Dorsey earns another shot at Crenshaw

Despite losing two fumbles that led to touchdowns, Los Angeles Dorsey defeated host Woodland Hills Taft, 24-20, Wednesday night in a City Section Division I playoff quarterfinal by making key defensive stops. As a result, the 12th-seeded Dons advanced to next week’s semifinal against Coliseum League rival Crenshaw.

The top-seeded Cougars defeated Westchester, 55-0, in a quarterfinal and also handed Dorsey a 44-7 loss in the regular season.

“We got the momentum up,” Dorsey sophomore defensive lineman Jordon Simmons said. “We didn’t stop giving up on the field.”

That included Simmons’ interception in the second quarter that gave the Dons a 14-7 lead with 10:56 remaining in the second quarter. Simmons intercepted a pass from Taft quarterback Bam Goodall at the Dons’ 45-yard line, but Simmons was stripped by Taft tailback Lucky Radley at the Toreadors’ 35-yard line. After Radley had trouble picking up the loose football, Simmons picked the ball up at the 15-yard line and marched into the end zone.

Dorsey also made a defensive stop in the fourth quarter to secure the victory by ending Taft’s second-to-last drive with a safety.

The Dons had their hands full, however, with the fourth-seeded Toreadors (7-5). Taft entered the game without USC-bound senior running back D.J. Morgan, who suffered an knee injury in last week’s playoff game against Garfield.

Radley and Shaquille Shelton picked up the slack, though. Radley had 13 carries for 94 yards with two touchdowns, and Shelton rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries.

Dorsey Coach Paul Knox said the difference came down to hustle, an attitude that spurred a defensive presence.

“We were struggling to match with them, but we made a couple plays,” Knox said. “It came out on our end, but it could’ve gone either way.”

-- Mark Medina Narbonne’s win has an ugly ending

Third-seeded Venice picked a bad time to lose the turnover battle for the first time this season, committing five turnovers during a 48-32 loss to 11th-seeded Harbor City Narbonne.

The Gondoliers (10-2), who lost three fumbles and had two passes intercepted, trailed only 27-24 early in the fourth quarter after Connor Gil kicked a 27-yard field goal. But Gauchos quarterback Chad Dashnaw responded by completing a screen pass to C.J. Wiley, who raced 52 yards for a touchdown.

Venice fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Narbonne’s Sean Parker scored on a one-yard run five plays later to make it 41-24. Parker had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Gauchos (7-5), who will play at Marine League rival Carson (10-2) next week in a semifinal.

The Colts, who defeated Locke, 31-7, on Wednesday, defeated Narbonne, 41-28, earlier this month after rallying from a 20-7 first-quarter deficit.

Things turned ugly after Wednesday’s game when Venice Coach Angelo Gasca instructed his team to leave the field instead of going through the handshake line.

Realizing that his players were upset following the defeat and some scoreboard-pointing by Gauchos running back Melvin Davis, Gasca decided it would be better if the teams didn’t interact afterward because fights might break out.

“I just didn’t think it was a good idea to shake at the end,” Gasca said.

Several Venice players had to be restrained as they walked off the field and coaches from both teams exchanged verbal jabs. Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas said a Venice player shouted a racial epithet at him late in the game.

“We should have gotten them together and quashed it,” Douglas said of the postgame tensions.

Dashnaw ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more for Narbonne, which also received 93 yards rushing from Davis in 17 carries.

-- Ben Bolch Crenshaw routs Westchester, 55-0

Top-seeded Crenshaw (12-0) continued on cruise control in its march to the City Division I final at the Coliseum, routing visiting Westchester (8-4) in a quarterfinal.

The Cougars hardly worked up a sweat in scoring on their first two offensive plays, a 22-yard run by Gregory Ducre and a 48-yard run by Geoffrey Norwood. The lead was 27-0 at halftime.

The third quarter was the real Crenshaw team. De’Anthony Thomas scored touchdowns on a four-yard run and 26-yard pass from Marquis Thompson. And Geno Hall returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown.

In its last eight games, Crenshaw has outscored opponents, 441-34.

Norwood was Crenshaw’s top rusher with 90 yards in six carries.

Ducre and Jonathan Downard had first-half interceptions, and Thomas forced a fumble on a safety blitz, allowing Le’jon Baker to recover the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

-- Eric Sondheimer