TORRANCE — Coming into Friday night’s Division 2 Southern Section first round playoff game, Apple Valley knew Inglewood had incredible team speed, but the Sun Devils still couldn’t stop it.
“They have speed that you can see on film, but you can’t mimic in a practice,” Apple Valley head coach Kyle Godfrey said.
Inglewood (11-0) used touchdowns of 20, 28, 49 and 69 yards and a fast, physical style of defense to jump out to a 28-7 first half lead before going on to win 35-21 over Apple Valley (8-3).
“Our practices are similar to our games,” Inglewood head coach Mil’Von James said. “Our defensive backs have to cover our receivers and our running backs. We face that kind of speed daily and we push our guys hard during practice. That’s the tempo we play at. Our guys are used to it…I was really proud of my guys tonight.”
The Sentinels were stopped at the Apple Valley 6-yard line on their first possession, but after forcing a Sun Devils punt following the turnover on downs, Inglewood jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its second drive thanks to a 28-yard touchdown pass from Husan Longstreet to Bryce Parker.
With the aid of three Inglewood personal foul penalties, Apple Valley then tied the game on a 6-yard TD run from Aiden Sanchez with 3:05 left in the first quarter.
The Sentinels scored the next three touchdowns though to really take control.
First, a 20-yard scamper from Kalayn-Ellis Perry extended Inglewood’s lead to 14-7. On the previous play, Longstreet connected with senior receiver Terrell Bradshaw to move the sticks on a 3rd-and-9.
After a 4th-and-2 stand on defense at the Inglewood 45-yard line, Longstreet threw a 49-yard touchdown to Bradshaw making the score 21-7 Sentinels with 6:23 to play in the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter, Apple Valley turned the ball over on downs again, which lead to a 69-yard TD pass from Longstreet to Jamari Johnson with 1:49 left in the second quarter.
Apple Valley scored just before halftime on a 36-yard pass from quarterback Noah Celie to Brandon Armijo. In the second half, both teams found the end zone once. Apple Valley did well to stay in the game, but the Sun Devils were never a threat to win, especially with Celie and Sanchez not playing after suffering first half injuries.
“That’s a really good football team,” Godfrey said of Inglewood. “Obviously they’re really well coached. They have a ton of athletes all over the field.”
Inglewood will play Rancho Cucamonga in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs next Friday.
5 TAKEAWAYS
1. Inglewood sophomore linebacker Venilaite Wolfgramm was the team’s defensive MVP
Wolfgramm clinched the Sentinels win by blowing up a 4th-down Apple Valley screen pass in the fourth quarter. He made plays all night and was exceptionally physical.
2. Four others step up for Inglewood defense
Linebacker Chrishawn Singleton, defensive end Kenyon Agurs, cornerback Moin Gammage and safety Amir Garrison were the other defensive standouts for Inglewood.
3. Apple Valley’s season should be celebrated
Under the old playoff format in the Southern Section, Apple Valley played in the Division 6 playoffs in 2019 and last season, the team lost in the Division 3 championship. It won’t be viewed this way because the Sun Devils suffered a first round playoff exit, but just making Division 2 is a real accomplishment for the program. Apple Valley was ranked as the 24th best team in the Southern Section after the regular season, which is an improvement from where they were a year ago. Year after year the team is getting better — their divisional placement proves that. That’s a big deal.
4. James learned from Inglewood’s Division 2 semifinal run last season
In 2021, Inglewood lost 56-30 to Alemany in the Division 2 semifinals. This year, James said he made one key adjustment to his program in an effort to help his team get further in the playoffs.
“We needed to do a better job of growing the program from the bottom up,” James said. “Our freshmen and sophomores have been prepared better so we will have more depth this year.”
5. Inglewood is a true Division 2 contender
The Sentinels will be a tough out. They played like the D2 title favorite on Friday.
PHOTOS
