Crespi routs Birmingham to improve to 2-0 behind quarterback Blake Adams

Crespi is showing great improvement under second-year coach Dameon Porter. Taking advantage of turnovers and strong play from quarterback Blake Adams, the Celts improved to 2-0 on Friday night with a 55-14 rout of Birmingham (1-1), supposedly the second-best team in the City Section behind Narbonne.

“We focus on playing fast, staying simple and having the ability to adjust,” Porter said. “In our option-based offense, [Adams] has flexibility, and he’s a great decision maker for us.”

The Celts took advantage of a Birmingham fumble on the second play of the game and an interception in their third series, leading to 28 unanswered points.

“They got rolling after our two turnovers,” Birmingham coach Jim Rose said. “We have no excuses. They just punched us in the mouth.”

To make matters worse for the Patriots, Crespi opened the second half with sophomore Evan Davidson returning the kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. The leader for Crespi was Adams, a senior who transferred from Simi Valley. He completed 12 of 21 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown and ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns. In the season opener last week, Adams passed for 228 yards and ran for 88 yards in a win over Canyon Country Canyon.

“I’ll run, I’ll pass, I really just like to play the game,” Adams said. “We always focus on doing our own jobs well, and we know that when we do that, we’ll do well.”

Penalties and dropped passes kept the Patriots from finding a rhythm, and a run-heavy attack by Adams and junior running back Michael Shirley (138 yards in 11 carries with three touchdowns) kept the Birmingham offense off the field.

The Patriots’ two-way stars, senior Mason White, who blocked a field goal, and sophomore Arlis Boardingham, were limited to just one touchdown apiece, both on passes from from quarterback Jackson Dadich. Dadich finished the game 11 of 26 for 160 yards, with a fumble and an interception.

Crespi is in good position to start 3-0, getting Harvard-Westlake on the road next week. Birmingham defeated Harvard-Westlake in its opener 34-0. The Wolverines came back on Friday night to defeat Venice 35-28.