No. 10 Crenshaw Looks To Bounce Back

Rahshaun Haylock

STUDIO CITY, Calif. (CBS 2) - If you saw No. 10 Crenshaw's nationally televised game at North Gwinnett (GA) last week, you saw a team that quite frankly ran out of gas.  It was clear the Georgia humidity is just a little bit different from our California heat. 

Star RB DeAnthony Thomas was limited to just one carry for five yards in the second half while suffering from cramps.  The first half was the Black Mamba Show as he scored twice for Crenshaw -- once by ground, the other, by air. 

However, Mamba wasn't the only Cougar that suffered from cramps, as plenty of Cougars suffered from the Georgia humidity on a summer night.  It was a squad that was already short in numbers with just over 40 Cougars on the sideline.  Suffice to say, the Cougars came back with a loss.  

Does it kill their bowl chances?  Potentially, but the important games are still ahead, beginning with this weeks matchup at Norco, another televised affair for the Cougars. 

The games here in state are vital and if they win out, they may still be able to keep their bowl hopes alive. 

It was this time last season that Crenshaw really started to assert itself as a major player in Bowl discussion.  With five consecutive wins against Southern Section foes, Crenshaw made it clear that they were a team to be reckoned with. 

They proved it throughout the remainder of the season demolishing any team that stood in their way. 
 
Norco will provide a huge challenge. The Cougars return RB Kelsey Young who is committed to Stanford. 

Blocking up front for Young is OL Brent Walker who is very high on UCLA's radar.  Norco won 11 games for longtime head coach Todd Gerhart last season and is projected to finish 2nd behind No. 8 Corona Centennial in the Big VIII League. 

As dominant as Crenshaw was last season, Norco played them tough eventually falling to the City Section Champs 47-44. Before this matchup they have game film to study on how to beat this Crenshaw team.

Can Gerhart re-create the Georgia humidity? No, but the answer may be out there.  Just ask North Gwinnett head coach, Bob Sphire. 

After his team's win last week, he said "We looked at De la Salle...They (The Spartans) got behind. They stayed patient. They kept running the football. They played great defense and kicking game and ended up winning the game." Somehow omitted from that was to make sure Thomas is limited or absent from the second half.

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