City Section

Saturday, Nov. 8

COLISEUM LEAGUE

Locke 21, Manual Arts 7

EASTERN LEAGUE

Roosevelt 33, Garfield 0

Friday, Nov. 7

COLISEUM LEAGUE

Dorsey 13, Crenshaw 12
Considering the ease with which Crenshaw High moved the ball on the ground against Dorsey in the second half of the teams’ Coliseum League showdown Friday night, gaining three yards on a crucial two-point conversion didn’t seem like such a tricky proposition.

Handing the ball off to running back Rickie Collins or Aaron Huntley appeared to be a sure-fire way for the Cougars to secure their fifth consecutive victory over the rival Dons.

But Crenshaw went to the air and watched in agony as Marquis Curtis’ pass went off the finger tips of tight end Brandon Sampay in the back of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter. Dorsey made one final defensive stand and held on for a 13-12 victory that assured the Dons (9-0, 4-0), No. 13 in the Times’ rankings, at least a share of the league title and spoiled the first night game in Crenshaw history.

The Dons also snapped Crenshaw’s 23-game league winning streak that included a forfeit victory over Fremont in 2001.

Trailing 13-0, after Dorsey running back Stafon Johnson scored on a 35-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Crenshaw (7-2, 3-1) ralllied behind the relentless rushing of Collins and Huntley. Huntley, who gained 105 of his 135 yards in the second half, broke a 40-yard run early in the third quarter to pull the Cougars to within 13-6.

Collins, who gained 43 of his 68 yards in the second half, made it 13-12 after scoring on a five-yard run with 6:07 left before Crenshaw’s second two-point attempt of the game failed.

Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett said he knew going into the game that his team would have to go for two points after every touchdown because of it’s repeated inability to convert point-after kicks. He just never imagined gaining three yards would be so difficult.
--Ben Bolch

Jefferson 25, Fremont 16
Quarterback Contrell Walker threw touchdown passes of 26, 52, and 4 yards, to lead visiting Jefferson (5-4, 3-1) over Fremont (5-3-1, 2-3).

EASTERN LEAGUE

Bell 43, Huntington Park 15
Oscar Gonzalez completed 20 of 29 passes for 352 yards and five touchdown passes, and Mike Marquez caught five passes for 124 yards, including touchdowns of 57,and three yards for host Bell (5-3-1, 3-1). Huntington Park falls to 0-8, 0-4.

L.A. Jordan 21, South Gate 14
Jessie Murry carried seven times for 92 yards and caught a 70-yard pass to lead host L.A. Jordan (6-3, 3-1) over South Gate. Fullback Robert Purvis also ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns in 20 carries for the Bulldogs. Eagle Amosa had ten tackles to lead a Jordan defense that held South Gate (5-4, 2-2) to four first downs.

MARINE LEAGUE

Narbonne 10 Gardena 7
San Pedro 42, Washington 14

NORTHEN LEAGUE

Eagle Rock 21, Belmont 20
Quarterback Jeremy Camacho threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns for host Eagle Rock.

Los Angeles 42, L.A. Wilson 34
It has been six years since Los Angeles High has seen the City Section football playoffs and many more since the Romans have been in the major division. But they will get their taste of playing with the big boys this season.

Brandon Brown had 144 yards to lead a potent ground game and Chris Humes had a superior all-around effort in sparking Los Angeles to a 42-34 victory over visiting Los Angeles Wilson that gave the Romans a share of the Northern League championship.

In its first year in the league, Los Angeles (8-2, 5-1) clinched the league’s No. 1 seed for the postseason by virtue of victories over Wilson and L.A. Franklin. The Romans, who have completed the regular season, figure to get a berth in the City Championship division playoffs

“It’s unbelievable,” quarterback Terrion Ware said. “We haven’t had a winning season in years. We’ve won maybe five or six games the last two years.”

Six to be precise. Brown broke a 28-28 tie in the third quarter when he bolted 30 yards for a touchdown. Los Angeles finally grabbed control with another big play as Humes took a screen pass from Ware and outran the Wilson defense to an 81-yard scoring play for a two touchdown lead.

Humes turned another screen pass into a 54-yard touchdown earlier in the game and had a 36-yard scoring run to rally the Romans from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit. He finished with 164 yards on four catches and rushed for 86 yards.

Chris Patino completed 31 of 53 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns while also running for three scores. His five-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left pulled the Mules (6-2, 4-1) within 42-34 but the officials immediately called the game because of the City Section sundown rule.

Wilson coaches were irate but Coach Eddie Martinez said he would not protest the game despite not getting a chance at an onside kick.

“I thought we lost the game a long time ago,” Martinez said. “I’m pretty surprised the way L.A. played. They had two games in a few days and we thought it would take a lot out of them but obviously it didn’t.”
--Eric Stephens

Franklin 14, Lincoln 12

SUNSET SIX LEAGUE

Grant 40, Canoga Park 27
North Hollywood 41, Verdugo Hills 12
Sun Valley Poly 41, Hollywood 14

VALLEY MISSION LEAGUE

Monroe 27, Reseda 21
Sylmar 41, Granada Hills Kennedy 14
San Fernando 27, Van Nuys 12

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

El Camino Real 32, Cleveland 12
Mathew Sattler ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns in 18 carries to lead El Camino Real (6-3, 2-2) past host Cleveland (5-4, 1-3). El Camino Real totaled 457 yards rushing in 42 carries, with no pass attempts. Clyde Griffin ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries for Cleveland.

Granada Hills 28, Chatsworth 10

WESTERN LEAGUE

University 20, Palisades 14 (OT)
Thomas Jefferson caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jason Robinson with 4:26 remaining in overtime and the host Wildcats held on to win by way of the 10-minute sundown rule.

LaRue Zamorano rushed for 146 yards in 14 carries and caught a 29-yard touchdown pass for University (6-2-1, 2-2), which led 8-7 at halftime. Robinson completed all six of his pass attempts for 72 yards and scored on a seven-yard run.

Andre Harris rushed for 76 yards in 14 carries for Palisades (3-6, 0-4), including an 85-yard kick-off return that tied the game 14-14 with 10:49 left in regulation. Dylan Cohen completed four-of-10 passes for 32 yards and one interception. He was sacked at Palisades’ 10-yard line on the final play as time ran out.
--Steve Galluzzo

Venice 27, Fairfax 25
Julio Dieguez hooked his 45-yard field goal attempt three feet wide of the right goalpost as time expired and visiting Venice escaped with the victory to take sole possession of first place in the Western League.

The lead changed hands five times before Gerold Rodriguez scored on an eight-yard reverse to give the No. 11 Gondoliers (9-0, 4-0) a 27-25 lead with 1:53 left to play. Rodriguez had four catches for 69 yards and one touchdown and James Lewis added five receptions for 44 yards for Venice, which overcame an 18-7 halftime deficit.

Beau Davis completed 12 of 18 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions and Bryon Ellis rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns in 27 carries for Venice.

Troy Jackson completed 15 of 29 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard slant pass to Chazz Vickers that gave Fairfax (4-4-1, 3-1) a 25-21 lead with 3:31 left.

Jonathan Price rushed for 67 yards in 17 carries and Dieguez had field goals of 35 and 30 yards for the Lions. Teammate Bryce Hill caught six passes for 73 yards and one touchdown and also scored on a three-yard run.
--Steve Galluzzo

Westchester 35, L.A. Hamilton 0

Thursday, Nov. 6

MARINE LEAGUE

Carson 21, Wilmington Banning 10
Quarterback Bo Napoleon wasn’t exactly efficient for Carson Thursday night. But with archrival Wilmington Banning trying for a major upset, the junior was at his best when the Colts needed it.

Napoleon found tight end Antwan Mahaley for a game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter and Robert Miller added a late clinching score to give Carson a hard-fought victory before a festive crowd of 7,190 in the first football game played at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Banning (2-7, 0-4) came into the game on a six-game losing streak and didn’t have star tailback Patrick Perry, who sat out the game with a sprained ankle. The Pilots put up a stellar effort throughout and took a 10-7 lead on Mark Tafoya’s two-yard run in the third quarter.

On fourth and four at the Banning 35, Napoleon (5 for 17, 62 yards) escaped a heavy rush and connected with Miller for a 25-yard gain. Two plays later, the quarterback found Mahaley to put Carson (6-3, 4-0) in position for its fifth consecutive league title.

Banning made one final threat. The Pilots drove to the four-yard line but Carson’s defense stiffened. On fourth and two, Sinapati Uiagalelei forced a late option pitch by Robert Martinez to Tafoya and safety Chet Sanders hit the tailback for a two-yard loss with 2:08 remaining.

“We said, ‘This is our time,’” Sanders said of the defensive stand. “We’d been messing up all game and we had to get it right.”

Miller, who had 161 yards on 18 carries, busted loose for a 72-yard run that deflated the Pilots. However, the running of Tafoya (19 carries, 92 yards) and a ball-controlled game plan by Banning nearly worked to perfection against the Colts.

Banning led, 3-0, at halftime and survived touchdown returns by Miller and Jordan Fata that were called back because of penalties.

“We were devastated because of the two touchdowns being called back but we kept our heads up,” Sanders said.
--Eric Stephens

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Birmingham 42, Taft 26
Kyle McCleary ran 11 yards for a touchdown, caught a 42-yard pass for a touchdown and passed 13 yards for a touchdown to help Birmingham (6-3, 4-0) clinch the No. 1 playoff seed from the West Valley League at Pierce College.

In a rematch of last year’s City Championship game, Birmingham once again dominated the Toreadors (5-4, 2-2) on offense. Brian Baylor rushed for 144 yards in 16 carries and Brian Stuart added 131 yards in 16 carries.

Birmingham opened a 30-6 halftime lead. Taft’s Sheldon Banks scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to pull the Toreadors within, 30-20.
--Eric Sondheimer

Monday, Nov. 3

COLISEUM LEAGUE

Dorsey 49, Fremont 14
Jeremiah Johnson had 121 yards and five touchdowns in 11 carries and Stafon Johnson had 228 yards and one touchdown in 18 carries for Dorsey (8-0, 3-0) at Fremont (5-2-1, 1-2).

Jeremiah Johnson scored on runs of six, 66, six, 12 and 23 yards and Stafon Johnson scored the Dons’ final touchdown on a three-yard run with 7 minutes 56 seconds left. The other touchdown for Dorsey, ranked No. 13 by The Times, came on a 24-yard pass from Donald Prince to David Gettis in the second quarter.

“He’s a great runner. It definitely helps having Stafon in the backfield with me,” Jeremiah Johnson said. “We’re like the gruesome twosome. If they stop me, they can’t stop him. If they stop him, they won’t stop me.”

Despite being penalized 10 times for 100 yards in the first two quarters, Dorsey led, 29-14, at halftime.

Jelani Berry scored on a three-yard run and Michael Black scored on a 10-yard swing pass from Curtis Johnson for Fremont.

Curtis Johnson completed five of nine passes for 22 yards and had 29 yards in 10 carries for Fremont, which was limited to 107 yards.
--Steve Galluzzo

EASTERN LEAGUE

Bell 21, Jordan 20 (OT)
Carlos Lopez converted the game-winning extra point in overtime after Brian Delgadillo scored the tying touchdown on a two-yard run. Delgadillo rushed for 127 yards in 25 carries, including a three-yard run late in the second quarter that gave visiting Bell (4-3-1, 2-1) a 14-7 lead. Jordan is 5-3, 2-1.

MARINE LEAGUE

Narbonne 35, Washington 6

NORTHERN LEAGUE

Franklin 34, Belmont 6
James Walker had four catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns and Kevin Hale threw for 191 yards and two scores to lead Franklin (4-4, 3-1) over host Belmont (1-3 in league). Diego Urbina returned an interception 37 yards for a score in the fourth quarter and Brandon Torres rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Franklin.

Lincoln 13, Los Angeles 7
Marcos Moreno threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Garcia in the fourth quarter to break a 7-7 tie for Lincoln (2-5, 1-3). Moreno, who finished 10 of 20 passing for 204 yards with one interception, threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Dan Vasquez earlier in the game. Los Angeles falls to 4-1 in league.

Eagle Rock 20, L.A. Marshall 17

SUNSET SIX LEAGUE

Canoga Park 34, Sun Valley Poly 27
With Canoga Park trailing, 27-21, in the fourth quarter, Noe Valencia caught a six-yard scoring pass and Thomas Johnson had a 50-yard touchdown reception from Tony Egues to lead the Hunters (6-2, 2-1) over visiting Sun Valley Poly.

North Hollywood 48, Hollywood 6

VALLEY MISSON LEAGUE

Monroe 14, Granada Hills Kennedy 0
Reseda 40, San Fernando 21

WESTERN LEAGUE

Fairfax 13, Westchester 7
Barry Johnson scored on a 47-yard run on the third play from scrimmage, caught a 70-yard pass and returned a punt 60 yards for host Fairfax (4-3-1, 3-0). Jonathan Price scored the winning touchdown on a six-yard run early in the fourth quarter for Fairfax. Joshua Henry scored on a 10-yard run to pull Westchester (3-5, 2-1) even, 7-7, early in the third quarter.

L.A. University 45, L.A. Hamilton 9
Jason Robinson completed seven of 10 passes for 125 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to George Harris, and rushed for a 20-yard touchdown for University (5-2-1, 1-2) at Hamilton (1-7, 0-3). LaRue Zamarano rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown in six carries for University.

WEST VALLEY LEAGUE

Birmingham 35, El Camino Real 7

Bryan Baylor rushed for four touchdowns and Benny Ward had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Birmingham (5-3, 3-0) at El Camino Real.

Granada Hills 55, Taft 28

Granada Hills quarterback Brandon Charls remembered all too well the drubbing administered by Woodland Hills Taft last season on the Toreadors’ path to the City Section championship game.

Imagine how he felt after leading the Highlanders in a beating of the Toreadors in a rescheduled West Valley League game Monday afternoon at Granada Hills.

“Matt [Streid] and I were saying the night before how we really wanted this game,” said Charls, who accounted for four touchdowns. “We’ve never beaten them at all since being on varsity. We didn’t beat them in a passing league game but we came close a couple times. I was expecting a lot closer game.”

So did just about everyone else. While Taft (5-3, 2-1) may have had its eye on a possible league showdown Thursday night against Lake Balboa Birmingham, the Highlanders (6-2, 2-1) quickly ruined those plans with an impressive offensive performance to avenge last year’s 42-0 loss to Taft.

Charls threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and had 70 yards and two scores on the ground. Jammal Rashad had three short touchdown runs to help Granada Hills take a 35-7 halftime lead en route to ending Taft’s five-game winning streak.

The Highlanders had 456 yards of offense and didn’t punt until 35 seconds remained in the game.

“Brandon Charls played a great game and our receivers did a real good job of catching the ball,” Granada Hills co-Coach Tom Harp said. “What I liked was the third quarter when they scored and we got the ball back. We showed some ball control [on a nine-minute scoring drive] and ran a lot of time off.

“You have to do that because Taft has such a great offense.”

Rashad had scoring runs of one and two yards to cap Granada Hills’ first two drives. Eleston Thompson intercepted a pass by Taft quarterback Josh Portis and the Highlanders marched 64 yards in eight plays, with Charls finishing the drive with a three-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 lead.

Portis completed 17 of 29 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Ian Bell had an 18-yard touchdown reception and a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Taft.

“We’d been playing real well defensively,” Taft Coach Kevin Pearson said. “I knew they would push us around a little bit, but I didn’t think it was going to be this ugly.”
--Eric Stephens

Cleveland 13, Chatsworth 3