The562’s football coverage for the 2026-27 school year is sponsored by Long Beach Poly alums Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
After another offseason of high expectations, Compton got the start they wanted as they went on the road and defeated Jordan 41-13 to keep the 91 Gridiron Game trophy in Hub City for another year.
Junior quarterback Donnie Johnson made an immediate impact on the Tarbabes opening drive, as he went 3-for-3 tossing his first touchdown on a 29-yard pass to Ronnie Mixon to give Compton a 7-0 lead with 10:36 left in the first.
“I was nervous but I had something to prove,” Johnson said of his first start with Compton. “I went in and showed what I could do. It’s number one, but nothing but up from here.”
After the touchdown, Jordan’s defense came up big as they held Compton to back-to-back turnover-on-downs after the Tarbabes started two drives inside Jordan territory – a big momentum change for the Panthers as they kept it to a 7-0 game after the first quarter.
The Panthers kept that momentum, forcing Compton to go 3-and-out to open the second quarter and the offense responded as Jordan started with a short porch after a nice punt return. Joedecy Sablan took the next carry 15 yards and Caydyn Hampton scored a 12-yard run as Jordan tied the game 7-7.
“I asked them to give me 110 percent and they gave me 130,” Jordan coach Rashaad Penny said. “Compton’s a great team. Just got to learn from my mistakes.”
The Compton (1-0) offense finally got something going on the next drive as they leaned on the run game with a heavy dose of Johnson, Edward Rivera and Nate Willard to get the ball to the 1-yard-line. Trevon Fair capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown as Compton took a 14-7 lead with 3:11 left in the second quarter.
“It was our first game and we went through some ups and downs,” Compton coach Calvin Bryant said. “We just have to figure out what works and find our strength each night.”
With time winding down in the first half both teams stalled and Rivera picked off Hampton as Compton led 14-7 at halftime.
Looking to get back into the game, Jordan kept attacking the Compton secondary as they looked to get Sama’jay Jackson involved, but an offensive pass interference call stalled the drive.
However, both teams continued to struggle offensively until Compton’s Trevon Fair and Willard broke free for back-to-back runs of 31 and 21 yards to put the Tarbabes into the redzone. Willard scored his lone touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run to make it 21-7 with 26 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing drive, Compton’s defense kept up with a big play as Tasai Parker picked off Hampton and he returned it to make it a 28-7 lead with 10:39 left in the game.
“For me it’s just about being a playmaker and being a leader,” Parker said. “Giving the offense some momentum and a boost.”
Hampton shook off the turnover and answered right back as he found Jackson for a 23-yard touchdown and just like that Jordan had some momentum trailing 28-13 with 10:12 remaining.
Jordan’s defense came up with another stop and appeared to make it a one score game with another touchdown to Jackson, but another offensive pass interference call that kept potential points off the board. On the next play, Malcolm Falls made a great play and intercepted Hampton’s next pass and took it back for a touchdown as Compton extended the lead to 35-13.
The Panthers (0-1) continued to feed Jackson as he finished with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Compton’s Donnie Johnson finished the game with 183 yards and two touchdowns.
Compton will be on the road next week against Orange Vista while Jordan will be on the road against Crenshaw.
