Knights Gallop Through Red Tape to Battle Carson Colts

Direct from Torrance, after a 13-year hiatus and reams of red tape, finally comes a challenger to the Carson Colts football machine--Bishop Montgomery High School, once the poor relation of the Angelus League.

The Knights will not only be the first non-City team from the South Bay to play Carson since 1972, but they go in with a three-game victory streak and the belief they can win against a Colts team coming off a sloppy loss to St. Paul.

A victory by Bishop Montgomery might be no more surprising than the game itself, whose origin is so startling that nobody is quite sure who set it up, and the time and place have been handed off and fumbled for weeks.

As of Tuesday the game was set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at El Camino College. It’s Bishop Montgomery’s home game.

Both Coaches Happy

Neither coach could make it clear who actually set up the home-and-home series, but both are pleased. Bishop Montgomery Coach Andy Szabatura, who is trying to make the Knights a power in the strong Angelus League, hopes the match-up might become a strong annual rivalry.

Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle said he had tried for so long to schedule Torrance teams that he had given up. Vollnogle, who likes to needle the local CIF teams for avoiding him, said, “I am surprised. Andy called me. I had given up on all Torrance teams.”

Szabatura replied, “He said that? I seem to remember getting a call from him after last year’s Bishop Amat game (Montgomery won in an upset).”

The origin of the contest is of little consequence, at least when compared to the difficulty in securing a field. First, Bishop Montgomery officials looked into renting El Camino, then considered portable stands for their own field. Then the game was announced for Friday night at El Camino. Then it was back to Bishop Montgomery. Then a Saturday afternoon game at El Camino was decided upon, but Carson balked because Banning plays Long Beach Poly at the same time, a game the coaches want to scout and the Carson players want to attend. Finally Saturday night was chosen.

‘Was Getting Weird’

“The game has been changed from one day to the next day,” Vollnogle said. “It was getting weird. I heard Andy didn’t know the game had been changed until they announced it over the P.A. at the last game.”

So the game is on, and it appears to be a good match. Bishop Montgomery won low-scoring games against North Torrance and Long Beach Jordan, then blasted outmanned Mary Star last week, 34-7. The defense, led by linebacker Ken Sale and lineman John Stangl, has been very strong.

“We have as hard a hitting defense as any in the CIF,” Szabatura said. “Stangl and Sale I wouldn’t trade for anybody.” Sale, a preseason All-American, has lived up to expectations. Szabatura added, “We’ve gone up against several All-Americans and Stangl is as good as any we’ve played.”

The offense got going last week behind quarterback Todd Viter, who threw for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. Szabatura uses a host of running backs who combined for nearly 250 yards against Mary Star. Leading the way are Curt Bohney, Mike Pueliu, Giovanni Quiane and Steve Glover. Fullback Marcello Enriquez missed the last game with an injury but is expected back. Szabatura is pleased with the play of his linemen, especially center Pat Hunt and guards Rick Egan and Phil Villapondo. Speedy receivers James Miller and David Blakes should challenge Carson’s secondary.

Need Balanced Attack

“We’ll have to be balanced. I don’t think we can just run on them,” Szabatura said. “It gets down to the old cliche, who makes the least mistakes. They’re good. So are we. They’re coming off a loss so if we beat ‘em we’ll beat ‘em at their best.”

Vollnogle warned against putting too much stock in last week’s 9-7 loss to St. Paul. The Colts fumbled seven times, losing five, and three of the fumbles were on punt returns. The Colts had another 130 yards in penalties to overcome. “We’ve probably done better than most people realize,” Vollnogle said. “We gained over 300 yards. If we didn’t lose all those fumbles we probably would’ve scored 28 points.”

Carson, which opened with a 16-14 win over strong Lynwood, has also been dealing with a lack of experience in the backfield. Quarterback Marc Walters is highly regarded but is still learning and opened the season with an ankle injury.

“He’s well now,” Vollnogle said. “I expect more out of him. He can play better than he has. He just needs experience. His biggest problem is seeing the field--he sort of zeroes in on one receiver.”

2 Fine Runners

Junior running backs Alvin Goree and Calvin Holmes are playing well, as expected, though their numbers are not spectacular. “If you play good people you’re not going to have those huge gains,” Vollnogle pointed out.

Szabatura concurred. “They moved the ball pretty well (against St. Paul),” he said. “Their speed scares me. Al Goree scares me.”

Vollnogle expected the offense to carry a green defense, but so far “the defense has saved us.” Returners Pete McLachlan at linebacker and lineman Randy Strickland have stood out. Linebacker Lavati Manumaleuna will not play and could miss several weeks with an injury.

If this match-up develops into an area rivalry, it will be a friendly one. Several of the Bishop Montgomery players are from Carson--including Sale and his brother Niu, who starts at defensive back--and many of the Carson players used Montgomery’s weight room during the summer.

This could be the start of something big.

Szabatura said, “It should be big time.”