Violence Puts Early End to Chatsworth’s Playoff Win

It was an ugly football game. Then it was just ugly.

Chatsworth High defeated Bell, 31-6, on Wednesday night in a City Section 3-A Division quarterfinal playoff game at Bell.

The game was called with 6 minutes 6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter because, in the opinion of the officials, the violence between plays was getting out of hand.

Chatsworth’s Robert Webb was kicked in the groin while he was lying on the ground after what would be the game’s final play.

“They just started kicking me in the (groin), then some guy tried to yank my face mask off,” Webb said.

Chatsworth (8-4) will play Taft in the semifinals.

Bell, the top-seeded team in the division, was penalized for 145 yards.

Bell co-Coach Henry Santiago said he regretted the way the game ended, and he agreed with the decision to stop it, a decision that ultimately was made by administrators of the schools.

Chatsworth quarterback David Muir, who completed 10 of 16 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, said he tried to remain above the fray.

“My first job as a quarterback is just to keep everybody calm,” he said. “I took a lot of cheap shots, but we just let the refs take care of it.”

The ugliness began late in the second quarter.

Chatsworth led, 14-0, then scored 17 points in the final 38 seconds of the half.

The Chancellors scored a touchdown, returned a fumble for a touchdown, and recovered a muff on the ensuing kickoff return, setting up a field goal.

Chatsworth lined up for the field-goal attempt four times. The first two tries were aborted by Bell penalties, the third by a Chatsworth penalty, and on the fourth try the kick was good.

Chatsworth took a 31-0 lead into the locker room, and Bell came out seemingly determined not to let its season end quietly.

After the game, Bell coaches were apologetic and angry at the way their team acted.

Chatsworth Coach Myron Gibford said he was happy his players, for the most part, avoided retaliation.

“You work real hard at trying to have kids with class,” he said. “I’ve got good kids and a good staff.”

The Chancellors scored on touchdown drives of 74, 84 and 61 yards in the first half. “This is the best we have moved the ball since the beginning of the year,” Webb said.

The penalties helped, though. Chatsworth gained only 169 yards in the game.

Nestor Davila, the team’s leading rusher, gained 39 yards in 22 carries. Webb gained 31 in five carries.

Davila scored on runs of one and 17 yards. Desmond Armstrong scored on a 10-yard pass.

The most unusual score was a fumble return by Muir in the final minute of the second quarter. On the first play from scrimmage after a Chatsworth score, Anibal Miranda fumbled the ball into Muir’s hands, who ran 34 yards for a touchdown.

Bell finished a season that started going downhill three weeks ago when five players, including quarterback Omar Rodriguez and running back Bobby Sullivan, were kicked off the team for an alcohol violation.

Their replacements had trouble moving the ball. William Mendez, who rushed for 116 yards last week, had 82 yards in 12 carries.