Beverly Hills Gets a Fresh Start

To get his team ready for Friday’s game against Compton Centennial High, Beverly Hills Coach Carter Paysinger made sure that he did not mention last season’s victory over the Apaches.

That’s because last year’s game was better remembered for the punches thrown by Centennial player Kumasi Simmons at referee Ken Smotrys, which forced the game to be stopped shortly after the second-half kickoff than Beverly Hills’ 14-0 win.

Paysinger had nothing to worry about.

Behind Moacir Jones’ two touchdown passes and two touchdown runs, the Normans crushed Centennial, 42-0, in an Ocean League game at Beverly Hills High.

“We just came out to play football today,” said Jones, who completed seven of 13 passes for 132 yards. “Our coaches made it very clear this week not to talk about last year’s game. There wasn’t any talking on the field by either teams. We basically kept to our own all game.”

Beverly Hills (7-0 overall, 4-0 league) had to overcome two early miscues by standout tailback Jomo Kenyatta, who fumbled the opening kickoff and on the Normans’ first offensive play.

“We know that we have a good team, but we [do not get] respect because we’re Beverly Hills,” Jones said. “But we use that to our advantage. We just come out and sock it to them.”

After withstanding Centennial’s two early scoring opportunities, the Normans wore down the out-classed Apaches (2-5, 1-3). Jones scored the first two touchdowns on one-yard quarterback sneaks as Beverly Hills took a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

The Normans took a 21-0 lead into halftime after Jones completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Omar Bennett. Beverly Hills stretched the lead to 35-0 when Kenyatta, who finished with 108 yards in 21 carries, scored on a 12-yard run and Jones completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Robi Davidson.

“This wasn’t my best game passing but I thought that I played well at times,” said Jones, a 6-foot-1 senior.

Backup quarterback Anthony DiSalvo and Bennett connected on a 23-yard pass play for the Normans’ final touchdown and kicker Flynn Turner finished the scoring with his sixth extra-point.

Beverly Hills has won 12 consecutive regular-season games and is off to its best start since 1975. The Normans will face South Torrance in an Ocean League showdown next week.