Birmingham shows Dorsey a championship level of play

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Birmingham didn’t come to Rancho Cienega on Friday, where Dorsey plays its home games, just to make a point. But the Patriots did so anyway with their 30-10 victory.

‘They are definitely the best team in the City,’ Dorsey Coach Paul Knox said of Birmingham (4-1). ‘We’ll have to execute better to play at this level. Now our kids know what it will take to win a championship because they are the best team.’

Dorsey (2-2) was not in awe or afraid of Birmingham when the game started. But they were definitely impressed when the game was over.

How could they not be?

The Patriots spotted the Dons a 10-6 lead after the first quarter, then shut them out the remaining three while scoring 24 consecutive points. When Birmingham wasn’t driving Dorsey nuts with the running tandem of tailback Milton Knox and quarterback Exavier Johnson, the Patriots’ defense was bottling up the Dons with five sacks. They only allowed one big play, a 70-yard touchdown run by Dons running back Johnathan Franklin.

As one sideline observer noted, ‘Dorsey beat Santa Margarita with its speed. Tonight they saw a team that was as fast as they were.’

At least Dorsey can take solace in this thought: Long Beach Poly and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame also know how good Birmingham is.

- Mike Terry