Carson Stumbles Out of the Gate

With three losses to start the season, perennial City Section power Carson is having anything but a typical season. The Colts have been outscored, 139-27, and their 60-7 loss at Compton Dominguez on Friday was the worst in school history.

To be sure, many schools would be winless if they opened against Venice, Woodland Hills Taft and Dominguez, all of which began the season ranked in The Times’ top 25.

“It’s not like we’re losing to cupcake teams; we’re losing to respectable programs,” said Mike Lutu, a senior outside linebacker. “It’s only a matter of time.”

The Colts have good team speed, but not the great team speed Carson is accustomed to having. But the primary reason for its slow start is that 16 of 22 starters are in their first season on varsity. They tried to run before they could walk, according to Coach Rowen Tupuivao.

“They’re finding out this is not the frosh-soph anymore,” said Tupuivao, who was on Colt teams that won 24 consecutive games before graduating in 1974. “Their learning has been on Friday night, and the learning curve has been high. This ain’t no video game.”

Carson’s spread offense and the throw-first approach that worked with better athletes hasn’t worked with this inexperienced group, so changes are afoot. Ball control is a priority, and the team should be near full strength Friday against Lawndale Leuzinger after three key injuries earlier this season.

“We need to take some baby steps,” Tupuivao said. “We need to put the quarterback [Anthony Lewis] in a situation where he can be successful. Our identity can’t be based on a coach’s ego, it has to be based on what the players can do.”

Coaches will lean heavily on experienced seniors, including Lutu, defensive end Mario Granberri and offensive tackle Daniel Mafoe, and talented first-year varsity players such as junior Mike Evans.

“It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish,” Lutu said. “Coach tells us they’re not handing out championships the third week of the season.”

After watching Raymond Carter rush for 174 yards, including a 40-yard score, R.J. Garrett rush for two touchdowns, Marquis Curtis pass for two scores and Darian Hagan Jr. return an interception 59 yards for another, Los Angeles Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett was fired up. The 43-26 victory over Colton was another victory over a Southern Section opponent.

“I have to rescue the City all the time,” Garrett said. “The Southern Section has this [thing] about the City, that it’s not quality football. It’s important to us that we can go out there and play the same caliber of ball. So it’s a great win for our program and it says a lot for the City Section.”

Since 2001, Crenshaw is 15-6 in nonleague games, 5-4 against teams from the Southern Section. Regionally, the Cougars are 3-2 against the San Fernando Valley, 3-0 against the South Bay, 2-0 against San Bernardino County, 2-0 against the Oakland Section and 0-1 against Orange County.

Crenshaw, which lost to Mission Viejo, 31-6, in 2002, gets another crack at an Orange County team Friday, when it plays No. 7 Orange Lutheran (3-0). The No. 18 Cougars travel to Oakland McClymonds (3-0), which is ranked 15th in the state by Student Sports, next week.

Whose stock went up: San Bernardino Cajon, which has seen its season victory total drop from seven in 2001, to four, to three, to one last season, but the Cowboys’ 23-12 loss to Fontana Kaiser (2-1) may have been more telling than consecutive victories to open this season. Guided by first-year senior quarterback Cedric Greene, Cajon (2-2) led one of the Inland Empire’s best programs before allowing two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Whose stock went down: Los Alamitos, which defeated L.A. Locke, 14-6. However, the Griffins (3-0), who have been synonymous with offense through the years, managed only one scoring drive: a two-yard touchdown that came after a 36-yard interception return by Logan Cunningham. Quarterback Ross Hill, in his second start since the transfer of Chad Manis, completed four of seven passes for only 21 yards. “We’re not in any kind of a panic,” Coach John Barnes said. “I held the kid back a little bit. We should have been winging it.”

Three dots and a cloud of dust: Compton, which scored as many as 14 points only once last season when it finished 0-10, has won its first three games and has yet to score fewer than 21 points. Lamar Chapman and O’Neal Boatner each have rushed for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns.... Long Beach Poly beat the San Diego Section’s No. 2 team, San Diego Mira Mesa, 24-10, with its defense finally pulling its weight Saturday. The Jackrabbits (2-1) had eight sacks, including two each by Jurray Casey and Kenny Rowe. One of Poly’s top cornerbacks, Vincent Joseph, suffered a high-ankle sprain and will sit out the nonleague game Friday against Dominguez.... Richie Wirthlin, the leading receiver, defensive back and punt returner for Canyon Country Canyon (2-1), will be out at least two weeks after breaking his hand in a 34-27 loss to Simi Valley.... Anaheim Western running back and linebacker Jon Faraimo broke a leg in a 35-21 loss to Lakewood Mayfair. He will be sidelined at least four weeks.