Harvard-Westlake's Upset Bid Falls Short

With the game on the line Friday night, Gabriel Marks showed why he is regarded as one of the best wide receivers in California. The Venice High senior caught a screen pass over the middle and weaved his way for a 34-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left that lifted the Gondos to a 34-27 victory over host in Studio City.

"It was an underneath middle screen and at first I was thinking get a first down or get out of bounds so we could kick a field goal, but the O-line got to the second level and I just cut back and took off for the end zone," said Marks, a senior bound for SMU. "This just shows the championship drive we have. We wanted to win big, but they're good and we had to dig deep to pull it out."

Harvard-Westlake had tied the game when quarterback Chad Kanoff scrambled out of the pocket and found a wide open Clinton Hook for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds remaining. The extra point snap was low and Kanoff, the holder, rolled right and threw but his pass was batted down, keeping the score 27-27.

"We were trying to work the right side, I rolled right and the safety wasn't paying attention," said Kanoff, who completed 22 of 43 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. "I saw [Clinton] and let it go. I was afraid I overthrew him."

Harvard-Westlake Coach Vic Eumont opted to an onside kick and it appeared the Wolverines recovered, but officials ruled that a Harvard-Westlake player touched the ball before it traveled the necessary 10 yards and Venice was awarded possession at the opponents' 49-yard line.

"I was 100 percent for it," Kanoff said of his coach's decision to try the onside kick. "We had all the momentum and there was no overtime so we were playing to win."

Venice rallied from a 21-point deficit late in the second quarter, with backup quarterback Alexander Diamont providing a spark. He drove the Gondos 66 yards in eight plays, scoring on an 8-yard scramble with no time left on the clock to pull Venice within 21-7 at halftime.

Jamias Jones finished with 49 yards in 12 carries, including a 10-yard scoring run, and caught a two-yard touchdown pass to give Harvard-Westlake a 21-0 lead with 3:36 left in the first half. Hassan Smith had three catches for 44 yards and one touchdown and Chris Sebastian had six catches for 64 yards.

Marks, who led the Gondos with four receptions for 65 yards and 60 yards in five carries, showed his athleticism by beating triple coverage in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown catch that tied the game 21-21 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.

"He's one of the best receivers in the country," Diamont said of Marks. "Right before [the winning play] is the calmest I've been in the huddle. I can't explain it, but I knew we were going to win. Once I got the call I told myself just get it to Gabe and let him make a play--and he did."

Diamont finished 9 of 12 for 200 yards and senior linebacker Daniel Magallanes intercepted a pass. Jahret Hood nearly picked off another pass and sacked Kanoff on fourth-and-three from the Gondos' 6-yard line with 4:01 left.

"They kicked our butts from pillar to post in the first half," Venice Coach Angelo Gasca said. "I credit our players for hanging in there.

Eumont declined to comment on the loss.

Harvard-Westlake will host another City Section school, Los Angeles Fairfax, next Friday night.

Venice 0 7 20 7--34

Harvard-Westlake 14 7 0 6--27

Scoring Summary

H-Westlake -- Jones 10 run (Temko kick), 10:44 left in 1st qtr.

H-Westlake -- Smith 28 pass from Kanoff (Temko kick), 3:37 left in 1st qtr.

H-Westlake -- Jones 2 pass from Kanoff (Temko kick), 3:36 left in 2nd qtr.

Venice -- Diamont 8 run (Emmanuel kick), 0:00 left in 2nd qtr.

Venice -- Lee 6 run (Emmanuel kick), 10:21 left in 3rd qtr.

Venice -- Marks 14 pass from Diamont (Emmanuel kick), 5:39 left in 3rd qtr.

Venice -- Lee 1 run (Sarabia pass failed), 2:44 left in 3rd qtr.

H-Westlake -- Hooks 28 pass from Kanoff (Kanoff pass failed), 0:34 left in 4th qtr.

Venice -- Marks 34 pass from Diamont (Emmanuel kick), 0:13 left in 4th qtr.

Records: Venice 1-0, 0-0; Harvard-Westlake 0-1, 0-0.