Hamilton cruises to win City Section Division II football title

It was the Russell Shaw-Jericho Flowers Show on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum, and Hamilton High was the beneficiary in winning the City Section Division II football championship with a 58-30 victory over Sylmar.

Shaw caught touchdown passes of 54, 15 and 55 yards, threw a 54-yard touchdown pass and returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown. Flowers returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown after taking the ball away from Shaw just before he was tackled. Flowers also caught a 44-yard touchdown pass and ran 97 yards for a touchdown on a missed Sylmar field-goal try just before halftime.

Sylmar (11-3) closed to 37-30 with just over six minutes left when Andrew Simpson returned a blocked punt 34 yards for a touchdown. That’s when Shaw contributed two of his four touchdowns, abruptly ending Sylmar’s comeback bid.¿

“We knew we were going to come in and win,” Shaw said. “We just had to play hard and never give up.”

Sylmar’s Clarence Williams completed 20 of 36 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions. Armani Rogers was 12 of 24 for 194 yards and three touchdowns for Hamilton (11-3). Kyshawn Richards had 114 yards in 15 carries.

L.A. beats Monroe for Division III title

The drought is over for the Los Angeles Romans, the newly crowned City Section Division III champions.

Not since 1965 had the Romans (12-2) won a title, but a 26-yard touchdown run by Richard Smith with 4 minutes 3 seconds left clinched a 28-14 victory over Monroe at the Coliseum.

“The Romans in the Coliseum, what a better place,” said Coach Eric Scott, who took over a team that was 1-9 last season.

Sophomore Kaymen Cureton completed 20 of 34 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. The Romans had to overcome three fumbles and an interception. Derrick Kellum had a 50-yard touchdown catch and Smith caught a four-yard touchdown pass.

“This was really amazing,” Cureton said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet. It’s truly a championship team.”