Carson too much for Dorsey, 38-20

Austin Knoblauch
Special to The L.A. Times

It's hard to imagine any team can enter a game as an underdog if it has a player like Jack Sula on its side.

The junior running back rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns in 29 carries, had a key interception late in the fourth quarter and helped seventh-seeded Carson upset second-seeded Los Angeles Dorsey, 38-20, in a City Section Championship Division quarterfinal Wednesday night at Rancho Cienega Park.

With the score tied at halftime, 14-14, Carson (9-3) scored three second-half touchdowns and took advantage of Sula's interception and two botched Dorsey kickoff returns to take the lead for good.

After Sula's nine-yard touchdown run with 6:08 left to play, Carson's Justin Balam recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Freshman Juan Sanchez then kicked a 26-yard field goal to put the game out of reach at 31-20.

"It was a very good night for us and it was a typical Jack Sula performance," Carson Coach Michael Christensen said. "This was probably his most clutch performance when you consider the kind of game we're playing here, but he's done this week-in and week-out all season."

Carson, which has won 11 City titles, the last coming in 2003, will play Marine League rival San Pedro in a semifinal game on Dec. 1. The sixth-seeded Pirates edged the visiting Colts, 21-14, on Oct. 27.

Dorsey (8-4), after putting up a strong effort in the first half, could not find the way to beat Carson's defense on a consistent basis. However, the Dons managed to stay in the game until their late-game implosion.

"They were just more physical than us," Dorsey Coach Paul Knox said. "They are very physical up front and I think that was the difference.

"We made some costly mistakes at the end and those obviously hurt us."

The Dons got on the scoreboard first thanks to a seven-yard touchdown scramble by senior quarterback Sule Tate that was set up five plays earlier by a 24-yard run by junior Jeramie McNamee. Tate completed seven of 14 passes for 147 yards.

Carson finally found its offensive rhythm in the second quarter. Behind Sula's strong running, Carson completed an 81-yard drive capped by a 22-yard touchdown run by Sula.

"We knew we could beat them. We know we are a really good team," Sula said. "When we play our best, I don't think anyone can beat us."