L.A. rolls over Hawkins in City Division II final
When the football playoffs began, Los Angeles High was hoping for a chance at redemption against Coliseum League rival Hawkins.
The Romans’ opportunity came Saturday afternoon in the City Section Division II championship game and they made the most of it, scoring 36 consecutive points and forcing six turnovers in a 36-6 upset at El Camino College.
It was the 10th City title for Los Angeles (11-3), which avenged a 34-22 league loss October 21. The Romans tied Hawkins, 31-31, during the regular season before reaching the Division II final last year.
Hawkins scored first on a two-yard run by Greg Johnson with 4 minutes 37 seconds left in the first quarter, but Berdale Robins’ 72-yard kickoff return set up a 12yard scoring run by Chris Dormer to tie the score 22 seconds later. Dormer’s second 12-yard scoring run provided the final margin with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter.
The second-seeded Romans took a 14-6 lead on Isaiah Johnson’s one-yard run and Brimm Thompson’s two-point conversion run with 10:52 left in the second quarter.
Johnson rolled right and found Javon Mitchell wide open in the end zone from 12 yards to increase the lead to 20-6 with 4:09 left in the first half. Patrick Willis Jr. set up the touchdown with a 55yard interception return to the Hawkins 15.
Robins caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Johnson in the back of the end zone and Dormer ran for the two-point conversion to make it 28-6 Los Angeles with 1:11 left in the first half.
Hawkins drove to the Romans’ one-yard line on its first drive of the second half, but quarterback Dylan Lemle fumbled a snap and lineman Christopher Green recovered at the three.
The top-seeded Hawks (12-1) lost fumbles on their next two drives and Mitchell returned an interception 69 yards to clinch the victory with 6:30 left.
Telles lifts Franklin in Division III
David Telles caught two touchdown passes and scored on a punt return to lead Franklin to the Division III championship with a 27-18 victory over Reseda.
Telles shook off two tacklers in the backfield on a 69yard touchdown reception that gave the top-seeded Panthers (13-1) a 20-12 lead on the first play of the second half.
Franklin won its fifth City title and first since winning the 3A title in 1989.
Ja’lani Elison scored three touchdowns for the second-seeded Regents (11-3), the last on a 36-yard run that pulled Reseda to within 20-18 early in the third quarter.
Guillermo Cordova caught a 12-yard scoring pass from Mario Bobadilla to give Franklin a nine-point lead with 8:12 left and Daniel Celis intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the Regents’ subsequent drive.
Reseda took a 6-0 lead when Elison caught a 50yard touchdown pass from Mike Martin III, who intercepted a pass at the goal line to end Franklin’s first drive. A 53-yard touchdown run by Elison made it 12-0 with 1:53 left in the first quarter.
Telles caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bobadilla to pull the Panthers within 12-7 early in the second quarter. Telles returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown to put Franklin ahead 13-12 with 1:55 left in the first half.
Reseda’s rushing leading, Carlos Hernandez, sat out because of a knee injury.