Now that the football season’s first stage has been completed, Crenshaw High School can set its sight on the next phase of what it hopes is a four-act play.

Having successfully navigated a challenging series of Southern Section teams, ending with last Friday’s 48-7 dismantling of previously undefeated Culver City, the Cougars now take a 5-0 record into Coliseum League play, which begins Oct. 16 against Manual Arts. They have a bye this week.

Stage three would be the City Section playoffs and four, the ultimate, would be an invite to one of the state bowl games.
Crenshaw linebacker Hayes Pullard looks at each stage as a mini-championship run.

“We just won the championship of our first playoff,” he said of the nonleague portion of a schedule that also included Lakewood, Norco, A.B. Miller and J.W. North. “The next is league, then the playoffs.”

“Our goals are to go to City and state,” senior wide receiver Geno Hall, who caught four touchdown passes from Marquis Thompson last Friday, said.

Hall will be a big reason if the Cougars do get that far.

One of the Southland’s more spectacular big-play stars caught seven passes for 140 yards, including scoring tosses of 15, 19, 14 and 34 yards from Thompson, his old Pop Warner teammate. Thompson was 10-of-21 for 187 yards.

For the year, Hall has 31 catches for 510 yards and seven TDs and Thompson has completed 55 of 92 for 1,032 yards and 11 scores with only three interceptions.

“He’s like my little brother,” Hall said of the junior quarterback. “We’ve grown up playing together. When I make a mistake, he gets on me and when he makes a mistake, I get on him.”

Hall had a couple of dropped passes, which prevented him from having an even more special night than the one he did have. The final TD was a form of atonement from his standpoint.

“I felt I had to redeem myself for the dropped passes,” he said.

As for all the big plays he did make, the explanation was simple.

“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games,” he said.

There were plenty of other contributors against Culver City (3-1).

DeAnthony Thomas had a 45-yard scoring run, which he set up by forcing a fumble, then recovering it.

Thompson added a one-yard scoring run and Geoffrey Norwood rushed for 68 yards and a TD on 13 carries.

Pullard was not only a force on defense, but rushed for 60 yards on nine carries and opened the game with a 47-yard kickoff return.

Lineman James Brock had an interception to set up Thompson’s TD.

Culver City entered the contest averaging 43 points per game, but Crenshaw’s defense recorded six sacks of Marquel Carter and Jordan Arrington and limited the Centaurs to the one touchdown, an 18-yard swing pass from Carter to Edwin Tillman late in the second quarter. The Cougars led, 28-7 at halftime.

“I thought this game would be tougher,” Hall said.

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Manual Arts, 4-45 over the previous five seasons, including 0-10 in 2008, is showing signs of improvement under second-year coach Christian Salazar.

The Toilers, who host 0-5 Firebaugh at 3 p.m. Friday in their final nonleague game, are 2-2 following a 23-20 victory over Lincoln, a perennial playoff qualifier out of the Northern League.

The standouts include running back/linebacker Brandon Foley, running back/defensive back Ellis Willoughby, linebacker Michael Tetteh, linebacker Christopher Jackson and defensive back John Webb.

Foley (48 carries for 247 yards) and Willoughby (13 for 139) are the leading rushers. Willoughby and Webb have two interceptions each to lead the team in that department. Tetteh (19 solo tackles, 16 assists) and Jackson (two sacks) are the other stat leaders.
Michael Jacobs and Anthony Rivas, who share the quarterback duties, have thrown for 358 yards between them.

In the win over Lincoln, Foley rushed for 111 yards on 11 carries and Willoughby had 84 on five. Willouoghby also had an interception.

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Dorsey, a 34-21 winner over Birmingham last Friday, takes a 4-0 record into Friday’s nonleague game at San Diego Mira Mesa (1-3).
Mira Mesa, a 51-48 winner over Chula Vista in its last outing, has an outstanding running back in Damien Williams. He rushed for 327 yards and four TDs against Chula Vista and has 519 yards rushing for the season.

“They won their first game Friday, but they’ve been playing some really good teams,” Dorsey coach Paul Knox said. “They’re going to be a test for us. They’re well-coached.”

Against Birmingham, starting quarterback Josh Williamson suffered a severe ankle sprain on the first play. Knox said Williamson, who is in a cast, will be out at least a week.

Joseph Gray, who alternates at the position, threw three touchdown passes, two to Jaydon Mickens and one to Agent Alexander.

Jorrian Washington had a 50-yard scoring run and Michael Cunningham returned a Birmingham fumble 85 yards for a TD. Michael Robert kicked a 32-yard field goal.

“We moved the ball pretty well on offense,” Knox said. “We had over 400 yards.”