Brian Brown Could Make a Career of Following Green : Latest of Mohican Ballcarriers Wouldn’t Mind Following His Predecessor to UCLA Backfield

Sometime after running back Gaston Green has graduated from UCLA with every rushing record imaginable, maybe Brian Brown will be the answer to a trivia question.

Who replaced Gaston Green as running back at Gardena High? It’s not a thought Brown is exactly relishing.

“I’d like to be known as Brian Brown instead of being known as the guy who replaced Gaston Green,” he said.

Then again, if things go as well in 1985 as they did in 1984, maybe he will make a career of following Green.

“I wouldn’t mind following him at UCLA,” Brown said. “He’s a lot of the reason why I want to go there.”

Green and Brown have other things in common.

“As far as athletic ability, they’re very comparable,” Gardena Coach Bill Partridge said.

They are nearly the same height, although Green is a little heavier. Also, both are fast.

One difference, according to Brown, is their running style. “Green is a slasher. I’m more straight ahead,” he said.

But first things first. There are plenty of goals left for Brown at Gardena.

One goal is to erase the fumble from his memory. Not just any fumble, but the fumble.

It happened in a City semifinal game last season. The Mohicans had rallied for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and led Carson, the eventual 4-A champion, 20-17. Slightly more than four minutes remained when Gardena intercepted a pass at its 25. All the Mohicans had to do was hold onto the ball and run out the clock.

But Brown, who had scored three touchdowns, fumbled. Carson recovered it and drove for a touchdown, winning, 24-20.

“That’s something I feel I have to make up for,” Brown said.

Other goals for Brown include rushing for 1,000 yards and winning the 4-A title. Last season, he finished with more than 900 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“This team has a great shot at the 4-A title,” Brown said.

Partridge, however, was not as optimistic. “We like to think that every year,” Partridge said. “But Carson and Banning have depth and size on us.”

Brown disagreed. “We’re not as big, but we’re faster,” he said. “We have a good shot at beating them.

Whatever the outcome, Brown seems to have a bright future.

“I think he will be successful wherever he goes,” said Doug Kamon, who coaches the offense. “He’s becoming a more complete ballplayer every day. He’s going to have to get a little bigger, though.”

Brown stands almost 5 feet 11 inches but he weighs only 180.

“The only limitation on him will be his physical size,” Partridge said. “There are no limitations on his athletic ability.”

Kamon believes that Brown still has a lot of work to do on his running, too.

“To me, Brian Brown is still learning to run with the ball,” Kamon said. “When I got here (in 1984), I saw he had a lot of natural ability, but he was very crude.”

But Partridge, Kamon and Brown agree that Brown’s biggest assets are his speed and acceleration.

“Gaston was a real smooth guy,” Partridge said. “But this guy’s going full speed at two steps.”

Brown was the anchor runner for the 400-meter relay team that won the City championship. He finished fifth in the 100 meters and second in the 200. He also plays shortstop on the baseball team and expects to play a little on defense at safety.