The Compton football team will be in unfamiliar territory on Friday night when they take the field at Compton College at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division 12 playoffs, hosting Costa Mesa.
The Tarbabes, the top seed in the division, will be hosting their playoff contest in Compton — something that hasn’t happened in more than 15 years.
The last time Compton had a chance to host a playoff game in Hub City was when they took on Orange Lutheran in 2006.
That game ended up being moved to Wilson High due to capacity issues.
“It’s huge,” Compton coach Calvin Bryant said of the opportunity to play in Compton. “Our fans will love that and having a game in our community is great.”
With the running duo of Erick Barrios and Deon Johnson leading a potent rushing attack, the Tarbabes will look to control the tempo of the game and keep the Mustangs off balance.
“Our guys are healthier, and the cohesiveness is there,” Bryant said.
Costa Mesa got into the playoffs thanks to a goal-line stop in their regular season finale.
The Mustangs are led by junior quarterback Garrett Richards and senior running back Kobe Lamari.
