Poly Survives a Scare

Lakewood’s near upset of then-No. 4 Long Beach Poly — the Lancers lost, 14-10, on Friday after giving up a 33-yard touchdown pass from Cruz Parsons to Derrick Jones with 1 minute 45 seconds left to play — gave some credibility to its remarkable season.

The Lancers (7-2, 4-1 in the Moore League) had beaten everyone they should have, and lost to one team — Downey Warren — they probably shouldn’t have.

Poly (7-2, 5-0) notched its 48th consecutive Moore League victory. Notable about the game-winning play: Jones was wearing uniform No. 1 instead of his customary No. 4.

But the switch didn’t catch Lakewood by surprise.

“Our kids pointed it out to me during warmups,” Lakewood Coach Mike Christensen said. “We just didn’t cover on that last play, and they got us.”

Wide-Open Field

With Huntington Beach Edison’s 22-8 victory over then-No. 12 Fountain Valley and La Puente Bishop Amat’s 35-3 victory over then-No. 17 Bellflower St. John Bosco on Friday, it appears there are no fewer than 10 teams with legitimate chances to win the Division I title.

The contenders: Los Alamitos (8-1), Santa Margarita (7-2), Long Beach Poly (7-2), Lakewood (7-2), Fountain Valley (6-3), Edison (6-3), Loyola (6-3), Bishop Amat (6-3), St. John Bosco (6-3) and, perhaps the hottest of the bunch, Santa Ana Mater Dei (5-4).

Redlands East Valley (7-1-1) and the other Citrus Belt League teams can stick this list on their locker-room walls.

Corralling Centennial

As a result of games rescheduled because of recent Southland fires, the first stunner of the week came last Wednesday, when Norco upset then-No. 10 Corona Centennial, 31-28, in a Mountain View League game.

Shane Martin kicked a 21-yard field goal with three seconds left to play for the victory.

Norco’s defense held the Southland’s best running back, Terrell Jackson (1,669 yards, 28 touchdowns), to only 71 yards in 15 carries. Norco’s Toby Gerhart out-gained Jackson by 253 yards with a 37-carry, 324-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Centennial (5-3, 2-1 in league play) is the defending Division V champion, and the title game this season figured to be a rematch of last season’s, which resulted in the Huskies’ 57-55 overtime victory over Riverside North.

If Norco (7-1, 3-0) wins its final two games, this past Monday against Corona Santiago and on Friday against Corona, it figures to be seeded second or third in the playoff pairings.

If Centennial finishes second in league, it potentially would be on the same side of the playoff bracket as North (9-0, 4-0), which is ranked No. 2 by The Times.

Unbeaten, but Barely

It seemed as if the matchup for the City Section’s championship division title was a forgone conclusion: Venice vs. Los Angeles Dorsey.

Suddenly, each appears beatable.

Venice (9-0) edged L.A. Fairfax, 27-25, because Julio Dieguez hooked his 45-yard field-goal attempt three feet wide as time expired.

Dorsey (9-0) survived L.A. Crenshaw, 13-12, thanks to the Cougars’ failed two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter of the first night game in Crenshaw history. Crenshaw had averaged 6.7 yards per play in the second half on Friday, so handing off to Rickie Collins or Aaron Huntley seemed reasonable when the Cougars needed a two-point conversion.

But the Cougars and their fans watched in agony as Marquis Curtis’ pass went off the fingertips of tight end Brandon Sampay in the back of the end zone and Dorsey held on for its first victory in the series since 1998.

“It was strategy,” Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett said of his decision to call a pass play. “Sometimes, coaches shoot themselves in the foot.”

Opening the Doors

The Home Depot Center made its debut as a high school football stadium Thursday night, when touchdowns by Philip Knight, Antwan Mahaley and Robert Miller helped Carson beat Wilmington Banning, 21-10, in a Marine League game in front of 7,190.

“It’s going to be an outstanding venue. It was a nice dry run for us,” said Thom Simmons, spokesman for the Southern Section, which has contracted to hold the Division I semifinals and four section championship games there next month.

Ben Bolch, Paul McLeod and Eric Stephens contributed to this report.