A furious second half rally and the emergence of yet another explosive running back nearly gave Compton a shot at defeating Dorsey on Friday night, but the loss of their star tailback and a lackadaisical start doomed the Tarbabes as they fell in Los Angeles by the score of 39-28.

Star senior James McConico left the game and did not return after just a few plays, when he suffered a gash on his forearm that will likely require stitches. McConico sat on the sidelines for a short time before he was taken to the hospital. Head coach Calvin Bryant had no information on his status, but the Tarbabes will surely miss his explosive style and unbelievable statistics (more than 15.5 ypc) if McConico is forced to miss any action.

In his absence, though, sophomore running back Roger Jones made a lasting impression. Scoring three touchdowns and rushing for more than 200 yards in the second half alone, Jones displayed a lightning-quick style that would compliment McConico’s straight line speed if the two occupy the same backfield. However, the young back felt the effects of his first varsity game as the feature back, suffering cramps from the third quarter on and nursing a limp between plays.

The real story of the game, though, was missed opportunities by the Tarbabes. The visitors played uninspired ball in the first two quarters, while turnovers and penalties put Dorsey in excellent field position. The score was 19-0 at halftime, and back-to-back Compton turnovers left Dorsey with excellent chances to score. They did not waste their opportunities, and scored two touchdowns in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter to take a 33-0 lead.

Three consecutive touchdown runs from Compton inspired the Tarbabes and cut the deficit to 33-22 with seven minutes remaining in the game. But Dorsey capitalized on excellent field position again, and a 20-yard scamper put the game out of reach at 39-22. One more Jones touchdown made the final score a respectable 39-28 as a Compton rally fell short.

“We’ve gotta get our minds right,” said Compton head coach Calvin Bryant, referring to his team’s uninspired start while crediting Dorsey’s execution. “We couldn’t do anything on either side to start the game.”

Bryant says he was encouraged by his players’ late game rally and happy with sophomore quarterback Tremell Sneed, who led the Tarbabes down the field on a final drive that ultimately ended with an interception. Still, Sneed threw far more often than a quarterback usually does under Bryant, who favors the tricky running schemes of the double wing T offense. The injury to McConico and a cramping Jones forced Compton into throwing about 15 times for more than 100 yards, but also two crucial interceptions.

“We’ll find we have to throw the ball sometimes, and we were able to show some things tonight,” said Bryant. The coach told his players to keep their heads held high, and begin preparing for a showdown with Moore League rival Lakewood.

“We have a humongous game next week,” he said. “We’ve gotta have that fire we had in the second half for the whole game.”