Birmingham routs Garfield for another City Open Division football title

It was shock and awe in the City Section Open Division championship football game on Saturday night at Valley College, with Lake Balboa Birmingham providing most of the entertainment.

As if anyone needs more evidence that the surging Patriots (9-4) have reached peak form, they pummeled Garfield for five touchdowns on their first five possessions for a five-touchdown halftime lead. By the fourth quarter, there was a running clock. Birmingham came away with a 49-13 victory.

It is the third consecutive Open Division championship for coach Jim Rose, whose team has won 34 consecutive games against City Section opponents.

Senior running back Naiim Morgan, supported by an exceptional offensive line, had a first half to remember. He rushed for 225 yards in 13 carries and scored three touchdowns. At nearly 200 pounds, he was too big, too fast and too strong for the overwhelmed Bulldog defenders. He finished with 292 yards in 16 carries and scored four touchdowns.

The Patriots attempted just one pass in the first 23 minutes, and it went for a 70-yard touchdown from Kingston Tisdell to Peyton Waters. The Patriots rushed for more than 400 yards on the night.

After a 35-0 halftime lead, Birmingham lost some interest in the third quarter and Garfield scored on a 16-yard touchdown run by Damian Cornejo. That’s when the Patriots decided to ask Morgan for a little help. He proceeded to break off runs of 38 and 27 yards, resulting in his fourth touchdown of the night.

The Patriots have become almost Narbonne-like in their domination of City Section opponents, though with a big difference. They haven’t produced the quantity of college prospects the Gauchos were turning out from 2014-18 in winning every upper division championship until having to vacate the 2018 title for an ineligible player. What Birmingham has is quality.

This was supposed to be the year Birmingham would be beatable with Arlis Boardingham off to Florida and lots of sophomores and juniors in the lineup. But once the Patriots made it past Venice in a double-overtime thriller in the opening game of the Open Division playoffs, they have blown out the competition.

Morgan has been a star with his determined running. The Patriots are also tackling well, getting solid play from Tisdell at quarterback and hinting that their best days are ahead with only six seniors in starting roles. They went 1-4 in nonleague games against Southern Section opponents, but that was a long time ago and the state playoffs that begin next week will be an intriguing test to see how well they will do against non-City Section opponents.

Lorenzo Hernandez, in his 25th season, has been steering the Bulldogs to look for success beyond its yearly rival game with Roosevelt. He had been waiting for this group of underclassmen. They had been playing youth football together and there was only one senior in the starting lineup, an indication Garfield (10-3) will be back for a rematch next season.

Dijon Stanley runs wild

Not since 1987 had Granada Hills won a City Section football championship. And not ever have the Highlanders had a teenager who runs as fast as senior Dijon Stanley, the 400-meter City champion.

Each time Stanley has his hands on the football, he can take the breath away of fans and opponents alike. His first carry in Saturday’s City Section Division I championship game at Valley College resulted in a 39-yard touchdown run. Then came touchdown runs of 41, 90, 12 yards. By halftime, he had 293 yards rushing.

Palisades had no answer for Stanley, who finished with 367 yards rushing and five touchdowns in helping the Highlanders (11-2) end their championship drought with a 44-7 victory.

Granada Hills coach Bucky Brooks, an NFL analyst on TV and radio, didn’t have much time to celebrate. He had to take a redeye flight to Florida. He’s the sideline reporter for Jacksonville broadcasts. A former NFL player, Brooks has helped develop Stanley as a football player. But he has to explain coaching at the alma mater of John Elway why the Highlanders haven’t completed a single pass this season.

“We have to do what works for the kids,” Brooks said.

Stanley is committed to Utah. Stanley is used as both a quarterback and wing back in the double-wing offensive formation. The Highlanders will now advance to next week’s state bowl games and learn their opponent when matchups are released on Sunday.

Granada Hills’ defense also distinguished itself with strong play. Sean Lopez and Oliver Taylor each recorded sacks and Orion Norcon returned an interception 72 yards to the 10-yard line.

“We practice every day at 5:30 in the morning,” Stanley said. “A lot of people can’t do that.”

The Highlanders lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, then started practicing a week later and the hard work paid off.