Crenshaw defeats Narbonne for L.A. City title, 34-14

Their voices could be heard halfway across the Coliseum field.

As the Crenshaw Cougars walked into the stadium’s storied tunnel, they broke into a hearty chant, repeating the same phrase until their lungs ached.

The waiting is over. That’s all I can say. Take the loser away.

Crenshaw is on the verge of history after defeating Harbor City Narbonne, 34-14, Saturday afternoon in the Los Angeles City Section Division I championship game.

The top-seeded Cougars (14-0) will learn this afternoon whether they have become the first City team selected for a state championship bowl game. They are expected to play in either the Open Division or the enrollment-based Division II game next weekend at the Home Depot Center against a section champion from Northern California.

“We’re going to pray to God and hopefully they’ll let us go,” said Crenshaw tailback De’Anthony Thomas, who rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in 12 carries on a field made soggy by steady rain.

City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege called the Cougars “a very worthy opponent” for a bowl game based on their perfect record and nonleague victories over Southern Section powers Lakewood and Norco.

Fiege is among the 10 California Interscholastic Federation commissioners who will meet today to select the bowl representatives.

“It should happen,” Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett said of his team advancing to a bowl game. “All of the intangibles that the committee asked for, we have surpassed that.”

The Cougars won their first City title since 2005 after pulling away from the 11th-seeded Gauchos (8-6), who proved to be a worthy opponent during a first half in which two controversial calls went against them.

The first came when Narbonne quarterback Chad Dashnaw attempted a shovel pass that fell incomplete on third down. But officials ruled the play a fumble and awarded the ball to Crenshaw.

Then, in the second quarter, officials inexplicably changed the down marker from third to fourth down without a play being run. When Dashnaw’s next pass fell incomplete, the Cougars got the ball back on downs.

Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas protested but said the head official “swore up and down I was wrong. He told me to watch my tone. I said, ‘You’re wrong. It’s going to be on the telecast, and you should be ashamed to be the white hat [head official] and be in this game.”

Crenshaw took over at its own 33-yard line and drove for a touchdown on Thomas’ 11-yard run to take a 21-7 lead. Thomas also had touchdown runs of five and 69 yards.

Qujuan Floyd’s two-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter gave the Cougars a 27-7 cushion, putting them firmly in control against the team that had eliminated them in a semifinal last season.

Crenshaw players became emotional after the game as they clutched the championship trophy and talked about becoming the first Los Angeles team to advance to a bowl game in the four years since state championships have been held.

“I’m going to cry when I get in that locker room,” said Crenshaw tailback Geoffrey Norwood, who had 108 yards on 21 carries.

Asked if Crenshaw had warranted selection for a bowl game, Norwood said: “If they want us, we’ll be there. We’re not going anywhere. If they want to play against an undefeated team, we’ll be there.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com