Southern Section Football Playoffs : DIVISION I : Servite’s Brown and Crespi’s White Don’t Limit Their Feud to the Field

Little things--such as a possible Southern Section football championship, revenge and vindication--will be on the line at 7:30 tonight when Servite High School plays Crespi in the Division I quarterfinals at L.A. Pierce College.

In the first round, Servite defeated Eisenhower, 35-17, and Crespi upset previously unbeaten Long Beach Poly, 26-23.

This will be the third time the schools have met in the past year. It will be the third meeting between Crespi’s Russell White, a two-time Big Five player of the year, and Servite’s Derek Brown, the Southern Section rushing leader (1,985 yards) who figures to have the inside track for the Division I award this season.

In last year’s quarterfinals at Glover Stadium, Brown and White had a memorable duel. Brown rushed for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns, but White rushed for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns and Crespi won, 45-38.

In October’s eagerly awaited rematch, Brown outgained White, 312 yards to 81, and Servite won, 35-20.

After the game, Brown said: “I had a lot to prove, and I think I showed them pretty good.”

White, whose 1,089 regular-season yards was a 3-year low for him, interpreted those comments as popping off.

“I feel there’s been a lot of doubting and a lot of talking,” White said in a story published Sunday in The Times’ Valley edition. “A lot of doubting by a lot of people and a lot of talking by Derek Brown.

“From all the little talk I hear, he sounds like he’s numero uno. After the game, he was like, ‘I’m the better back in California.’

“I just have this to say: He better not forget who’s the originator and who’s the imitator. He better strap it on real good. Real good.”

According to Servite Coach Jerry Person, his players and coaches heard about the article and got a copy of it Monday.

“Everybody’s fired up and ready to play,” Person said. “We put the article up on the bulletin board.”

Person said Brown didn’t want to talk about White’s comments, but said the tailback read White’s views, “with amazement.”

Asked if Brown was angry, Person said: “No, he’s just ready to play.”

Asked what Servite’s exceptional and very aggressive linebacker Garrett Greedy thought of the comments, Person said: “He’s angry.”

HOW THEY STACK UP

Nov. 27, 1987: Crespi 45, Servite 38

Name Att Yds TD Name Att Yds Brown 22 217 4 White 33 253

Name TD Brown 3

Oct. 1, 1988: Servite 35, Crespi 20

Name Att Yds TD Name Att Yds TD Brown 37 312 2 White 17 81 1

1988 Season

Name Att Yds TD Name Att Yds TD Brown 225 1,985 27 White 190 1,211 17