Crenshaw beats neighborhood rival Dorsey, 23-7

Sitting behind the Crenshaw sideline at Jackie Robinson Stadium, a teenage fan was asked, over and over again, why he wasn’t sitting on the other side of the field. He was wearing a Dorsey sweatshirt, but as he repeatedly explained, he was sitting on the Crenshaw side because that’s where his dad went to school.

The local Dorsey-Crenshaw rivalry has lost a little bit of its luster as of late, but it still means something to this neighborhood. The stands were crowded Friday night to see Crenshaw beat Dorsey, 23-7, in the Coliseum League opener.

The Dons haven’t beat their neighborhood rivals since before Kansas City Chiefs rookie De’Anthony Thomas was playing for Crenshaw. The Cougars have now won the last 10 contests.

Crenshaw (3-3) started the scoring early. The Cougars scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, including a perfectly executed inside fake to Marcus Walton. The senior took the misdirection handoff and blasted down the sideline for the 35-yard score.

The biggest play of the half came midway through the second quarter, though, when Dorsey (1-5) lined up to punt for the third time. The Dons were kicking out of their own end zone, and had yet to record a first down in the game.

But the Dons recovered a fumble on the punt return, and then scored on a 30-yard rainbow down the sideline from quarterback Rodney Evans to junior wide receiver Donald Hayes.

After Crenshaw kicked a 36-yard field goal to end the first half, neither team would score again until Walton caught a 26-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter.

Walton finished the game with more than 100 total offensive yards. His second touchdown put the game out of reach, especially because the Dons’ offense slowed down when Evans left the game because of an injury.

Crenshaw has lost three games by 40 or more points this season, but they were all in non-conference play against premier opponents.

“We play for the L.A. City title, and I think we could be contenders for that,” Coach Robert Garrett said after the game. “We played all those other big hitters to do this here. We’re improving, so I’m pretty pleased with the progression. It’s a great win, and it’s always a big win against your rival.”