Crenshaw Delivers City Title

With the Olympic flame burning Friday night at the Coliseum, it was time for real speed to be unleashed in the City Championship football game, and Darian Hagan Jr. of Los Angeles Crenshaw came through with the biggest sprint of the night.

Hagan’s 85-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Marquis Curtis with four minutes left broke a tie and gave Crenshaw a 20-14 upset victory over top-seeded Woodland Hills Taft.

It was the seventh time in the last eight seasons that a team won the City title after losing to its opponent during the regular season.

“We were ready for Taft this time,” Hagan said. “Our scout team did a great job copying what they did, and we were able to focus more on our defense.”

Hagan put the finishing touch on Crenshaw’s first upper division championship with an interception in the end zone with 26 seconds left.

The speed of receiver Jamere Holland brought Taft back from a 14-0 halftime deficit. Holland, the state track champion in the 100 and 200 meters, caught touchdown passes of 44 and 70 yards in the third quarter to tie the score at 14-14.

Taft (13-1) was limited to 76 yards in total offense in the first half. Add to that, quarterback Exavier Johnson had to leave the game midway through the second quarter because of a bruised hand after striking it against a helmet.

Johnson returned in the third quarter after having his right hand soaked in ice. He looked revitalized, firing the ball twice to Holland for long touchdowns. It was the first points for Taft against Crenshaw’s defense in four quarters dating back to the opener when the Toreadors were shut out in the second half of a 35-34 victory.

To pull off an upset, an underdog must gain confidence early on, and Raymond Carter provided Crenshaw (11-3) with an immediate boost by racing 82 yards for a touchdown on the Cougars’ second play from scrimmage. Carter finished with 172 yards rushing.

Taft’s defense came up with a goal-line stand, stopping R.J. Garrett at the one on fourth down with 3:20 left in the second quarter, but the Cougars soon recovered a fumble at the Taft 13, and John Thompson caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Marquis Curtis for a 14-0 halftime lead.

The Cougars played a gambling defense, daring the Toreadors to pass against their single coverage. Johnson struggled from the outset, hurrying his passes against a strong Cougar rush and missing open receivers. At one point in the second half, he had 11 consecutive incompletions.

Taft Coach Troy Starr was trying to overcome a Coliseum curse. He had been 1-4 in championship games at the Coliseum, and the last two had been particularly horrific. In 2001, his team lost when Dorsey blocked a punt on the game’s final play and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. In 2002, his team was 13-0 and lost to a Lake Balboa Birmingham team that it had routed during the regular season.

And before Friday, the Toreadors had not been held to fewer than 25 points all season.