from Hamler tied the score at 14 in the second quarter, in which the Pirates were their own worst enemy with three personal fouls. 

The score remained tied at 14 at halftime.

In the third quarter, San Pedro would reclaim the lead on a fourth-and-four call for a seam pass, as senior quarterback Austin Jackson hit Kaneshiro with a perfect pass in stride for a 30-yard touchdown, and a 20-14 San Pedro lead with 8:17 to play, after forcing a Lawndale punt on the ensuing possession, senior kicker Tanner Carcamo hit a 34-yard field goal to put the Pirates further ahead, 23-14 with 2:21 to play.

San Pedro appeared to have Lawndale pinned deep in their own territory on the ensuing kickoff following a holding penalty, but on the first play, Hamler went deep and found Williams for a 92-yard pass from their own 5-yard line to San Pedro's 3-yard line following a touchdown-saving tackle from junior safety Corey Fausto.

Three plays later, Hamler was appeared to be sacked on two occasions before reversing field on a half spin, finding Williams in the back of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown and suddenly it was 23-21 San Pedro with 24 seconds left in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, the Pirates' offense was forced to punt, and the Cardinals drove again to San Pedro's 15-yard line.

That's when Geha read Hamler's eyes as he was again facing pressure, then intercepted a pass intended for Williams for the first big play of the night defensively. San Pedro would milk over seven minutes of time on the ensuing possession for Kaneshiro's 15-yard touchdown run before the Cardinals nearly stole one at the end.

Kaneshiro, who led the Pirates' in rushing on the night, did serious damage on catching four passes for 92 yards for San Pedro, the latter two came on the Pirates' final scoring drive setting up his lone touchdown run.

San Pedro will travel to South East of South Gate next Friday for their final nonleague game of the season.