The day after: assessing L.A. Crenshaw’s first-round victory

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People were barely settled in their seats before fourth-seeded L.A. Crenshaw scored its first touchdown in what led to a 42-6 victory over No. 13 Banning last night. I remember glancing at the rosters before quickly realizing Geno Hall was running for a 93-yard kickoff return just 20 seconds into the game.

It was that kind of night where the Cougars outran and outperformed a team that seemed rattled by the pressure. Pilots (4-7) quarterback Mason Napoleon threw 8 of 19 for 103 yards with an interception and a rushing touchdown.

“That chemistry worked today,” Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett said. “With kids, you never know. Some days it won’t work. But today we were fortunate it worked.”

The Cougars (7-3) play host to fifth-seeded L.A. Jordan Wednesday in the quarterfinal of the City Section Championship Division football playoffs. The Bulldogs (7-4) defeated Fremont, 21-12, last night. Crenshaw won seven straight after starting 0-3.

Garrett said simply that “preparation and hard work are the main ingredients” in what led to the turnaround. Quarterback Marquis Thompson said the conditioning drills, which consist of two 40-yard dashes each practice, stand out.

“We got a lot of breath,” Thompson said. “We’re used to running and going hard every single play.”

Many of those plays turned into big ones simply because of better athleticism and speed.

Consider:

1. Cougars’ De Anthony Thomas intercepted a pass from Banning quarterback Napoleon for a 60-yard touchdown return with 8:19 left in the second quarter. Juan Rivera’s kick was blocked so the Cougars led 13-0.

“I was trying to stay back, stay in the middle of the field and was just reading,” Thomas said. “I saw the tight end come across the middle. I had to go get it.”

2 and 3. Thompson connected with wide receiver Noel Grigsby for a 32-yard and 35-yard touchdown pass. The first touchdown came at the 5:52 mark and put the Cougars up 20-0 after the extra point. The second touchdown happened on the Cougars’ next drive with 3:23 remaining. They led 26-0 because the extra kick sailed wide right following an illegal procedure call.

Thompson threw 7 of 11 for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Grigsby caught six of those passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He made five of his six catches for first downs. “He throws it where anybody can go in there and get it,” Grigsby said of Thompson’s accuracy. “He knows how to throw it. He’s always aware of where everybody’s at.”

“I know sometime in the pros, you might see somebody throw it and you might get hit. But with Marquis, when he throws the ball, it’s a sure (thing) that you’re going to catch it and have room to run.”

Thompson said rather succinctly, “The chemistry is great. We have a good relationship.”

4. On Crenshaw’s last drive of the half, Hall caught a 35-yard pass from Thompson and was tackled at the Pilot’s 21-yard line. Two plays later, Thomas ran 16 yards with 33 seconds remaining. The extra point gave the Cougars a comfortable 33-0 cushion.

Hall ran a 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for a 39-0 lead with 7:24 remaining. Hall said he felt confident he could replicate his first kickoff return that led to a 93-yard touchdown in the first play of the game.

“I hadn’t been playing like I usually play,” Hall said. “Today it came out. My mindset was to ball, just to ball out and do what I got to do.”

“He has a lot of speed,” Thompson said. “He was getting down to the ball and executing every play. He’s attacking the ball.”

“We expect that from Geno,” Grigsby said. “He did it last year. He does it at practice. He’s an electrifying player so every time he gets the ball, we’re sure he’s going to do something good with it.”

-- Mark Medina