The Wilson Bruins did a good job scheming for the Compton offense, and the Bruins O had clearly studied up on how to penetrate against the Tarbabes’ D—but Wilson probably would have won this league match anyway, thanks to three Compton turnovers in the first quarter, all of which resulted in Wilson points. With two TD drives and a field goal coming off the Tarbabe miscues—two of which were unforced exchange fumbles—the Bruins put up 17 points in the first quarter, already enough to seal the win, which they captured by a score of 37-16.
The Tarbabes were certainly hoping for a better homecoming showdown (and Wilson was definitely looking for payback after Compton spoiled their homecoming last year)—just two plays into their first drive, Leslie Samuel negated a nice run by putting it on the turf. The Bruins then handed the ball to Ezell Ruffin five straight times, as he drove them inside the five, before quarterback Brett Harper punched it in on a sneak. The Tarbabes fumbled an exchange on the first play of their next drive, setting up another Wilson TD drive (Ruffin ran that one in). The second play of the next Compton drive, they again lost control on an exchange, which led to a Wilson field goal to make it 17-0. Alex Boy, Wilson’s sophomore kicker, hit three field goals, all over 30 yards, and put over half his kickoffs into the end zone.
Compton dug in and got some production, scoring TDs in the second quarter, and on the opening drive of the second half—Samuel and Roger Jones had the scores. Wilson would add another TD each from Ruffin and Harper (Ruffin was again outstanding filling in at running back for an injured Brandon Robertson, carrying the ball 31 times for 183 yards and the two scores). As usual, Ruffin gave the credit to the people around him. “The offensive line worked so hard this week, and just gave me that extra second on every play.” Ruffin plays on defense and returns kicks, in addition to playing receiver and running back; he’s scored TDs in all of those capacities. “I just love to go wherever I’m needed,” he said.
For Compton, star back James McConico had a tough night—he got a good average, with 152 yards on 16 carries, but he was limited to just 47 yards in the first half, thanks in large part to the play of Bruin Philip Wilson, whose job it was to shadow McConico. “That guy played his heart out on defense,” said Bruins coach Mario Morales. Bruins defensive coordinator Mark Ziegenhagen said, “We tried to put them in the right position, and they really performed.”
In addition to the turnovers, the Bruins defense exemplified the bend-but-don’t-break philosophy, allowing just two scores on 394 yards. With the win, Wilson moves into sole possession of second place, with a 2-0 record in league; they’ll play Cabrillo next week. Compton falls to 1-2 in league, and will have a bye next week to try and get healthy before facing Jordan the week after. Another scary injury for the already beat-up Tarbabes came later in the game, when McConico was tackled on the sideline by Wilson; as he came to the ground, his helmet collided with a bald patch of turf, and he lay unconscious for a few minutes before coming to, and walking away under his own power.