Dorsey’s football team gets ready for their battle against Mira Mesa high school. Photo by Anthony Watson/Photo PRO Media
Dorsey finishes non-league games 5-0
By Jason Lewis
Sentinel Sports Editor
Dorsey’s football team yells out “It’s a good day to be a Don” after a victory. Well they have played five games this year, and they have said that chant after each one.
Dorsey had to dig down deep to get their 22-21 victory this past Friday night against Mira Mesa high school (San Diego).
First half mistakes led to Mira Mesa’s 21-13 halftime lead. Dorsey fumbled the opening kick off, gave up a long touchdown off of a blown coverage, and had a punt blocked. Those three mistakes led to all three of Mira Mesa’s touchdowns.
Dorsey was shooting themselves in the foot.
The second half was a different story, where Dorsey played mistake free, sound football. They stopped turning the ball over and they shutout Mira Mesa’s offense.
Dorsey won the game on a 4th and goal play from the four-yard line with just over two minutes to play in the game. After attempts to run the ball up the middle and to the narrow side of the field, Dorsey decided to run to the wide side on 4th down, and running back Keith Lakey pretty much trotted into the endzone untouched, giving Dorsey a one point lead.
On Mira Mesa’s final drive, Dorsey linebacker Matthew Lyons came down with his second interception of the game, and Dorsey was able to run the clock out.
Dorsey head coach Paul Knox was very excited about the victory and about his team’s will to continue fighting.
“I’m proud of how we went out in the second half and dug down to pull it out,” Knox said.
Knox believes that the first half struggles were due to coming off a bye week. Their last game was two weeks ago, which was a 40-7 win over Compton. Knox pointed out that when kids get out of their weekly rhythm, it is hard for them to keep their focus. That was apparent in the first half, when they made numerous mistakes, but in the second half the Dons were totally dialed into the game.
Finishing the non-league season undefeated is important for playoff seeding and a chance to play for the State title.
“We wanted to win the first half, which is the non league season, so we’re right where we want to be,” Knox said.
But Knox knows that at this moment playoff seeding and a State title is not the task at hand for Dorsey. Coliseum league play begins this Friday, which carries greater weight than non-league games.
“We’re telling the kids that right now everybody is tied for first place, and after next week three teams will still be tied,” Knox said. “We want to be one of those three.”
There is somewhat of an element of surprise in non-league games, but that flies out of the window in league play.
“Our league is very physical and the coaches really know each other, so league is really harder,” Knox said.
It’s hard not to look ahead, because there could be the potential of Dorsey and Crenshaw facing off for the league championship on the final game of the season, and Dorsey could enter that game at 9-0 with the top seed in the playoffs on the line.
But Knox will not be overlooking Locke, who Dorsey plays the Friday night. Locke has beaten Dorsey two years in a row, so the first step to a league title does not start with Crenshaw, but against Locke.
Lakewood Blinded By All That Pink Against Long Beach Poly
It was supposed to be Lakewood’s year, but Long Beach Poly showed them that Poly is still on top of the pecking order in the Moore League. Photo by Nick Koza
Long Beach Poly represented breast cancer and Moore League history
as they beat Lakewood 27-14
By David Earley
Sentinel Sports Writer
If you have never been to Veterans Stadium, let’s set the stage. Imagine a clear Friday night, seven sets of lights, 12,000 fans in a one sided stadium, Breast Cancer Awareness being addressed by the fans and the players, having their cleats and wrist taped in pink to match the pink towels that hung from their waist, not to mention the two teams were playing for what was probably the Moore League championship. This is not saying that the other teams in the Moore League do not matter, it’s just that they probably won’t beat either of these teams out for the title.
Lakewood would be relying on speed, quickness and the things that brought them to this game with a 5-0 record, Poly would rely on size, strength and a revenge for a loss to the Lancers last year that ended an 80 game winning streak between the two and cost Poly the title.
Lakewood, confident that they were the better team deferred the coin toss and elected to kick the ball to Poly. The Jackrabbits would use up 6 minutes and drive 80 yards down the field to score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Hollowell. Lakewood was not able to move the ball on the ensuing drive following the kickoff and was forced to punt, Poly would fumble the punt and Lakewood would make good on that opportunity with a 1-yard touchdown dive by Rashad Wadood. Lakewood’s offense would have a lackluster performance to say the least dropping too many passes (Tyler Schultz was 7 of 14 for 97yards), and running only 34 plays in the entire game. Poly would score once more before half time with a one-yard quarterback sneak by Chaiyse Hales to put the Jackrabbits up 14 -7 going into halftime. Hales would finish the game 14 of 16 for 170 yards and two touchdowns and one running touchdown
Lakewood would need a momentum shift after the halftime break to get things going in the right direction, this appeared to happen when Allie Long took the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14 all, and the Lakewood fans, including the announcer went wild. The Jackrabbits never even blinked. Poly would use the following drive to move the ball down the field with Hales throwing short passes and using Keltain Malveaux (22 carries for 109 yards) in a variety of ways culminating the drive with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Earnest Pettway in the corner of the endzone to make it 21-14.
The final quarter would show Poly getting stronger, and Lakewood playing in desperation, displaying the poorest of clock management. Poly would score again on a 1-yard pass from Hales to Josiah Blandin, and would lose the PAT on a penalty. The score would stay at 27-14 until the end. Poly’s defense never gave Lakewood a chance to get in this game, they were stopping plays as if they already knew what was being called. This night would belong to Long Beach Poly and as the clock ticked down to zero you could see exhaustion on both teams as the Poly fans went wild, but Poly would know that the new winning streak had just started again at one.
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Week 5 scores
City Section
Hollywood 50, Los Angeles 14
Jefferson 40, Bernstein 20
Cleveland 42, University 12
Fairfax 54, Wilson 21
San Pedro 21, Locke 13
Washington 42, Manual Arts 20
Chatsworth 27, Banning 7
Garfield 23, Jordan 15
Southern Section
Long Beach Jordan 22, El Toro 20
Palos Verdes 28, Inglewood 12
Long Beach Poly27, Lakewood 14
Santa Monica 56, Compton Centennial 13
Cabrillo 22, Compton 14 (2OT)
Verbum Dei 34, Bosco Tech 31
Leuzinger 50, Hawthorne 30
Lynwood 27, Lawndale 0
Intersectional
Narbonne 42, Culver City 22
Dorsey 22, San Diego Mira Mesa 21
Carson 17, San Diego Lincoln 9
Bishop Amat 42, Venice 20
Vista Murrieta 45, Palisades 16
