Carson routs Crenshaw to win City Open Division football title
So much can happen in seven minutes of football.
Carson proved that Saturday night in the City Section Open Division championship game, scoring five touchdowns in 7:05 in the second quarter to produce a 36-0 shutout of Crenshaw at Southwest College.
After a scoreless first quarter, Zach Brock made several tackles on a 12-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, opening the floodgates for the No. 1 seed Colts (10-3).
Chris Fields III connected with Royal Moore on a 46-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion made it 15-0 at 7:32. Darren Panton returned a punt 28 yards for another touchdown with 6:20 left in the stanza and recovered a fumble at the Crenshaw 22 two plays later, setting up Craig Walker’s putback that made it 29-0. Panton ended the scoring barrage with a 23-yard interception return 4:46 before halftime.
“We saw in the first quarter that they were too aggressive and if we gave them a fake, they would bite on it,” said Fields, who completed eight of 15 passes for 147 yards with one interception and ran seven times for 38 yards. “I just took advantage of what the defense gave me. Darren’s punt return sealed the deal.”
Carson sacked Cougars quarterback Danniel Flowers four times in the first half – two of them by Kingston Sula and one each by Derric Myers and Xavier Allen – and forced him to make several more rushing throws. Flowers, who made several game-clinching throws in the semifinals at Birmingham, was held to four of 10 passes for 37 yards in the first half Saturday, while running back Joshua Jones had 11 yards on five carries per intermission.
Carson High receiver Royal Moore sprints down the sideline en route to a 46-yard touchdown against Crenshaw in the City Section Open Division final Saturday night.
(Steve Galluzzo / For Time)
Eric Myers finished with 88 yards on 18 carries to keep the chains moving for the Colts, who won their 12th City crown and first since winning Division I in 2003 under coach John Aguirre, who later became City Section commissioner.
Carson moved into second place behind Banning on the all-time title list. Manual Arts holds the record with 17.
“It’s a testament to these kids and how hard they work,” first-year coach William Lowe said. “They have good practice habits on the field and in the weight room and are mentally strong. Any play can win or lose a game and when good things happen, we try to build on that.”
The sixth-seeded Cougars (10-2) were competing for their seventh City title since 1991. Terrence Whitehead has served as interim head coach all season in the absence of longtime coach Robert Garrett (the winningest football coach in section history with 300 victories to his credit), who is on administrative leave.
“Chris has grown by leaps and bounds,” Lowe said of Fields. “I thank all my coaches. Our defensive alignment allows the kids to play fast and physical and we were tested despite some tough losses early in the year.”
