Patricio Does Rebuilding Job at Walnut High

For Walnut High School Coach Jim Patricio, it has taken 4 years to turn around the Mustangs’ football program. After leaving La Puente Bishop Amat, Patricio inherited a Walnut team that went 2-7 in 1984, but after last Friday night’s 9-0 victory over Valle Vista League rival South Hills, the Mustangs are 6-0.

This is Patricio’s 12th year as a high school head coach, including 6 years at Bishop Amat and 2 at Montebello Cantwell. He had also turned those programs into winners, but he considers his current Walnut team a bit different from any other.

“This team is the closest group I have ever had,” Patricio said. “They have been in the program for 4 years, like me, and they have never complained once. Their uniqueness is their ability to play and believe in each other.”

Defense has been a strong point for the Mustangs, having held opponents to 28 points all season. They have posted 3 shutouts, while recording 24 sacks and causing 8 turnovers. They have been led by senior defensive tackles Mark Marostica, 24 solo tackles with 7 sacks, and Danny Munoz, 22 solos with 7 1/2 sacks.

On offense, the Mustangs have relied primarily on senior running backs Tom Sturgeon and Steve Martinez. The 5-foot 10-inch Sturgeon has gained 504 yards in 97 carries, and Martinez has 292 on 46 carries and caught 16 passes for 221 yards.

At Bishop Amat, Patricio had players who went on to have good college careers such as USC’s Ron Brown, Randy Tanner and John Jackson, and Notre Dame’s Pernell Taylor. Walnut is missing that.

“We do not have any great players, the player who could cover up for the rest,” Patricio said. “But, we do have a lot of good, tough players. When I first came here, the attitude was only to give it a good try.”

Walnut, which is ranked 13th in the Times’ Top 15, plays host to La Puente (3-2-1) in a Valle Vista League game Thursday night.

Crespi’s Russell White broke the state scoring record last Saturday night, by scoring 4 touchdowns in the Celts’ 49-0 win over Alemany. White raised his career scoring total to 488 points, surpassing the mark of 476 set by Tyreese Knox of Daly City’s Jefferson High School from 1980-83.

White, who has been bothered by injuries throughout the season, is also close to establishing another state career record. In gaining 153 yards against Alemany, Russell is just 152 yards from Valencia’s Ray Pallares’ 3-year-old rushing mark of 5,397.

Going into the season, White needed only 788 yards to break the record, but he has found yards tougher to gain against opponents who are focusing on stopping him.

As a sophomore, White set a high standard when he gained 2,339 yards and scored 31 touchdowns in leading Crespi to the Big Five (now Division I) title.

Last season, when he was mostly injury-free, White’s rushing total slipped to 2,280 yards, but he scored 38 touchdowns.

This season, there has been a major drop-off. Based on his current averages, White would gain 1,060 yards with 21 touchdowns.

With 4 regular-season games remaining, Crespi needs an injury-free White to dethrone top-rated Loyola in the Del Rey League. Despite Crespi’s 3-3 record, the Celts are tied with Loyola for first place with 1-0 records and 3 league games left.

In Loyola’s league opener last Friday night, the Cubs defeated St. Francis, 27-0, behind Johann Fuller’s 4 touchdowns, including a school-record 97-yard run. Fuller finished with 172 yards in 15 carries.

The Cubs had to use their third-string quarterback because of injuries to starter Matt Smith and his backup, Brian Dennis. Corby Smith, a 6-2, 185-pound sophomore who is the son of USC football Coach Larry Smith and no relation to Matt, got the call when Dennis injured a knee.

Sophomore Dave Hartman led Canyon of Canyon Country to the boys’ team title at the third annual Los Angeles County Cross-Country Championships last Saturday at College of the Canyons. Hartman won the individual competition in 16 minutes 36 seconds. Craig Lawson of Granada Hills finished second in 17:02 and Natvidad Gaona of Belmont third in 17:08.

Canyon had 35 points, Belmont placed second with 56 and Antelope Valley third with 79.

In the girls’ competition, Palos Verdes, top-ranked team in the nation last season, won the team title by outdistancing second-place Quartz Hill, 15-65.

Palos Verdes had the top 6 finishers, with Ashley Black leading the way. Black finished in 20:54, and Lori Lucas second in 21:26.

Prep Notes

Leuzinger (6-0) took command of the Bay League last Friday with a 28-7 victory over previously unbeaten Beverly Hills. The Olympians shut down the Normans’ passing attack and star receiver Michael Moore, ending Moore’s 5-game streak of touchdown catches. Leuzinger’s Manny Gonzalez had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown. . . . In other Bay League action, Santa Monica’s Mark Harper gained 233 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in the Vikings’ 41-28 win over Hawthorne.

St. Monica of the Santa Fe League is off to 6-0 start. In the Mariners’ 40-20 victory over Mary Star, Di Allo Hall gained 197 yards in 13 carries, and Michael Wagner had 145 yards in 15 carries with 2 touchdowns. For the season, Wagner is averaging 12.2 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns, and Hall is also averaging more than 11 yards per carry. . . . Lynwood’s Charles Levy had 391 total yards in a 26-20 victory over Downey in San Gabriel Valley League action. The junior quarterback had 2 touchdowns, rushing for 186 yards in 16 carries and completing 9 of 15 passes for 95 yards. On the game’s last play, he caught a pass for a 45-yard touchdown play to give Lynwood the victory. . . . In St. Bernard’s 41-6 nonconference victory over Bell-Jeff, receiver Jason Lucky had 17 receptions for a school-record 329 yards with 4 touchdowns. Throwing to Lucky were quarterbacks Terrence Sullivan, who was 11 for 18 for 262 yards with 3 touchdowns, and Danny Ulrich, who was 7 for 8 for 90 yards and 1 touchdown. . . . Tim Hatcher of El Modena High in Orange, tied a Southern Section record with 5 field goals in the Vanguards’ 29-0 victory over Anaheim Canyon.

TIMES’ PREP POLLS

Southern Section

No. School, League Record

1. Loyola, Del Rey 6-0-0

2. Servite, Angelus 6-0-0

3. Fontana, Citrus Belt 6-0-0

4. Mission Viejo, South Coast 6-0-0

5. Long Beach Poly, Moore 4-0-1

6. Bishop Amat, Angelus 5-1-0

7. Edison, Sunset 6-0-0

8. Santa Barbara, Channel 6-0-0

9. Antelope Valley, Golden 5-1-0

10. Rubidoux, Citrus Belt 5-1-0

11. Woodbridge, Pacific Coast 6-0-0

12. Valencia, Orange 5-0-1

13. Walnut, Valle Vista 6-0-0

14. Leuzinger, Bay 6-0-0

15. Palos Verdes, Bay 5-1-0

City

No. School, League Record

1. Franklin, Northeast 5-0-0

2. Carson, Southern 5-1-0

3. Banning, Southern 5-1-0

4. Dorsey, Southern 5-0-0

5. Granada Hills, North Valley 5-1-0

6. South Gate, Central 6-0-0

7. Reseda, Mid Valley 5-0-0

8. Crenshaw, Southern 4-1-0

9. Monroe, Mid Valley 4-1-0

10. Locke, Central 5-1-0