Vollnogle of Carson High Candidate for National Coach of Year

In his long career as a high school football coach, first at Banning High School and for the last 25 years at Carson High, Gene Vollnogle has won nearly every possible title and award in California.

Now Vollnogle, who took Carson to its 13th appearance in a City 4-A championship game last fall, is up for a national award through the National High School Athletic Coaches Assn. The veteran coach has been named Region 8 (Western states) coach of the year, an award selected by his peers. Vollnogle is one of eight coaches in the running for national coach of the year honors which will be announced July 1 at the national convention in Cromwell, Conn.

Vollnogle, the only head coach Carson has ever had, has a career record of 276-72, making him the winningest coach in California history. He has won eight L. A. City titles, tying him with Jim Blewett and Chris Ferragamo for the most championships. And if he’s getting older, he’s also getting better: Vollnogle’s teams are 75-9 in the last seven seasons, a winning margin of nearly 90%.

Vollnogle was nominated for the same award in 1977, but he figures his chances are better now. “The meeting was in West Virginia (in 1977) and I went back there. At that time, I realized no young coach is ever going to be national coach--the guys who go that far have high numbers of wins,” Vollnogle said.”

The award is not widely publicized. In fact, Vollnogle said he was surprised to find his old high school coach had won it. Vollnogle said when he won the District 8 award in 1977, that was the first time he’d heard of it. This time around, he figures the state association must have nominated him.

“I’ve never received a ballot,” he said. “I couldn’t tell you who won it last year. It’s like it’s kept secret.”

There’s no telling what Vollnogle’s chances are for the national award, but he said he’ll go to the ceremony. “I’ve never been to Connecticut. I’ll go take a look at it,” he said.

This time around, Vollnogle is probably in the running for the big prize. “There aren’t a lot of people out there with many more wins,” he acknowledged. “(And) obviously they have to pick different people all the time.”

Vollnogle’s victory total is impressive, but perhaps as telling a statistic of his ability to teach is the number of disciples he has sent into the coaching ranks, including Ferragamo, who went on to become his arch-rival at Banning. Some of Vollnogle’s other former pupils include Carson baseball Coach Marty Blankenship, San Clemente High head football Coach David Elecciri, Tom Ammirato on the football staff at St. Anthony’s, Phil McCune, a football coach in Ventura, Richard Baird, a head coach in the state of Washington, and Rowen Tupivao, one-time star lineman who is on the staff at the University of Hawaii.

Vollnogle has been spending a fair amount of time on the phone this week talking about the transfer of quarterback Perry Klein from Palisades. The junior started classes this week at Carson.

Vollnogle said Klein, an all-City selection last fall when he passed for a state-record 3,899 yards, will have to win a job, and his status now is third string behind returning letterman Fred Gatlin, who was a backup to George Malauulu last season, and sophomore Arman Youngblood.

“Fred Gatlin is a Division I quarterback. He’s 6-3 and he’s got a gun. I got them all together (Monday) and told Fred he’s the starting quarterback,” Vollnogle said. “Klein is going to have to win a spot before he’s the quarterback here. But I think he’s a Division I quarterback. They’ll both go somewhere.”

Vollnogle said he heard rumors six to eight weeks ago that Klein was talking about transferring. But he said he didn’t know anything had happened until last weekend, when he was at a clinic in Arizona and called his wife on Saturday night. “She said, ‘You ought to read the paper. Perry Klein’s going to Carson.’ ”

Klein is apparently following Steve Clarkson, who was an assistant coach at Palisades last season. He’s now an assistant at Carson. The Klein family, which owns a home in Malibu, says it is renting an apartment in Carson. Vollnogle’s reaction: “If he moves, he moves. We’ve got an excellent quarterback (in Gatlin).”

The South Bay is well-represented on the all-CIF Southern Section soccer teams announced this week, particularly on the distaff side. Major awards went to senior Chris Ashelford of El Segundo, named the boys 3-A most valuable player on defense, and West Torrance’s Andy Bonchonsky, named coach of the year in the girls 4-A Division.

Boys 4-A selections were Paul Kaemmerer and Jim Miller, both of Palos Verdes, on first team, Adam Faulds of Rolling Hills and Greg Swartz of Palos Verdes on second team and Sean Blaire of Bishop Montgomery, Mike Copeland of Torrance and Rich Gabaldon of West Torrance on third team.

The boys 3-A team included Jeremy Varner of El Segundo and Dino Garnica of Redondo on the first team, John McClain and Donavan Gallatin of El Segundo on the second team and Ed Bahny of El Segundo and Brad Ballard of Miraleste on the third team.

On the boys 1-A team, John Melendez of St. Bernard was named to the first team and Jeff Karnes of Chadwick was named to the second team.

The girls 4-A first team includes Teresa Bateman, Carolyn Hueth and Treena Stockton of West Torrance, Kristi Blankenship of Torrance, Jaymie Bradford of Hawthorne and Robyn Kropp of Mira Costa. The second team includes Danielle Compton and Katie McPeak of Mira Costa, Laura Goodale of Palos Verdes, Michelle Gregory of Torrance and Carla Swaim of West Torrance.

Alumni Notes: Former football players at Banning High are forming a Banning Football Alumni Club, open to anyone who played football there, while Torrance High will hold its annual alumni baseball game next week.

The Banning club will help support the Pilots football program through fund-raisers and dues and hopes to establish a scholarship fund as well. Planned activities include a 10-K run before the Carson-Banning game.

The first membership meeting will be held at Dominick’s Pizza House, 24209 S. Avalon Blvd. in Carson on April 29. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Membership dues are $25.

For information, contact Carol Sapp at Banning at 549-7500.

At Torrance High, alumni who played baseball for the Tartars will hold their third annual reunion game April 30 at Torrance Park. Festivities will include a home-run hitting contest at 7 p.m. followed by a fielding contest. The game will begin at 7:30. Players must have graduated at least five years ago. Alumni will include former major league catcher Fred Kendall. Admission is free.

Prep Notes

Morningside basketball star Shaunda Greene, co-player of the year in California, signed with the University of Washington this week, finally choosing the Huskies over USC. . . . Carson High 6-5 forward Damon Estell officially signed with Cal State Dominguez Hills.