Brown, Crenshaw Run Away With Top City Section Awards

For Jerry Brown, divisional football awards are fast becoming a family affair. For Tyrone Crenshaw, trophies and championship rings are becoming downright commonplace.

Running backs Brown and Crenshaw today were named the City Section 3-A and 4-A Division players of the year, marking only the second time in City history that Valley players have won separate divisional awards in the same year.

For Crenshaw, a junior from Sylmar High, the award capped a head-spinning season. Despite a banged-up ankle that slowed him most of the season, he rushed for 1,875 yards and 22 touchdowns to lead area City backs. Behind Crenshaw, the Spartans (13-1) won their first 4-A championship in only their second year in the division. Crenshaw intercepted a pass and also rushed for a 74-yard touchdown as Sylmar beat Carson, 17-0, in the 4-A final.

Crenshaw learned about the honor moments after Sylmar was drubbed by Bishop Amat, 31-10, in the inaugural CIF/Reebok Bowl game on live television.

“I was happy to hear it,” said Crenshaw, who discovered last week that he played the final 12 games on a fractured right ankle. “It made me feel a lot better.”

Brown, a sophomore tailback from Taft who rushed for 1,731 yards and 16 touchdowns, joins half-brother Charles White as a City player of the year. White, who later earned the Heisman Trophy at USC and an NFL rushing title with the Rams, shared the City 4-A player-of-the-year award at San Fernando in 1975.

Brown’s nephew, former Crespi standout Russell White, was selected the Southern Section Big Five Conference (now Division I) player of the year in 1986.

Brown led Taft to a startling turnaround, from an 0-8-1 mark in 1991 to a berth in the 3-A championship game this season. Taft lost to San Pedro in the final, 24-7.

In 1987, Granada Hills quarterback Jeremy Leach was selected the 4-A player of the year after leading the Highlanders to a 27-14 upset of Carson in the final. Tight end-linebacker David Wilson of Reseda won the award in the now-defunct 2-A Division in 1987. Before Leach, the last time a Valley player won the 4-A award was in 1975, when White shared the award with San Fernando backfield mates Kenny Moore and Kevin Williams.

Brown could become the second player in City history to win three player-of-the-year awards. Quarterback Ron Cuccia of Wilson turned the hat trick from 1975-77. However, Taft is likely to be moved to the 4-A next fall based on its 9-5 record, which means that Brown and Crenshaw will be going head to head.

“It’s gonna be a race,” Crenshaw said with a laugh.

Ten area players made the All-City team in the 4-A, 11 in the 3-A.