Football: Crenshaw shows potential

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Hold off on the supposed demise of the two-time defending City Section Division I champion Crenshaw Cougars.

On Friday night during a four-team scrimmage at Encino Crespi that also included Westlake and Santa Fe, Crenshaw displayed lots of potential and ability, making me believe the Cougars will be in title contention come December.

Justin Johnson ran the ball very well. He has taken over for De’Anthony Thomas. The Cougars also completed some passes and showed good quickness on defense.

Coach Robert Garrett seems especially excited because the expectations are not high from outsiders and he’s enjoying the opportunity to be just a coach without distractions.

One of the best players on the field was Westlake kicker-punter Alex Ball, who was booming the ball. Westlake defensive tackle Justin Solis made only a brief appearance, and he is a dominant player.

Crespi was impressive at times on offense. Quarterback Cody Cordell completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harper. The Celts’ two huge offensive tackles, Jordan Simmons and Colin Prestesater, will be very effective. But the Celts struggled on defense, and they need to improve quickly, because they face a strong Compton Dominguez team on Friday.

-- Eric Sondheimer