THE PREPS : Dorsey Overcomes Adversity and Reaches 4-A Final Against Carson

It began in early September as a 49-team chase for the two City Section high school football championships and now, after 13 weeks of regular-season and playoff competition, four teams remain to play for titles in the 3-A and 4-A Divisions Friday night.

In the 4-A title game, Carson (10-1) plays Dorsey (8-3) at El Camino College. And in the 3-A final, Franklin (12-1) plays Garfield (10-1-1) at East Los Angeles College.

Carson, the defending 4-A champion, defeated Crenshaw last Friday, 58-7, advancing to its ninth consecutive title game. The Colts dropped Kevin Hicks, Crenshaw’s standout tailback, for losses totaling 18 yards in his five carries. They scored three defensive touchdowns. Carson has outscored two playoff opponents, 89-7.

The Colts were expected to be a finalist, but Dorsey has had a roller coaster season. The Dons were considered a strong contender to dethrone Carson for the City title but lost two of their first three games.

In the fourth game, against San Pedro, Kevin Copeland, Dorsey’s best player, collapsed and died, apparently of an undetected heart problem.

The Dons responded to adversity and won eight of their last nine games, losing only to Carson in that stretch, 19-8.

In the playoffs, Dorsey defeated Reseda Cleveland, Palisades and Woodland Hills El Camino Real. In their 20-7 semifinal victory over El Camino Real, the Dons were led by defensive back Kenya Smith, who returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown; and tailback Lamont Warren, who rushed for 163 yards in 19 carries, scoring twice.

Dorsey’s offensive and defensive line play is a major reason the Dons will be making their first championship game appearance since 1982, when they defeated Locke for the 3-A title, 13-0.

Key linemen on offense have been center Marlon Lewis, guard Ronald Lewis and sophomore tackle Cedric White, who have opened holes for running backs Warren and Larry Edmonds and quarterback Chris Cook.

Warren, a speedy junior, has rushed for 1,170 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He has caught 20 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns.

“Lamont is an outstanding player who has to do well for us to win,” Dorsey Co-Coach Paul Knox said.

On defense, Dorsey has outstanding linemen in seniors Demetrick Watts, Hosea Velasquez and John Blair. Senior Tamecus Peoples, who set a school record with 11 sacks this season, is a standout at linebacker and Gregory Burns, Spencer Ray and Smith are solid in the secondary.

In Dorsey’s regular-season loss to Carson, the Dons intercepted five of Armin Youngblood’s passes and were inside Carson’s 20-yard line four times but could score only six points. Crenshaw Co-Coach Robert Garrett, whose Cougars were 0-3 against the two finalists, said that Dorsey will have to control the ball on offense to defeat Carson.

“Carson is a quick-scoring team, one that can score from anywhere,” Garrett said. “It is important for Dorsey’s large offensive line to match up with Carson’s quickness. Both teams’ defenses are evenly matched, but Dorsey is more limited on offense than Carson. The less time Carson has the ball, the better off Dorsey will be.”

In the 3-A final, Franklin is a familiar playoff team. The Panthers won the 3-A Division championship in 1986 and ‘87, and reached the semifinals last season. Franklin has a 43-5 record in the past four years.

In the playoffs, the Panthers have beaten Huntington Park, Gardena and South Gate, the defending 3-A champion. In their 28-6 semifinal victory over South Gate, the Panthers handed the Rams their first loss in 25 games, with quarterback Santiago Alvarez throwing his 48th and 49th scoring passes of the season.

Franklin’s opponent, Garfield, will be making its third championship game appearance of the 1980s. The Bulldogs won the 2-A Division title in 1982 and lost in 1983.

Garfield won the Eastern League title but was unseeded going into the playoffs, with Venice, South Gate, Westchester, San Pedro and Franklin rated higher. But once in the playoffs, the Bulldogs defeated Wilson, San Pedro and came from two touchdowns behind to defeat Locke, 40-14.

With the 3-A final being held at East Los Angeles College, Garfield will be playing its seventh game of the season on that school’s artificial turf. But Coach Steve Robinson downplays any advantage.

“We do not have any advantage when we play there because we don’t practice there,” Robinson said. “If we have any edge, it is psychological because to us, it is no big deal.”

One Garfield player who has excelled on the East Los Angeles College turf is junior running back Hilario Espinosa. He has rushed for 2,061 yards this season and, in two games against Locke this season at East Los Angeles College, he scored seven touchdowns and rushed for 482 yards.

Two major prep boys’ basketball tournaments began this week with many of the top teams in Southern California.

The third annual Los Angeles am/pm tournament started Monday with the first half of the 32-team tournament playing at Los Angeles City College and Woodbury University in Burbank. City power Manual Arts, the defending champion, opened play this week along with Pasadena, last year’s runner-up, and Dorsey and Washington. The final will be played Friday at Woodbury.

Next Monday, the tournament’s second bracket of 16 teams will begin play at Long Beach City College and Wilmington Banning High, with the final set for Dec. 22 at Long Beach. The top teams in that group include Pasadena Muir, Fremont, Santa Barbara, Compton Dominguez and Carson. The overall final will be Dec. 26 at the Forum before the Lakers’ game against the Sacramento Kings.

The 18th annual Tournament of Champions also began this week at Ocean View High School with 16 teams, among them Long Beach Poly, Los Angeles Loyola, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Capistrano Valley and Inglewood Morningside. The final will be played Saturday.

Prep Notes

A youth basketball coaching clinic will be held Saturday at Artesia High School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with several local college coaches scheduled to speak.