FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Washington 14, Manual Arts 7--Penalty flags flew all night long but Washington High’s Dennis Northcutt was too busy running to worry about them.

“I don’t think about the referees, I think about the game,” said Northcutt after he rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown in 17 carries to lead the Generals to a nonconference victory over host Manual Arts.

The game was marred by 19 penalties, 13 of them against Manual Arts, one of which negated a possible tying touchdown. Perhaps the costliest penalty came when Manual Arts had the ball fourth and 14 at Washington’s 27-yard line with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Willie Laffitte was called for an illegal forward pass after he connected with receiver Timothy Boykins for an apparent 27-yard touchdown.

Both teams opened with impressive scoring drives. Manual Arts mounted a six-play, 80-yard march that was capped by a 21-yard pass from Laffitte to Boykins. Washington countered with a 68-yard drive that ended with Northcutt scoring on a five-yard run.

The biggest play came with less than two minutes remaining. After running back Brian Beckum caught a 20-yard pass to put the Toilers inside the Washington 20, he fumbled on the one-yard line on his next carry.

Laffitte completed seven of 13 passes for 132 yards, but he was also sacked four times for a loss of 29 yards.

Next week: Dorsey at Washington; Manual Arts at Los Angeles.