San Pedro eliminates Crenshaw in rout

A new champion will be crowned in the City Section this season.

San Pedro made sure of that with its 31-7 victory Friday night over Los Angeles Crenshaw — winner of the last two City Division I titles — in a Division I quarterfinal game at San Pedro High.

Two big plays in the last six minutes of the first half gave the top-seeded Pirates (12-0) a commanding lead. First, Kenny Potter faked a handoff and ran around the left side for an 81-yard quarterback keeper that gave San Pedro a 21-7 lead.

Then Potter connected with Keaton Accetta on a 72-yard pass play to increase the margin to 21 points with 2:22 left in the second quarter.

“I saw that their ends weren’t containing, so once I hit the corner it was basically one on one, I made a move on him and that was all it took,” Potter said of his touchdown run. “On the pass we got the matchup we wanted, and it was all Keaton. He made a great play coming back for the ball.”

San Pedro advances to the semifinals and a rematch with fifth-seeded Carson, which lost to the Pirates, 21-0, in the teams’ league meeting Oct. 28 at Carson.

Christian Gonzalez kicked a 40-yard field goal to make San Pedro’s lead 31-7 with 9:48 left in the third quarter. Gregory Thomas set up the score with a 31-yard run on the Pirates’ first play of the second half. Crenshaw (6-5), which ran only six offensive plays in the third quarter, blocked a 21-yard field-goal attempt on San Pedro’s next possession.

After each team punted on its first two drives, senior lineman Jamal Best scored his third defensive touchdown of the season, returning a fumble six yards to give San Pedro a 7-0 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

Mossi Johnson’s 32-yard run completed a three-play, 83-yard drive that pulled the eighth-seeded Cougars even at 7-7 with 1:41 left in the first quarter.

San Pedro quickly regained the lead 14-7 on Darrell Santiago’s 16-yard run with 11:04 left in the second quarter

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