Football: Carson holds on against Narbonne, 26-23

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Carson senior quarterback Justin Alo threw two first-half touchdown passes and helped convert a pair of late fourth downs as the host Colts held off Harbor City Narbonne, 26-23.

Alo ran for three yards on a fourth-and-two play and helped draw the Gauchos offside on a subsequent fourth and one, allowing Carson (6-2 overall, 3-0 Marine League) to run out the clock.

‘I was just trying to make something happen,’ Alo said of his first-down run. ‘If nothing was open, I was going to use my legs.’

Alo passed for 116 of his 156 yards and both of his touchdowns in the first half to help the Colts take a 26-10 halftime lead over the mistake-prone Gauchos (4-4, 2-1), who lost a fumble and had a quick kick blocked.

But Narbonne rallied, scoring consecutive touchdowns on one-yard quarterback sneaks by Jonathan Navarro to pull to within 26-23 early in the fourth quarter. The Gauchos got the ball back once more but couldn’t pick up a first down before punting the ball away and watching Alo and the Colts melt the final 5:40 off the clock.

‘When the game was on the line,’ Narbonne Coach Manuel Douglas said of Alo, ‘he took the ball and made the big plays.’

Gauchos quarterback Troy Williams completed 14 of 23 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He also ran for 90 yards in 18 carries.

-- Ben Bolch