Makhi McCluster chipped brown pellets into the air behind him from the dirt patch that stretched across the 50-yard line at Westchester High’s worn-down football field.
“Hitting the hole, seeing that hole open up, it’s fun,” he said. “You get the adrenaline going.”
For the junior running back/linebacker, it was deja vu as he left Crenshaw’s defense hapless as the Cougars trailed behind him for two first-half touchdown runs. Behind McCluster’s 40- and 37-yard touchdowns, Dorsey defeated Crenshaw 27-3 in its crosstown duel on Friday night. He single-handedly passed the Cougars (4-3, 2-0) in first-half yardage with 77 yards compared to Crenshaw’s 65 yards.
A kick-return touchdown from Dorsey coach Stafon Johnson’s son Duece to open the second half solidified the Dons’ move to 4-3 — undefeated in the Coliseum League — as they attempt to match King/Drew blow for blow in the weeks ahead.
“Last year, we had [Crenshaw] dead to rights,” Stafon Johnson said, referencing the Dons’ 35-34 loss in 2023. “We wanted to make sure we come in and put our foot on them and finish the job.”
Stafon Johnson added he’s looking forward to facing off against the rest of the league.
“We want everybody to keep counting us out,” he said. “And that’s going to keep giving us the fuel that we need to make sure we can do the things we need to do.”
Cougars coach Robert Garrett, on the other hand, huddled with his Crenshaw players pregame near the north end zone. Garrett, who’s been coaching the Cougars since 1988, joked before the game that he’s still looking for any player with “two left feet” to join his small but mighty City Section squad as the school continues to face enrollment issues. Small but mighty, indeed. The Cougars forced two turnovers in the first half, one from Samuel Richard, who forced fumble and recovery, while the other came from an interception by Andrew Tyars.
Crenshaw’s only score came on an 18-yard field goal off the cleat of senior kicker Heinz Lezema. Richard, playing tailback, had previously brought the ball to the three-yard line on the aforementioned fumble recovery, but failed to punch it in himself after multiple no-yardage rushes. The stalling red-zone drive led Garrett to kick from fourth and goal at the one-yard line.
Garrett said his 27-man Cougars still have a lot to learn as the season progresses.
“We have got youngsters on the squad, and we’re learning to play football,” he said. “We’ll get better, and we’ll grind every week. We got to have a great attitude and play with some enthusiasm, and we have to learn how to play with some enthusiasm.
“I’m grateful and happy that they are learning. They did a great job with their composure and their attitudes.”
Across town, Gardena defeated Banning 21-14 in a big Marine League game thanks to a short touchdown run by Xavier Grant with 1:14 left.
