Fairmont Prep left frustrated again

CERRITOS - For the past three years, Fairmont Prep has had to swallow first-round playoff defeats.

For at least one half of football, the Huskies looked to be within smelling distance of changing that Friday.

Then Bell-Jeff woke up.

The Guards (8-3) scored 28 consecutive points to deal Fairmont (8-3) its fourth first-round loss in a row, 28-21, at Valley Christian High. (Full game stats.)

The Huskies started quickly when Dimitri Lopez intercepted Daniel Radoccia's first pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

On the next drive, Richard Johnson scored from 16 yards to put Fairmont up, 14-0, with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.

The Guards' Bronson Ketchum responded by catching an 8-yard pass from Radoccia to start the second quarter, and then breaking off a 72-yard touchdown run, his first of two.

"When Bronson broke that run back, that really pumped us up,” Bell-Jeff coach Rolando Aguirre said.

"We began to think that we were in this game.”

Ketchum's second scoring scamper to start the second half tied the score, and then 5-foot-8 junior Alex Davidians made his presence felt.

After three key tackles-for-loss in the first half, Davidians came up with an onside kick on Fairmont's 39, setting up the Guards' second consecutive TD.

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com