White Sets Career Goals Befitting an All-American

Crespi High’s Russell White reflected on his 1987 season, weighing the accomplishments of an exceptional junior year. The All-American running back rushed for 2,280 yards, averaged 190 yards a game and 10.2 a carry, led Crespi to a 10-2-1 season and placed himself in position to set every major state rushing and scoring record by the time he concludes his senior season.

Still, he had one word for last season: lousy.

High expectations are one thing, but characterizing an All-American season as a bust borders on masochistic. White was reminded that he also scored 38 touchdowns, giving him a two-year total of 69 and a shot at becoming California’s first high school player to reach the 100 mark.

OK, so maybe lousy is overstating the case.

“Well, yardage-wise it was lousy. But maybe with the touchdowns and yardage it was all right,” said White, who will miss tonight’s opener against Redlands because of a sprained left ankle.

But the nation’s No. 1 high school prospect had made his point. Despite last year’s triumphs, 1987 rates as a year of disappointments for a team that started the season ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Today.

Consider:

Crespi unveiled its No. 1 team in front of a national audience on ESPN and managed only a 17-17 tie with unheralded Redlands. White was limited to 23 yards in 8 carries and left the game with a hip pointer.

Despite 10 victories, Crespi failed to repeat as Big Five Conference champion, losing to Fontana in the semifinals, 12-7. The team had averaged 39.6 points a game, but a field muddied by rain stalled the Crespi offense. White rushed for only 155 yards.

Crespi also failed to win the Del Rey League title, losing to Loyola in a league showdown, 15-8. In what was billed as the game of the year featuring two undefeated teams, White rushed for 28 yards in 12 carries. Said Coach Bill Redell: “We were 10-2-1 and damn near scored 500 points, but we didn’t win the two big, tough games.”

White (6-0, 185 pounds) plans to win the big games this season. His blueprint for success reads as clearly as black and White and White, and White again.

He wants the ball. From the opening whistle to the final gun. This season there will be no early exits and no mercy, he vowed.

Two years ago Crespi fans had to arrive early to catch the White act, which often closed by halftime. With the Celts rolling up rout after rout en route to the conference championship and a 13-1 record, White played minimally after intermission. He averaged only 13.9 carries a game and never carried more than 19 times in any game.

His average improved last season to 18.8 carries, primarily because he had 84 carries in three playoff games.

“I want the ball 25 to 30 times every game so I can set all the records and put them out of reach.”

If that sounds bold, listen to his objective for the first two games in which he will play.

“I want 300 yards in each game. That’s the only way to go if you’re going to break all the records,” he said.

White need not set such an ambitious pace. His two-year total of 4,619 yards is only 778 shy of the state and Southern Section record of 5,397 set by Ray Pallares of Valencia High in 1983-85. In addition, White needs just 10 touchdowns and 61 points to set the state touchdown and scoring records held by Tyreese Knox of Jefferson High in Daly City.

Redell is certain that White will end his Crespi career with those state records, but predictions of 300-yard games might unnerve a coach, who can expect such proclamations to serve as rallying cries for aroused opponents.

“He wants the ball and he’s going to get it,” Redell said. “We’re not going to take him out this year. But we’re not going to play him when the game is out of hand. If it’s 49-0 we’re not going to send him in. We don’t want to embarrass anyone. Of course with our schedule I’m not sure we can embarrass anyone.”

Crespi’s schedule includes five teams ranked in the state top 20 by Cal-Hi Sports: Loyola (1), Servite (4), Mater Dei (12), San Fernando (18) and Palmdale (20). Crespi is ranked second.

Redell won’t predict victories in those games but he is certain White will get his records.

“We wouldn’t risk injury to him for any record, but he’ll set the records on his own,” he said.

White has more than records on his mind in ’88. Before he settles down to selecting a scholarship offer from a list of colleges that includes USC and Notre Dame at the top, he wants to add two more championships to the Crespi trophy case. The Celts still are looking for their first league title in the White era and he wants another conference championship.

White has been selected as one of four team captains and it’s a role he takes seriously. White intends to bring the Celts into the end zone on the playing field and to a fever pitch in the locker room.

“I want to take responsibility for the team and you’re going to see a big change this year,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more enthusiasm and we’re going to be a lot more fired up.”

Redell acknowledged that last year’s team might have been wrapped too tightly.

“We probably pressed the kids too hard last year and that’s the head coach’s responsibility,” he said. “I took the fun out of it for everybody, me included.”

The disappointment of last year’s failed title drive gnaws at White.

“I wanted to have three championships when I left, and last year was a big disappointment,” he said. “But if I come out of it with two out of three, that won’t be too bad.”