The L.A Romans scored 22 unanswered points in the second quarter. The defense held Hawkins scoreless in the second half to lead the Romans to 36-6 win in the CIF L.A. City Section Division II final at Murdock Stadium on Saturday.
Hawkins had four turnovers in the second half and never was able to get its high-powered offense on track.
“Our defense has been playing well all year long,” L.A. coach Eric Scott said. “It feels good to get over the hump after losing in last years final.”
Eric Fuller Jr.’s 46-yard catch-and-run sets up Greg Johnson’s 2-yard touchdown run to give Hawkins a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Christopher Dormer scores on a 12-yard touchdown run to even the score, 6-6, with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter.
After a tough 21-yard catch by Berdale Robins, L.A. quarterback Isaiah Johnson scored on the 1-yard keeper to give the Romans a 14-6 lead in the second quarter.
“Everything was clicking for us,” Johnson said. “They (Hawkins) quit after the first quarter.”
Patrick Willis Jr. intercepted the pass by Dylan Lemle and returned it to the Hawks 15-yard line. L.A. capitalized on the turnover with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Javon Mitchell, extending the lead, 20-6.
Johnson wasn’t done as he hit Robins in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Romans a 28-6 lead with 49 seconds left in the first half.
“This year we wanted to build up our defense and focus more on it,” Scott said. “This playoff run we only gave up 12 points. It payed off.”
L.A. running back Christopher Dormer put the game out of reach with a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the lead, 36-6, with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Scott said. “We have been working to get back to this game since last December.”
