Football: Norco’s running game almost unstoppable

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It’s hard to imagine a more formidable rushing attack than the one unveiled by Norco on Friday against Crenshaw. The Cougars used three running backs, each capable of scoring on any given play.

The trio combined for 493 yards, with speedy junior Kelsey Young piling up 245 yards and two touchdowns in only 12 carries. Arizona State-bound senior Deantre Lewis, the workhorse of the group, had 175 yards and two touchdowns in 25 carries. Senior Carl Bradford, who is expected to play linebacker at Arizona State, had 73 yards in 12 carries.

‘There’s not many [teams] that have that,’ Coach Todd Gerhart said. ‘It’s one of the best. You’re probably going to see a 2,500 [yards] out of one kid and maybe 1,800 out of another and 1,000 out of the other. We’ll be well over 5,000 [as a team], most likely.’

With the Cougars averaging nearly 10 yards a carry, the odds seemed stacked in their favor when confronted with a fourth-and-four play in the fourth quarter of their 47-44 loss against Crenshaw. But Lewis took the handoff on a double reverse and was stopped for a four-yard loss by linebacker Qujuan Floyd, who resisted the temptation to over-pursue on the play.

‘Usually, with an aggressive team, which Crenshaw is, you’ll get fourth down and everybody’s amped, the band’s playing ... you’re going to get everybody to flow over the top on that and [Floyd] stayed home,’ Gerhart said. ‘He did a great job.’

--Ben Bolch

--Norco running back Kelsey Young looks for running rooom during a 47-44 loss against Crenshaw on Friday. Photo courtesy of Robert Helfman.