The Preps : Carson-Banning Play It Again for 4-A City Title

The two high schools are located not more than 3 miles apart--the old one in Wilmington and the new school in Carson.

And oh, what a tangled web it is.

When Carson High was built, in 1961, it not only took some of Banning’s students, but it was also able to snag Banning’s successful football coach, Gene Vollnogle.

Shortly after Vollnogle and co-coach Paul Huebner left for Carson, one of Vollnogle’s former players, Chris Ferragamo, became Banning’s coach, setting up one of the City Section’s biggest rivalries in high school football.

Thus, it is little wonder that a crowd of at least 30,000 is expected Friday at the Coliseum to witness one of the City’s great traditions--Banning vs. Carson for the 4-A Division Championship. The game will start at 8 p.m.

“It’s great to see both teams in the championship again,” said Ferragamo, who left Banning in 1986 to coach at Harbor College. Banning’s coach this season is Joe Dominguez, one of Ferragamo’s former assistants.

“Emotions run so high, it’s like the USC-UCLA game, except you have cousins playing against cousins and best friends against best friends,” Ferragamo said.

“When Carson was built, the City literally assigned students from one side of the street to Carson and the other side to Banning. Plus, Banning is such an old school that students’ mothers and dads and grandmothers all went there--so it’s a neighborhood rivalry, one of the best.”

This will be the 35th game between Carson and Banning, which have met annually in league play since the series began in 1963. Carson, having won the last 3 games, leads the series, 18-16. The teams last met in a City title game in 1986.

Banning has won 10 City titles, including 6 straight from 1976-81, a City record. Carson has won 6 titles, all under Vollnogle, who also won 2 at Banning and is one of the winningest high school coaches in the nation with a record of 287-73-1.

Carson and Banning met in the City final from 1981-86, alternating championships beginning with Banning’s victory in 1981.

In 1987, Banning missed the playoffs, and Carson, ranked No. 1 in the nation before the 4-A final, lost to Granada Hills.

“The kids get so hyper, the problem isn’t getting them up for a game against Carson, it’s keeping them down,” Ferragamo said. “This season, both have good teams and fine coaches. It will get down to who makes the fewest mistakes.

“The players, position for position, are evenly matched. At quarterback, Banning has John Ma’ae and Carson has Perry Klein and Fred Gatlin. Banning’s Keith Mims and Carson’s Erol Sapp, are the spark plugs (tailbacks) for each team.”

Banning (10-2) lost to Carson in regular-season play, 24-13 and to Long Beach Poly, 21-20. Carson (11-1) lost to La Puente Bishop Amat, 17-13.

Add Banning: Vollnogle, Huebner and Ferragamo aside, it was actually Willard (Lefty) Goodhue who began to turn Banning’s football program into a winner in the early 1950s.

From 1948-50, Banning’s record was 0-23-1, the tie belonging to Goodhue, who became coach in 1950. Goodhue also produced Banning’s first City player of the year, Dick Garcia, who later became principal of Carson High.

Ferragamo’s younger brother, Vince, was a co-City Player of the Year at Banning.

If Westchester (9-3) defeats South Gate Friday in the 3-A division championship game at El Camino College at 7:30 p.m., it will become the first City school ever to win consecutive championships in different divisions. Last season Westchester was a 2-A school.

Westchester’s 27-0 victory over Franklin Friday in the semifinals ended Franklin’s 19-game winning streak, which dated to October of 1987. It also killed Franklin’s chances of winning its third straight 3-A title.

South Gate is 13-0 this season and the only undefeated City school. It has shut out 6 opponents, 3 in postseason play.

Southern Section championship games are scheduled at the following locations, all starting at 7:30 p.m.:

DIVISION I--Bishop Amat (11-2) vs. Fountain Valley (11-2), Friday at Anaheim Stadium.

DIVISION II--Canyon Country Canyon (11-2) vs. Antelope Valley (11-2), Saturday at Antelope Valley High.

DIVISION III--Paramount (11-1) vs. Los Alamitos (12-0-1), Saturday at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

DIVISION IV--Hacienda Heights Los Altos (12-1) vs. Pico Rivera El Rancho (11-2), Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

DIVISION V--Moreno Valley Canyon Springs (11-1) vs. San Bernardino (11-2), Friday at San Bernardino High.

DIVISION VI--Valencia (12-0-1) vs. Corona del Mar (11-0-2), Friday at Orange Coast College.

DIVISION VII--Santa Maria (12-1) vs. San Marino (11-0-1), Saturday at San Marino High.

DIVISION VIII--Irvine Woodbridge (12-1) vs. Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills (11-2), Friday at Mission Viejo High.

DIVISION IX--Tehachapi (11-2) vs. Carpinteria (11-2), Saturday at Santa Barbara City College.

Prep Notes

Irvine High School’s girls’ volleyball team defeated Davis for the state Division I championship Saturday, 11-15, 15-3, 15-13, 15-10. Bakersfield Highland defeated Petaluma for the State Division II title, and San Diego Francis Parker beat Linden for the Division III championship. . . .Sixty-four of the top high school cross-country runners in the nation will compete Saturday in the Kinney Cross Country Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego.