Crenshaw hangs for a half, but De La Salle wins title

There was dazzle and excitement produced in the first four minutes from Los Angeles Crenshaw and running back De’Anthony Thomas, but it was the steady, relentless play of Concord De La Salle that resulted in victory Saturday night in the CIF state championship Open Division bowl game at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

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FOR THE RECORD:
High school football: An article in the Dec. 20 Sports section on the CIF football state championships said Southern California teams held an 11-4 advantage over Northern California teams in the last four years. They hold a 12-4 advantage. —

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Terron Ward’s third touchdown run of the game, this one from four yards with 3 minutes 7 seconds left, was the clinching score in a 28-14 victory for De La Salle (13-2).

There was shock and awe early on, and the player supplying the buzz was Thomas. On his first carry, he raced 43 yards up the middle for a touchdown. On the Cougars’ next possession, he ran 10 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-down pitch. It was magnificent, pure speed on display. Crenshaw led, 14-0, and the Cougars might have gotten overconfident.

“We underestimated them,” running back Geoffrey Norwood said. “When we were up 14-0 it was ‘OK, they are not as strong as we thought.’ We let up.”

But the Cougars stuck with their season-long commitment not to overload Thomas with carries. And that reluctance limited Crenshaw’s offense. He had six carries for 73 yards in the first half. With 1:55 left in the second quarter, Crenshaw’s options dwindled. Thomas suffered an ankle injury tackling Tyler Anderson on the one-yard line. Ward scored on the next play to tie the score, 14-14.

Thomas’ injury wasn’t the first time this season the Cougars were forced to find a Plan B. He suffered an ankle injury in the season opener against Lakewood, and Crenshaw still won, 28-27. He didn’t play in the second game, a 47-44 shootout against Norco.

“It changed the whole complexion of the game,” Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett said of Thomas’ injury.

De La Salle’s defense shut down the Thomas-less running game. Ward’s 25-yard touchdown run with 7:46 left in the third quarter gave the Spartans a 21-14 lead. And Thomas didn’t return until 8:55 to play as a decoy.

The De La Salle mystique might have weakened since the days of the Spartans’ 151-game winning streak, but they still have good players, good coaching and execute on offense and defense.

This was a historic night for the City Section and the Crenshaw community. The school that produced Darryl Strawberry in baseball and Marques Johnson in basketball has a new set of athletic stars, and they are football players.

What the team accomplished and the respect they earned this season will be long remembered. Crenshaw used to be considered a basketball school when former coach Willie West guided the Cougars to eight state championships over three decades.

Now football has its turn. No City team had been selected to participate in the bowl championships since its inception in 2006 until the Cougars got the nod because they successfully navigated through a 14-game schedule unbeaten.

What a weekend for great high school football. Five bowl games, five terrific games.

Saturday’s attendance for three games was 16,910 and the total over two days was 21,098. From the coaching to the performance of the players, the teams achieved a level of excellence that Texas or Florida prep fans would appreciate.

It’s the fourth year of the bowl championship games, and it’s clear the participants are coming through with efforts worthy of a state championship game.

Even though Southern California teams hold a 12-4 advantage over their counterparts from Northern California, the closeness of the games this weekend are proof the format is working.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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