Column: Crespi is well-grounded in 56-21 win over Notre Dame
Celts have three players rush for more than 100 yards
Troy Thomas calls his Crespi High football team “The Mighty 30.”
“Basically, our whole team is playing both ways,” he said. “I’m proud of my guys. They’re battling.”
When the going gets tough, that’s when the Celts are most dangerous, such as Friday night against neighborhood rival Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. The Celts fell behind by two touchdowns at the outset. That only made the defense get meaner and nastier. And the Celts turned loose their running game and ended up overpowering the Knights, 56-21, at Notre Dame.
Crespi is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Mission League, tied for first place with La Puente Bishop Amat. Only Chaminade and Alemany are left on the Celts’ schedule. There were some who expected Crespi to weaken as the season progressed and depth became an issue. So far, the Celts are only getting stronger.
“I’m going to give it all to Coach Thomas,” said running back Torrance Brumfield, who rushed for 185 yards and scored three touchdowns, and added two sacks on defense. “He prepares us for these moments. When we’re down, he puts us in the fire.”
With its offensive line making the blocks up front, Crespi pulled off the rare accomplishment of having three players break 100 yards rushing. Besides Brumfield, Jalen Starks ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Wes Massett added 102 yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame (5-2, 1-2) badly missed middle linebacker Mike Ramos, who had to sit out because of a concussion. And things didn’t get any better when quarterback Cole Klayman left the game late in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.
“Watching them on film, he’s their heart and soul on defense, and I think they really missed him,” said Thomas, who before Friday had been 0-6 coaching against Notre Dame.
From the opening kickoff, which C.J. Sanders of Notre Dame returned 95 yards for a touchdown, the first half was filled with top individual efforts. Less than five minutes in, Crespi found itself trailing, 14-0. The Celts failed to field two onside kicks and Notre Dame’s Nikolas Lyons returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown.
There was more to come. Leo Lambert III of Notre Dame took a screen pass 74 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead. But the Celts’ defense started to control the game and their rushing attack couldn’t be stopped. There were touchdown runs of 15 and five yards by Brumfield. Massett broke off a 58-yard touchdown run.
And, in the most innovative play of the first half, Crespi pulled off a successful fake field goal to end the second quarter. Holder Marvell Tell took the snap, and while kicker Cristian Bianchi faked kicking the ball, Tell ran around right end for a 21-yard touchdown and a 28-21 halftime lead.
“We were going to keep putting our foot on the pedal,” Brumfield said.
Twitter: LATSondheimer
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