Crenshaw

So much can happen in seven minutes of football.

Carson proved that on Saturday night in the City Section Open Division championship game, scoring five touchdowns in a 7:05 span of the second quarter to produce a 36-0 shutout of Crenshaw at Southwest College.

After a scoreless first quarter, Zach Brock broke several tackles on a 12-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, opening the floodgates for the No. 1-seeded Colts (10-3).

Chris Fields III connected with Royal Moore on a 46-yard touchdown and the two-point conversion made it 15-0 at the 7:32 mark. 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 reverse 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 overly aggressive and if we gave them a fake, they’d bite on it,” said Fields, who completed eight of 15 passes for 147 yards with an 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 those by end Kingston Sula and one each by Derric Myers and Xavier Allen — and forced him into several other hurried throws. Flowers, who made several clutch throws in the semifinals at Birmingham, was held to four-of-10 passing for 37 yards in the first half Saturday while running back Joshua Jones had 11 yards in five carries by intermission.

Carson High receiver Royal Moore sprints down the sideline on his way to a 46-yard touchdown against Crenshaw in the City Section Open Division final Saturday night.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Eric Myers finished with 88 yards in 18 carries to keep the chains moving for the Colts, who claimed their 12th City crown and first since winning Division I in 2003 under coach John Aguirre, who later became City Section commissioner.

Carson moved to within one of second-place Banning on the all-time titles list. Manual Arts holds the record with 17.

“This is 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 tough. 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 vying 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 wins to his credit), who is on administrative leave.

“Chris has grown in leaps and bounds,” Lowe said of Fields. “I credit all of my coaches. Our defensive alignment allows the kids to play fast and physical and we were battle-tested despite some tough losses early in the year.”

The official head coach for Crenshaw High’s football team remains Robert Garrett even though he’s been barred from attending games on Los Angeles Unified School District property since Aug. 21, when he was placed on administrative leave.

His long-time assistant and Crenshaw grad, Terrence Whitehead, took over as interim coach the week before the opening game. He and assistants trained by Garrett since they were adolescents have the Cougars at 10-1 and playing for the City Section Open Division title against top-seeded Carson at 6 p.m. Saturday at L.A. Southwest College.

“I think he’s doing an outstanding job from where he’s been put,” Garrett said.

Garrett said it’s no surprise what Crenshaw has accomplished with 14 of 18 players returning from a team last season that lost by a single point in the opening round of the Division I playoffs to No. 1-seeded Eagle Rock. Add standout linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick to that group along with others and you have Crenshaw seeking its seventh City title.

“My thoughts are you win ballgames from January through July when you meet daily and go over fundamentals, skills and get bigger, stronger and faster. You win it in the weight room,” Garrett said.

Garrett said he has spoken to Whitehead weekly and seen games that were streamed. But he has no intention of attending Saturday’s game.

Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett has been on administrative leave since August.

(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

“I’ll be sitting in front of a TV watching USC versus UCLA,” he said.

Garrett praised Kirkpatrick, a transfer from eight-man power Animo Robinson who he met last spring and summer.

“He’s by far a Division I player,” he said of the 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior. “You can’t coach size. He has good attitude. Doesn’t cuss, doesn’t fuss and doesn’t hang out. It doesn’t come from me or anyone coaching him. All we can do is motivate him and encourage him to do better.”

To say Garrett is fed up with LAUSD is an understatement. There has been no celebration of the greatest achievement by a football coach in City Section history. Crenshaw’s 10 wins give him 300 career victories since 1988, which puts him in Hall of Fame territory.

“I’m going to coach somewhere, somehow,” he said. “I was born to coach. I’m a helluva coach. Nobody gave me that and nobody can take it away.”

Garrett said he has never been told what is being investigated the last four months.

“I’m going to coach again. I’m going to get out of the house real soon because I’m an American citizen,” he said.

He continues to receive full pay while staying home and waiting to be cleared. Once LAUSD starts an investigation, it can last more than a year. Former Huntington Park basketball coach Joe Reed returned this year after 14 months on administrative leave after a parental complaint.

“I haven’t been told anything,” Garrett said. “All I’ve been told is we’re investigating. It doesn’t matter what happens because whatever they tell me what they are investigating, they will find no wrongdoing whatsoever.”

Garrett is writing a book. He said he was the first from his Jefferson High graduating class of 1977 to earn a college degree. His mother was one of 18 siblings and each one had six or more kids. He graduated from Nebraska’s Concordia University in 1981 with a focus on teaching and has a Lutheran teaching certificate. He could be a pastor if he wanted to.

“I’m not a coach, I’m an educator,” he said. “I’m the first in my family to get a college degree. You don’t know what I’ve been through and what I’ve seen.”

He offered words of wisdom for Thanksgiving: “Always do thy duty, which is best, leave unto the Lord the rest.”

You’ve heard the line, “Win one for the Gipper.” Now it’s, “Win one for The G Man.”

People discovered who were true mudders on a rainy Friday night in the City Section football playoffs.

Crenshaw routed No. 3-seeded San Pedro 30-0 to advance to the Open Division semifinals next week at Birmingham. The Cougars received a punt return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown from Kyron Rattler. Deance’ Lewis had a long touchdown on the opening possession and De’Andre Kirkpatrick contributed double digits in tackles.

Crenshaw is 9-1 under interim coach Terrence Whitehead. That means Robert Garrett, on administrative leave, has 299 career victories. Birmingham defeated Granada Hills Kennedy 49-20.

Garfield received 440 yards rushing from Zastice Jauregui to end Palisades’ unbeaten season, 42-21. Garfield will play at No. 1 Carson, which defeated King/Drew 27-2.

Venice was unstoppable on its grass field, beating Franklin 35-8 in the Division I playoffs.

The Dorsey at Eagle Rock game was postponed until Monday because of a power failure at Eagle Rock.

Carson High, an 11-time City Section champion, has been seeded No. 1 for the City Section Open Division playoffs under first-year coach William Lowe.

Birmingham, which has a 54-game winning streak against City Section opponents, was seeded No. 2. San Pedro is No. 3 and unbeaten Palisades is No. 4.

Carson will host No. 8-seeded King/Drew on Nov. 14. Palisades is the home team against No. 5 Garfield, while San Pedro hosts No. 6 Crenshaw and Birmingham hosts No. 7 Kennedy.

There was no City Open Division champion last season after Narbonne had to vacate the title for rule violations.

Venice is seeded No. 1 in Division I. Cleveland is No. 1 in Division II and Santee is top seeded in Division III.

In girls’ flag football, San Pedro was given the No. 1 seed for the Open Division. Games begin on Friday, with San Pedro hosting No. 8 Verdugo Hills; No. 4 Marshall is at No. 5 Banning; No. 6 Wilson visits No. 3 Panorama; and No. 7 Narbonne travels to No. 2 Eagle Rock.