Jones Runs Wild As Carson Advances In City Playoffs

Rahshaun Haylock  (CBS) -- Carson head coach Elijah Asante called it "epic" and "a beast performance."

He's a good source, considering he had a front row seat for the show his running back Roger Jones put on Friday night in the 47-34 win for Carson (7-5) over 4-seed Venice (7-5) in the City Section Division I quarterfinals.

Jones set the tone early for the Colts, scoring on the game's first possession.  It was a 57-yard scamper to put Carson up 7-0.  Before the first quarter was done, Jones was already over the 100-yard mark with two touchdowns.

The senior has been slowed by a shoulder injury all season causing him to miss three games but he finally feels healthy and it showed.

"My (offensive) line was a big part of the win and I just ran behind them and when I got open space, I just did me," said Jones, who finished the game with 276 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries.

"He's been hurt all season and for him to come back strong like this is big for us," said Carson wide receiver Darreus Rogers.  "We've been waiting for it and it happened in the biggest game and now we just need him (to do it) two more times."

Jones had a season high in carries.  On the ground, he had just 517 yards and a touchdown entering Friday night.  The last and only other time he hit the 20-carry mark this season, he ran for over
150 yards in the season opener against Mater Dei.

"He hasn't gotten a lot of carries.  We still played him but we played him very sparsely.  Tonight, we turned it on a little bit," Asante says, "and he showed you what he can do.  This kid is definitely a D-1 performer.  (It was) an epic game in a clutch situation and he carried us tonight along with our offensive line."

The Gondoliers appeared to be up for the challenge early.  They too, scored on their first possession of the game.  Lamar Moody's nine-yard touchdown reception brought the Gondoliers even 7-7.

But the ensuing kickoff was returned 97 yards to the endzone by Tony Ingram and Carson was off and running –Jones, in particular.

On the next possession, the transfer from Compton had a 73-yard rush to the Venice four-yard line that was later punched in by Ingram to put Carson up 27-7.

The Colts would take a knee to end the half, up 34-7 at intermission.

Jones later added an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The cupboard isn't bare for Venice.  Most notably, they return sophomore quarterback Alexander Diamont, who left the game in the first half with a reported concussion.  The Gondoliers have won three consecutive league titles at the JV level.

Carson, meanwhile, is back in the City Section semifinals for the 5th time in the last six years.  They'll visit Marine League rival and top-seed, San Pedro (12-0), next week.
The Pirates, a 31-7 winner over defending back-to-back City Champion Crenshaw (6-5), defeated Carson 21-0 in week 8.

"This is a game that we've been waiting for and I'm sure they've been waiting for it too.  They knew it would come back around," said Asante on the opportunity to meet San Pedro for the second time this season.  "The Marine League teams are really strong this year and we all knew that we would see each other again."

Three of the four semifinalists are from the Marine League, with Narbonne joining Carson and San Pedro.