Black, Camp Kilpatrick Win, 52-20

Although the team is playing its first season of 11-man football, Camp Kilpatrick is no longer a secret, and neither are running backs Michael Black and Bobby Wilson.

In attendance at Saturday night’s Southern Section Division X semifinal playoff game were coaches from Montclair Prep, which Camp Kilpatrick will face in the final on Friday.

Also in the stands were coaches from Dorsey High, the school that figures to inherit both Black and Wilson when the two are released from Camp Kilpatrick, a county-run school for juvenile offenders.

After viewing Camp Kilpatrick’s 52-20 pasting of Mammoth, the Dorsey staff walked away quite a bit happier than the folks from Montclair Prep.

Black rushed for a career-high 342 yards in 27 carries and Wilson chipped in with 92 yards in four carries to lead the Mustangs (9-3-1).

And there was more disconcerting news for ground-oriented Montclair Prep, the division’s top-seeded team: Mammoth (10-3) was held to just 61 rushing yards.

“We’ve been fortunate in the last few weeks to have been fairly successful early in the game,” first-year Camp Kilpatrick Coach Sean Porter said.

Ditto Black, who earlier in the year rushed for 324 yards in a game. His mark Saturday is the highest among Valley-area backs this season.

The first half was a game of can-you-top-this. Black had gained 211 yards by halftime and Wilson, a sophomore, already had scored on a one-yard run and an 80-yard kickoff return.

Camp Kilpatrick took a 14-0 lead behind the outside speed of Black, who broke loose for a 59-yard gain on his first carry to set up the Mustangs’ first score.

Kenneth Young scored on a seven-yard pass from Rafael Sarabia and Wilson scooted in for a two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.

Mammoth struck back with the home run, however, when Daron Dondero hit receiver Mike Benson for an 80-yard bomb to make it 14-6. Wilson answered with an 80 of his own, when he took the ensuing kickoff at the 20 returned it for a touchdown and a 20-6 lead.

Black surpassed the 300-yard plateau on a 55-yard scoring run with 1:31 to play. Wilson also added a 55-yard scoring run in the second half.