HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Carson Ties Mt. Carmel; Top Ranking in Jeopardy

It may have been a tie on the scoreboard, but Carson High figures to lose much more after it battled Mt. Carmel to a 7-7 deadlock Friday night in a season opener in San Diego.

Carson almost certainly will lose its No. 1 ranking in the state and No. 2 rating in the nation.

Of more concern to Carson coaches is whether the Colts will begin to lose their confidence after struggling against a team they were expected to dominate. Mt. Carmel was 1-9 last season, when it started 14 sophomores and was regarded as one of the worst teams in San Diego County.

“I really have no words for this,” Carson wide receiver Ernest Claxton said. “The defense played like the No. 2 team in the nation, but the offense stunk. We were confused. There was confusion among the players, the coaches, everybody.”

Carson’s offense failed to score a point and managed only 86 yards rushing in 34 carries. The final indignity of a frustrating night came in the last three seconds when Mt. Carmel blocked two short-range field goals to prevent the Colts from pulling out a victory.

Mt. Carmel’s Cameron Barnes broke through the line and blocked a 25-yard attempt by Michael Rodriguez with three seconds left. After Carson was given a second chance because Mt. Carmel had 12 players on the field, Sam Herrick blocked a 20-yard try by Rodriguez with no time remaining, setting off a wild celebration by the Sundevils.

“They came right up the middle, twice in the same spot,” Carson Coach Marty Blankenship said. “The kicker didn’t even have a chance to get the ball into the air. They got to us too quick.”

Blankenship acknowledged that the game was a disappointment but said people should not give up on the Colts because they failed to live up to preseason expectations.

“With our ranking level, everybody expected us to go down there and put 50 points on the board,” he said. “But that’s not what our goal was. We just wanted to win. We weren’t looking to dominate anybody.”

Blankenship said it will take time for the players to become comfortable with a new offense. The Colts--who were 6-5-1 last season, their worst finish since 1968--are switching from a one-back passing scheme to the veer option. But Carson gained more yards passing (131) than rushing (86).

“We just couldn’t generate the running game we were trying to establish,” Blankenship said. “We have to go back and see if we’re going to stick with any kind of offensive game plan.

“The backs have to hit the holes and the linemen have to make the right blocks. . . . It looked like our linemen weren’t getting off the ball. But it was a combination of everything.”

In addition, there were problems off the field.

“We had difficulty on the sideline getting plays in on time,” Blankenship said. “We had a few delay-of-game penalties. We knew this was going to happen. From a spectator point of view, it probably looked like there was confusion on the sideline.”

Adding injury to insult, the Colts may have lost one of their best players for an extended time. Defensive end Lomitusi Fa’avae suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.

The lone bright spot for Carson was the play of its defense. The Colts allowed only 122 total yards and twice came up with crucial plays. Outside linebacker Don Moala scored Carson’s only touchdown when he intercepted a pass, broke two tackles and ran 28 yards into the end zone with 53 seconds left in the first half. The other big play was turned in by strong safety Dion Brumfield, who intercepted a fourth-down pass in the end zone to prevent Mt. Carmel from scoring with the game tied, 7-7.

Outside linebacker James Pepe led Carson with 12 tackles and Brumfield had 10.

Mt. Carmel scored its only touchdown in the third quarter after a fake punt resulted in a 26-yard pass play, giving the Sundevils a first down at the Carson 12-yard line. Five plays later, Ken Pohl scored from a yard out.

“The way I look at it, it was a good scrimmage situation in that it was our first game,” Blankenship said. “We got to see some kids play, and I was pleased with the defense.”

The road doesn’t get any easier for Carson next week. The Colts play Friday night at Bishop Amat, ranked No. 6 in Southern Section Division I.

Times Staff Writer Jim Lindgren contributed to this report.