Times-Advocate from Escondido, California • 26

TIMES-ADVOCATE 3 Chargers Notes Quotes 4 Roundup 5 Scoreboard 6 BuslnessFinance MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 1981 Chargers' defense keeps making the big play but lateral it back. Besides, you know how greedy defensive linemen are, kidded Johnson. For Johnson, it was the second time in his seven-year career that hes found the end zone. In 1978 he picked off a Jim Zorn pass and rambled 55 yards to a touchdown that secured a 24-20 victory over Seattle.

In all honesty, Johnson was a humble post-game star. I consider the touchdown Leroys because he was there, said Johnson. I just happened to be there to get all the glory that was due him. Until that play about the only thing that was due the defense was second guessing. Although they did force eight turnovers, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries there were 11 turnovers for the game the defense also gave up 31 points and 426 total yards, 28 more than the Chargers gained.

In fact, it was difficult to determine which the Chargers were worse at, stopping the run or the pass. The Chiefs did both with relative ease. They ran the ball 37 times for 148 yards, a 4.0 average, and Kenney, who came into the game with 341 yards passing, pierced the Chargers Peach Fuzz Defense for 278 yards through the air. Part of San Diegos problem appears to be an inconsistent pass rush. The Chargers got to Kenney three times yesterday, but the Kansas City passer dropped back in the pocket 44 times.

In three games the Chargers have eight sacks, not a bad total, but far off the pace they set last year when they led the league with 60. Leroy, myself, Gary and Fred Dean havent been able to work together as a unit very much, pointed out Louie Kelcher. Weve had a lot of nicks and stuff. We just need Fred back in. Dean, although he played briefly yesterday, has been bothered by a groin pull.

Somethings not right, added Kelcher. Please see Defense, D-4 By DON NORCROSS T-A Sports Writer KANSAS CITY It doesnt quite rank up there with Tinker to Evers to Chance, but for now the' troika of King to Jones to Johnson will do just fine. That was the combination the San Diego Chargers called upon yesterday when, for the second week in a row, their defense was pushed and shoved all over the field, but in the end made the game-saving play. Last week it was Frank Duncans interception on the one-yard line with one second to play that saved a win over Detroit. This time the Chargers defense went one better scoring the game-clinching touchdown in the Chargers bizarre 42-31 win yesterday over Kansas City.

The situation was this: Kansas City, which traded at one time, 28-7, had cut the Charger lead to 38-31. The Chiefs had already scored 17 points in the second had and now they had the ball on their 20 with 2:56 to play. There was plenty of time to drive down the field and scare any Chargers fan. Pushed back to his 10 by a holding penalty, Kansas City quarterback Bill Kenney dropped back and aimed his 35th pass of the afternoon into the Chargers secondary. It never had a chance.

A blitzing Linden King got his arms up and deflected the pass with his left hand. The ball floated helplessly through the clear Missouri air, into Leroy Jones hands. Jones wrapped his long arms around the ball on the 11 and began lumbering toward the end zone. A few Chiefs obstructed his path to the goal line so Jones did what any unselfish football player would do, he flipped it to one of his buddies. Gary Johnson was the recipient.

He fielded Jones lateral on the five, did his best Earl Campbell imitation and crashed into the end zone for the touchdown as 63,866 fans at Arrowhead Stadium sat stunned. The victory also sent the Chargers to the top of the American Football Ted McKnight of the Kansas City Chiefs has his helmet knocked off as he penetrates the Chargers' defense dee, the Chargers assistant head coach in charge of defense. I cant go on the field with em. I know I was glad to see those points on the board. Johnson was glad to see that Jones was finally willing to depart with the football.

There was nothing for him to do scored the touchdown. I wanted the six points myself and also thats kind of dangerous. But I took the chance. Coaches dont want you throwing the ball around, but I made the decision to try it. Jones tried it and Jack Pardee liked it.

You gotta trust em, said Par When Jones was slowed down at about the three he had to make another decision: to flip or not to flip. He flipped. Gary kept yelling at me, Give it to me, give it to me, said Jones. But I hated to give it to him cause I knew hed never let me live it down' next week that he was the one who Conferences Western Division standings with a perfect 3-0 record. Kansas City, Oakland and Denver are one length back at 2-1.

I saw King tip it and I knew I had it, said Jones in the Chargers humid post-game locker room. I wondered what to do with it so I took off running. TJ A Decoy Winslow joins the offense lf much of the time was Herb Christopher, who at 5-foot-10, was giving away seven inches to Winslow. I kind of like that situation and Im sure our coaches do too, said Winslow. Apparently so does Fouts.

The quarterback hit Winslow with three passes worth 51 yards in the Chargers first scoring drive, the touchdown coming on a 13-yard strike to the tight end. Asked to describe the touchdown, Winslow said, Simple. It was a postcorner pattern, Dan put it up, I beat the defender to the ball, six points. Winslow celebrated his second touchdown of the season by heaving the ball into the stands, an act which will cost him a $100 fine by the NFLi Winslow doesnt care. His family and friends made the 300-mile trip from East St.

Louis, where Kellen grew up. He just wanted to give the fan club a souvenir. They were sitting up in the second section, said Winslow, whose throw came up a few rows short. I was just glad the TD was at that end of the field so I didnt have to run 100 yards. The thing about Kellen is he gives you an extra plane to play with, said Fouts.

He catches it here (Fouts held his hands chest high), he catches it low and then he catches the extra one thats up high. So whenever you get down in that Please see Winslow, D-4 By DON NORCROSS T-A Sports Writer KANSAS CITY For two weeks he was conspicuous by his absence. Hey you. No. 80.

Arent you Kellen Winslow, the NFLs leading receiver last season with 89 catches, a league record for tight ends? That was him against Cleveland and Detroit, but for some reason he wasnt where he was supposed to be those two games, namely, on the receiving end of Dan Fouts passes. The 6-foot-5, 252-pound target had only five receptions for 58 yards against the Browns and Lions as Fouts elected to aim most of his passes at Charlie Joiner. Until yesterday, Winslow was used as a decoy. Yesterday, while playing in front of family and friends, he had a more Kellen Winslow-like day, catching six passes, all in the first half, for 96 yards and a touchdown in helping the Chargers out-offense the Kansas City Chiefs, 42-31. Just as it wasnt predetermined that the Chargers would go to Joiner the first two games, neither was it in the game plan to go to Winslow so often yesterday.

Our plan is to try and decide what a teams going to give us, said Winslow, a Missouri University product. What the Chiefs were giving the Chargers, in the first half at least, was one-one-one coverage against the big tight end. The man being assigned that task Sockers healthy for Sting CHICAGO The San Diego Sockers Anally appear to be 100 percent healthy, and the diagnosis couldnt have come at a better time. Its do-or-die time again for the Socks, who oppose the Chicago Sting tonight in the third and deciding match of their North American Soccer League semifinal playoff series. The winner of tonights game advances to Soccer Bowl 81 in Toronto, where the defending league champion New York Cosmos await an opponent for Saturdays title match.

Tonights match originates from Comiskey Park in Chicago and can be heard on KSDO radio (1130) beginning at 5:30 p.m. Television viewers who have cable hook-ups can watch the match on Chicagos WGN cable station. Mike Stojanovic, who scored 23 goals in the regular season for San Diego, is expected to suit up for the first time since he suffered a broken jaw in the opening playoff series against Portland. And defender Ty Keough, who hasnt played since the end of July, will also be in uniform, although his injured knee isnt quite 100 percent. Ty says hes ready to go, and Mike has lost a lot of weight and is faster than ever, said Socker coach Ron Newman, who led the Sockers to their third Western Division championship in four seasons.

I dont know how long each might play, or if theyll play. In Wednesdays 2-1 loss to Chicago that tied the series at 1-1, San Diegos front line of Jean Willrich, Lorenz Hilkes and Steve Nesin could not equal the play of the Stings All-NASL front of Pato Margetic, Karl-Heinz Granitza and Arno Steffen-hagen. Margetic assisted on both of Gran-itzas goals that provided the margin of victory as Chicago rebounded from a 2-1 defeat handed them by San Diego in the first match of the series Sept. 12. Newman has a number of line-up options to choose from, including the possibility of lining Stojanovic and Manu Sanon on the front line.

Getting Keough in the lineup is not imperative because his replacement, Gordon Dallas, has been impressive in three playoff series. Weve got to do something different this game to break up Chicagos pattern on the ground, indicated Newman. Associated Press Photo Kellen Winslow battles Kansas City's Herb Christopher for a Dan Fouts pass Padres eliminated, but Braves still have hope win in the seventh inning when they had two runners thrown out at the plate, and in the 10th when they left the bases loaded. Steve Mura, 5-14, made his first relief appearance of the year and worked a perfect 10th inning before giving up a leadoff walk and three hits including Washingtons gamewinning single to score pinchrunner Ed Miller from second. Jerry Royster singled in an insurance run later in the 11th.

The Padres open a three-game series against the Reds at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium tonight. The Braves are idle before beginning their big series at Houston. Rookie left-hander Fred Kahaulua went seven impressive innings for the Padres, giving up only four hits and one rim. Atlanta scored in the first inning on Rufino Linares single and Claudell Washingtons run-scoring double. Kahaulua, a 28-year-old native of Hawaii singled in a run in the fifth inning, then left for a pinchhitter in the eighth.

Hes probably had two of the finest-pitched games weve had this year, said San Diego Manager Frank Howard. The Padres, playing before the smallest Sunday crowd in their 13-year history, 2,466, had chances to slim and none, said the 32-year-old left-hander who gained fame as the Mad Hungarian with St. Louis and Kansas City before coming to the Braves last year. But Im always a fighter and I think we have a good ball club. Hrabosky began the season by spending a month on the disabled list with a groin injury and has worked just 34 innings this year.

Nevertheless, he shut out the Padres for three innings on just one hit to earn his first victory of 1981. Rick Camp worked the final inning inning to earn his 15th save as the Braves won for the 10th time in 14 extra-inning games this season. We had to win at least two games against the Padres," added Cox after the Braves won for only the second time in their last seven games. The Braves, now 20-19 in the second season but trailing the Astros by 5 games, have played well despite their recent slump. We could have won every one of those games that we lost, said Cox.

But now, weve got to play great. Reliever A1 Hrabosky, 1-1, who has terrorized opposing big league batters for 12 years with his fearsome glare and blazing fastball, admits the climb to the top wont be easy. Realistically, our chances are SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves are teams headed in opposite directions. The Padres lost a 3-1 decision to the Braves in 11 innings yesterday, falling 14 games behind the Houston Astros who lead the Western Division of the National League. The Padres are now officially eliminated from the pennant race.

The Braves, however, finally did what they had to do in San Diego, but Manager Bobby Cox knows that the toughest road lies ahead for his team. Weve got to sweep Houston, said Cox as the Braves prepared to depart for Texas, where they begin a three-game series with the Astros tomorrow night..