Carson lost four starters this week to academic ineligibility, and quarterback Daniel Torres has been stuck playing fullback because of a broken thumb.
While Narbonne has earned the right to be selected No. 1 at today's seeding meeting, the Gauchos will face plenty of competition to make it to the championship game on Dec. 13 at the Coliseum.
Taft won the West Valley League championship Thursday night by knocking off Birmingham behind the elusive D.J. Morgan. Crenshaw, a young team, is making enough improvement to be considered a title contender with sophomore speedster DeAnthony Thomas.
San Pedro continues to play well with its stingy defense and run-oriented offense. Birmingham still has enough weapons to defeat an opponent that overlooks a two-time defending City champion.
The good news for Narbonne is that if its rushing attack isn't working, there's a reliable passing attack on which to fall back.
That's the lesson from this decade -- that one-dimensional football is no longer good enough to win a City title in the era of the spread offense.
--
eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
