Westchester Shades Crenshaw

With a 21-point lead early in the second quarter, Crenshaw High appeared ready to upset host Westchester in a City 4-A Division first-round playoff game Friday night.

But that was until Westchester quarterback Seka Edwards took over and completed four touchdown passes to lead the Comets to a come-from-behind, 35-34 win over the Cougars.

Edwards, who has passed for 23 touchdowns this season, connected on 14 of 21 for 296 yards after throwing two incomplete passes and an interception to start the game.

“After they jumped out on us by three touchdowns, I knew that we had to make the game a scoring contest and open our offense up,” said Edwards, a 6-foot-1 senior. “We had to score points because our defense couldn’t stop them.”

The key play that slowed Crenshaw occurred midway through the second quarter, when the Cougars lost junior tailback Farrell Payton, who in eight first-half carries had rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, and teammate Ronnie Cannon for fighting. Payton was thrown out of the game when he came to the aid of Cannon, who was fighting with Westchester’s Travine Watson, who was also disqualified.

“That one play really turned the ball game around,” said Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett, whose Cougars finished the season with a 4-7 record. “To throw two starters out and only one of theirs is not right. This is the playoffs. The kids should decide the game on the field and not the officials.”

Crenshaw opened the game fast on touchdown runs of one and four yards by Dennis Fomond. The Cougars boosted their lead to 21-0 with a 20-yard touchdown run by Payton.

Kaaron Conwright scored Westchester’s first touchdown on a 16-yard run and Edwards made the score 21-12 at the half with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Tony Griffin.

In the second half, Conwright and Griffin caught touchdown passes from Edwards of 54 and 36 yards, respectively, as Westchester tied the game at 28.

Crenshaw scored midway in the third quarter on a 13-yard run by Fomond and took a seven-point lead early in the fourth on a 14-yard run by Marques Jones. However, the Cougars missed the extra-point when Joseph Tetteh’s kick sailed wide left.

Westchester scored its winning touchdown when Edwards completed a 44-yard touchdown bomb to Griffin, who finished with nine catches for 205 yards. Jaime Carcamo kicking the the game-winning extra point.