Bassett Makes Pitch, Wins a Title

A 22-year football drought ended last Friday night when La Puente Bassett High School defeated Baldwin Park Sierra Vista, 8-0. The victory gave the Olympians their first Montview League title and Southern Section playoff berth, and Coach Mark Pettingill is not afraid to credit a hand-me-down offense.

“We call our offense the toss, “ said Pettingill, in his second year as Bassett’s coach. “I got it from Phil Bravo of (La Habra) Whittier Christian, and they got it from Don Markham (now coaching at Riverside Ramona), who has had success with it for years.”

The toss is a power-rushing offense that features a pitch to a tailback, aligned nearly 10 yards deep, who follows a stream of pulling blockers, including the quarterback. Bassett has used it in going 4-0 in league play, 7-2 overall.

“We used the toss some last year, but our offense really took off after we had a joint practice with Whittier Christian before this season started,” said Pettingill, who took over a program that won only 3 games in its last 3 seasons.

At Bassett, junior tailback Marshawn Thompson is the workhorse. In 253 carries, he has gained 1,450 yards and has scored 13 touchdowns. At 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds, and impressive speed, Thompson has caught the attention of many college scouts and Pettingill understands why.

“He is definitely the key to our offense,” Pettingill said. “He just glides along, picks his hole and then jets out. He has done a lot on his own because our offensive line is pretty small and is not a strong point.”

Pettingill has also received strong play from his defense, led by junior linebacker Richard Parham. The 6-2 Parham, who anchored the Olympians’ 400 relay team last track season, is also a Division I prospect. Parham has made 30 solo tackles and has assisted on 36 more.

Other defensive standouts for Bassett have been tackles Mike Hernandez, who has 13 sacks and 62 tackles, and Raul Ocampo, with 12 sacks and 64 tackles. The secondary has been led by defensive backs Mitch Wilson, who also starts at fullback, and Mario Lopez, who leads the team with 6 interceptions.

Top-ranked Loyola passed a tough nonleague test last Saturday night at Glendale High School, when the Cubs rallied to defeat Angelus League power Anaheim Servite, 27-22. Johann Fuller’s 27-yard touchdown run with 1 minute 3 seconds left kept the Cubs’ dreams of an undefeated season alive.

Last year, after an undefeated regular season, Loyola lost to Long Beach Wilson in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, 23-7, after falling behind early. But with this win, Loyola put to rest the question of its ability to come from behind.

With 2:42 remaining, and Servite leading, 22-21, Loyola had the ball on Servite’s 49-yard line. A 17-yard pass from senior quarterback Matt Smith to Raymond Hussain put the Cubs within range of star kicker Paul Stonehouse.

Stonehouse was never needed because Fuller, after taking a pitch around the left side, sprinted untouched for the winning touchdown. That capped a great game for Fuller, who finished with 146 yards in 19 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. His counterpart, Derek Brown, gained a hard-earned 82 yards in 22 carries.

In City action, Banning and Carson set up their annual showdown at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach Friday night, with wins on the road over Crenshaw and Dorsey.

Banning (8-1) got a 4-touchdown, 199-yard performance from sophomore fullback Derek Sparks in beating Crenshaw, 34-14. The win, however, cost the Pilots junior quarterback John Ma’ae, who injured his ankle in the second quarter. Ma’ae is questionable for the Carson game.

Against Carson, Dorsey fell apart in the second half for the second consecutive week. Carson (8-1) scored 28 unanswered second half points and beat the Dons at Jackie Robinson Stadium, 35-20.

Dorsey outplayed Carson in the first half, thanks largely to junior wide receiver Kevin Copeland, who scored on touchdown pass plays of 23 and 53 yards from quarterback Roman Foster. Carson receiver Marquis Owens, who had 3 touchdown catches, caught two of them in the second half to lead the Colts’ comeback.

Prep Notes

Bell Gardens is 9-0 and clinched at least a tie for the Whitmont League title with a 40-7 victory over Whittier. Leading the way for the Lancers was junior tailback Rudy Ramirez, who gained 217 yards in 11 carries. . . . Michael Moore of Beverly Hills caught 8 passes for 178 yards in a 38-23 win over Palos Verdes in the Bay League. Also in the Bay League, Hawthorne and Leuzinger played to a 13-13 tie, their second consecutive tie and their third in 4 years. . . . Montclair Prep junior tailback Michael Jones rushed for 249 yards in 16 carries in the Mounties’ win over Western Christian. . . . Dashone Carrington of Centennial caught 5 passes for 167 yards, scored 2 touchdowns and intercepted 2 passes in the Apaches’ 22-20 loss to Redondo.

In the City Western League, Venice and Westchester are tied with 5-1 conference records. Westchester lost to Los Angeles last Friday, 23-12, and Venice defeated University, 13-8.

TIMES’ PREP POLLS

Southern Section

No. School, League Record

1. Loyola, Del Rey 9-0-0

2. Fontana, Citrus Belt 9-0-0

3. Mission Viejo, South Coast 9-0-0

4. Long Beach Poly, Moore 7-0-1

5. Santa Barbara, Channel 9-0-0

6. Edison, Sunset 8-1-0

7. CC Canyon, Golden 7-2-0

8. Servite, Angelus 7-2-0

9. Bishop Amat, Angelus 7-2-0

10. Leuzinger, Bay 8-0-1

11. Woodbridge, Pacific Coast 9-0-0

12. Fountain Valley, Sunset 7-2-0

13. Etiwanda, Hacienda 9-0-0

14. Valencia, Orange 8-0-1

15. Los Alamitos, Empire 8-0-1

City

No. School, League Record

1. Carson, Southern 8-1-0

2. Banning, Southern 8-1-0

3. Franklin, Northeast 8-0-0

4. Granada Hills, North Valley 8-1-0

5. Dorsey, Southern 6-2-0

6. South Gate, Central 9-0-0

7. Monroe, Mid Valley 7-1-0

8. San Fernando, North Valley 6-3-0

9. Reseda, Mid Valley 7-1-0

10. Crenshaw, Southern 5-3-0