City Section matchups feature Carson vs. Harbor City Narbonne
Gauchos pride versus Colts pride. The South Bay is about to get all riled up when Harbor City Narbonne meets host Carson on Friday night in a Marine League game with huge Los Angeles City Section Division I title ramifications.
“It’s the biggest game in the City Section right now,” Carson Coach Elijah Asante said. “Narbonne has been to the last two City championships. They’re a formidable program. This game determines for a lot of Pop Warner kids what schools they’re going to attend.”
Carson (5-2, 2-0 in league play) and Narbonne (4-3, 2-0) are trying to win the Marine League and compete with the winner of the Coliseum League, either Dorsey (7-0) or Crenshaw (5-2), for the No. 1 playoff seeding.
What’s interesting is that the City Section, at least for one more year, will be allowing its coaches to put together the seedings. That means coaches from league champion teams get to show up and state their case.
Now, I’m not rooting for anyone in particular, but when Asante gets to talk, it’s quite entertaining. He’s got a law degree and isn’t afraid to boast about his school. And if he’s going against Crenshaw’s Robert Garrett, the City Section should have live streaming video so everyone can enjoy the spectacle.
“We’re going to go for it,” Asante said of the No. 1 seeding.
Of course, standing in the way is Narbonne, which has prepared itself by playing against Southern Section powers Gardena Serra and Long Beach Poly in nonleague games. And both teams still have tough games ahead with San Pedro.
Whether the Gauchos offense has improved enough to win a shootout against the Colts remains to be seen. Coach Manual Douglas likes his defense, but Carson had eight players account for 10 touchdowns in a 69-0 win over Wilmington Banning last week.
“I know it’s a big game,” Douglas said. “We’re going to come and play.”
Whatever happens, this will be the best City Section matchup until Nov. 12, when Dorsey and Crenshaw play at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
It’s Servite-Mater Dei week
You know it’s a big game when the crowd could be larger than for a championship game. When Anaheim Servite and Santa Ana Mater Dei play Friday night at Angel Stadium, attendance could exceed 20,000.
Servite (7-0) has won 18 consecutive games and beat the Monarchs last season for the first time since 1988. Mater Dei (5-2) has won five consecutive games.
Most intriguing is that Servite’s defense, supposedly the best in the Southland, showed some weaknesses in a 32-24 victory over Bellflower St. John Bosco. The Friars missed defensive lineman Jherremya Leuta-Douyere (torn knee cartilage). Mater Dei has regained its offensive firepower, aided by the return of running back Corbin Anderson from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Let there be green
Woodland Hills El Camino Real is the latest high school to replace its grass football-soccer field with synthetic turf.
The new field is set to be unveiled Friday when the Conquistadores play Reseda Cleveland in football. At a cost of more than $1 million, the field is going to be a boon for the soccer community in the West San Fernando Valley.
Boys’ soccer Coach David Hussey was gushing last week.
“We’ll be able to play in the rain, wind, maybe snow,” Hussey said.
Twitter.com/LATSondheimer
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