Football: Dry conditions at Narbonne

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The two-hour bus ride from Lake Balboa to Harbor City might take a bigger toll on Birmingham than the field conditions at Narbonne tonight in a City Section Championship Division quarterfinal.

The center of the field is mostly dry after the Gauchos covered it with a plastic tarp during the rain that fell over the last 24 hours. The sides are a little squishy but there’s no standing water and it doesn’t appear that it will be a factor.

Birmingham Coach Ed Croson wasn’t thrilled that the Patriots had to jam into a single bus for the ride over. Patriots receiver De’Von Flournoy is expected to play after suffering a bruised shoulder in the second quarter last week against Garfield, though Croson said he didn’t even complete a full practice this week. Flournoy also refused to take so much as an Advil for the pain, Croson said.

Even though Birmingham has won six of its last seven games after an 0-4 start, Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas said the Patriots have been playing at a consistently high level since their opening loss to Garfield. Croson said Birmingham, which had to replace its entire starting defense, has started to click as it has grasped his intricate schemes.

--Ben Bolch