San Pedro eliminates Crenshaw in rout

A new champion will be crowned in the City Section this season.

San Pedro made sure of that with its 31-7 victory Friday night over Los Angeles Crenshaw — winner of the last two City Division I titles — in a Division I quarterfinal game at San Pedro High.

Two big plays in the last six minutes of the first half gave the top-seeded Pirates (12-0) a commanding lead. First, Kenny Potter faked a handoff and ran around the left side for an 81-yard quarterback keeper that gave San Pedro a 21-7 lead.

Then Potter connected with Keaton Accetta on a 72-yard pass play to increase the margin to 21 points with 2:22 left in the second quarter.

“I saw that their ends weren’t containing, so once I hit the corner it was basically one on one, I made a move on him and that was all it took,� Potter said of his touchdown run. “On the pass we got the matchup we wanted, and it was all Keaton. He made a great play coming back for the ball.�

San Pedro advances to the semifinals and a rematch with fifth-seeded Carson, which lost to the Pirates, 21-0, in the teams’ league meeting Oct. 28 at Carson.

Christian Gonzalez kicked a 40-yard field goal to make San Pedro’s lead 31-7 with 9:48 left in the third quarter. Gregory Thomas set up the score with a 31-yard run on the Pirates’ first play of the second half. Crenshaw (6-5), which ran only six offensive plays in the third quarter, blocked a 21-yard field-goal attempt on San Pedro’s next possession.

After each team punted on its first two drives, senior lineman Jamal Best scored his third defensive touchdown of the season, returning a fumble six yards to give San Pedro a 7-0 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

Mossi Johnson’s 32-yard run completed a three-play, 83-yard drive that pulled the eighth-seeded Cougars even at 7-7 with 1:41 left in the first quarter.

San Pedro quickly regained the lead 14-7 on Darrell Santiago’s 16-yard run with 11:04 left in the second quarter

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