The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
Compton made itself at home in the Hub City League on Friday night. The Tarbabes (6-1, 1-0) entered halftime tied with Dominguez (3-4, 0-1) in their first-ever game in the new league before exploding offensively in the second half to pull away for a 30-6 homecoming win.
“It was definitely a survival game and we knew it’d be a dog fight,” said Compton coach Calvin Bryant. “My coaches did a great job finding what worked in the second half, and they did it. Hats off to Dominguez—they played a great game. We couldn’t let it be close, and it was all about who would make the least mistakes. We kept playing hard, and it worked out for us.”
Compton was able to get back to its ground game after a tough week running the ball in its first loss of the season against Wilson, leaning back on star running back Edward Rivera. Rivera put up another game’s worth of eye-popping stats, carrying the ball 15 times for 208 yards with three total touchdowns.
“We just needed to stay focused and stay disciplined. That was last week,” Rivera said of the bounce-back. “Every day is a new day and every week is a new week. Today was just about staying focused and staying disciplined and just playing like how we know how to play.”
The defense certainly did just that as well, holding Dominguez scoreless in the second half after allowing the Dons’ lone touchdown in the first. Compton held the Dominguez rushing game to under 100 yards while allowing just 20 yards through the air on nine attempts. Senior Jay’Rome Norwood was in the middle of that defense at defensive end with a handful of tackles for loss, and even had a touchdown on offense at receiver.
“The key was to just stop their running back and not let them pass the ball at all,” Norwood said after the game. “It starts with the run game and forcing them to pass and then just being disciplined on the back end as well.”
Compton’s run game was off-and-on to start the game, as Rivera had just eight yards on his first four carries before breaking off a 58-yard touchdown run on Compton’s opening drive, which went seven plays in six minutes. A fumble on the PAT left Compton with a 6-0 lead, before the Tarbabes then leaned away from the run game for most of the rest of the half, with Rivera even lining up out wide for the remainder of the period.
The Tarbabes struggled through the air during that stretch with a pair of interceptions before half, as quarterback Donnie Johnson III finished the game 4-for-9 for 42 yards and those two interceptions.
Compton also had a takeaway in the first quarter after Dominguez drove down the field on its opening drive, as the Tarbabes recovered a fumble on the Dons’ 29-yard field goal attempt before Norwood took it to the Compton 17-yard line. The Tarbabes were unable to capitalize as Tabari Crawford Jr. came up with an interception in the end zone.
Both teams had numerous drives stall out from there before Dominguez found its only score of the half after starting a drive at the Compton 14-yard line following an interception from Jaren Mares. Quarterback Jerimiah May was banged up on the drive and didn’t return to the game but helped get the ball to the doorstep, where Terrell Malone punched it in on a QB sneak. A fumble on the PAt left the game tied 6-6 at half.
Compton got right back to its ground game in the second half after the teams traded punts back and forth before Compton eventually got the ball with two minutes left to play in the third. The Tarbabes ran the ball on all four plays of that drive for 82 yards, capped off by a 35-yard touchdown from Rivera for his second of the game before Tyler Grant converted the two-point conversion.
The Tarbabes then scored on their next two drives after getting set up with good field position. It took Rivera just one play on the first drive, as he carried the ball for a 56-yard touchdown to increase Compton’s lead. Rivera completed a pass to Kalijah Holmes for the two-point conversion.
On its next drive, Compton was once again set up with good field position at the Dons’ 33-yard line. While facing fourth down, Johnson III found Norwood for a 22-yard touchdown along the right sideline. Ronnie Mixon then capped the scoring with a two-point conversion to give Compton its 30-6 lead.
Compton (5-1, 1-0) will look to continue its great start to the Hub City League season next week as the Tarbabes travel to face Compton Early College (2-5, 0-1).
