PREP FOOTBALL ALL-STARS 1988 : Rugged Style Typified Play of Valley Teams

No play more reflected the rugged, working-class nature of the 1988 Valley-area high school football season than Monroe High’s off-tackle plunge out of a stacked-I formation.

From a double-tight end set, the Vikings loaded the backfield to the right side with a fullback and blocking back in front of Curtis Scott, who stood 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Play after play, Viking quarterback Jesse Wallace repeated the sequence, grabbing the ball from center and plopping it into Scott’s hands.

If the Vikings failed to master the play during practice, they had plenty of opportunity on Friday nights to learn its nuances, which were few in number. Over and over, they gave the ball to Scott.

The senior running back averaged nearly 30 carries a game. In Monroe’s 26-18 win over Roosevelt in the City Section 3-A Division playoffs, he tied a state record with 54 carries, including a state-record 22 in a row.

Earlier in the season, Monroe opened its game against Grant--a 47-6 win--with 19 consecutive running plays by Scott. It was nearly halftime before another Viking figured in the offense. Of the team’s first 26 plays, 22 were Scott runs.

In a season of play that would warm the hearts of Woody Hayes’ fans, no player kicked up a cloud of dust better than Scott, who led Valley-area rushers with 1,943 yards. He also serves as the symbolic leader for this year’s Times All-Valley football team. The 23 players form an all-senior unit chosen from the Valley area’s 34 schools that field football teams.

San Fernando, the North Valley League champion, led the team with 4 players, and Canyon, Crespi and Monroe each added 3 players. Taft and Agoura had 2 representatives, and Burbank, Chaminade, Cleveland, Granada Hills, Hart and Notre Dame each placed 1.

All players are first-time selections except for Canyon defensive lineman Justin Fix, a choice last season, and Crespi running back Russell White, an All-American running back who is an unprecedented three-time selection.

Even White, the most spectacular Valley-area player since John Elway of Granada Hills, reflects this year’s aversion to glitz. After rushing for 4,619 yards in his first two seasons, the state’s all-time leading rusher never cracked the 200-yard mark in a game in ’88. Instead, facing a stacked schedule of strong teams and running behind an inexperienced offensive line, White spent an inordinate amount of time bulling his way for yards. His 1,379 yards gave him a 3-year total of 5,998.

If you liked your football tough and hard-hitting, this was your year in the Valley area. In recent seasons, the area has produced some of the most exciting offensive players in Southern California. Two years ago, Southern California’s best pair of quarterbacks dueled in the Santa Clarita Valley when Jim Bonds of Hart matched arm strength with Ken Sollom of Canyon.

Canyon’s 3 selections typify this season. Fix has been a Canyon fixture on the defensive line since his sophomore year. He and fellow All-Valley selection Sean McCune have keyed a Canyon defense that has helped the Cowboys advance to the Southern Section Division II championship game. The Cowboys allowed 92.4 yards a game rushing during the regular season.

On offense it does not seem to matter who runs behind the team’s powerful offensive line, led by All-Valley pick Rick McKeon. Junior tailback Chris Peery has rushed for 1,338 yards, but when he missed Canyon’s first-round playoff game against Camarillo because of an ankle injury, sophomore tailback Mark Santos rushed for 128 yards.

Even Granada Hills caught the spirit, putting the pass offense on hold in favor of a run-oriented attack.

A year ago, quarterback Jeremy Leach led Granada Hills to the City Section 4-A Division championship as the pass-happy Highlanders beat Carson in the final.

The strength of the Highlanders in ’88 was their linebacking corps, led by senior Sebastian Glaze, the North Valley League’s defensive player of the year.

OFFENSIVE BACKS

No Valley-area player rose to stardom more quickly than Monroe running back Curtis Scott, who rode the bench last season as a junior. Finally, in the Vikings’ last game of the 1987 season, Scott got his chance and rushed for 207 yards. In ’88 he started where he left off and averaged 176.6 yards a game in leading the Vikings to the Mid-Valley League title and a 9-2 record. Running out of Monroe’s stacked-I offense, he led Valley backs in rushing with 1,943 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. In Monroe’s first-round playoff win over Roosevelt, he tied a state record with 54 carries and set the state mark for consecutive carries with 22.

Perhaps only Russell White could rush for 1,379 yards, catch 43 passes for 529 yards, score 25 touchdowns and have people complain that he had an off year. If Crespi’s All-American running back failed to meet expectations in his senior year, it is only because he raised them so high after his first 2 seasons when he rushed for 4,619 yards and scored 69 touchdowns. He finished his remarkable career as the state’s all-time leading rusher (5,998) and scorer (568 points), and his 94 touchdowns also are a career record.

Taft’s West Valley League championship and 6-4 overall record were made possible by one player, according to Coach Tom Stevenson. “Without that guy, we’re a 3-6 team,” he said. That guy is running back Kelvin Byrd, who generously lists himself as 5-feet 10-inches tall. He may stand closer to 5-6 but he looked 10-feet tall to opposing defenses when he carried the ball. The West Valley League’s offensive MVP rushed for 1,480 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in 10 games.

Taking some of the heat off White in the Crespi backfield was quarterback Ron Redell, who shared the Del Rey League’s offensive MVP award with White. Neither White nor Redell can be blamed for Crespi’s disappointing 6-6 record. Redell passed for 1,662 yards and 9 touchdowns, but his strongest asset was his accuracy. He completed 150 of 215 passes, 69.8% of his attempts. He also played strong safety and college recruiters are interested in him at both positions.

RECEIVERS

Despite Hart’s disappointing season in which the Indians lost in the first round of the playoffs, Brian Allen added to the school’s recent history of outstanding receivers. The senior tight end led Valley-area receivers with 62 receptions. The Foothill League’s lineman of the year amassed 818 yards receiving, averaging 13.2 yards a catch, and scored 14 touchdowns. He also played linebacker but his future is at tight end where his size and speed make him one of the area’s most sought-after college prospects. He has narrowed his choice of schools to USC, UCLA, Washington, Nebraska and Colorado.

Chaminade’s Brady Mitchell trailed Allen by only 1 reception and his 61 catches were good for a 982 yards, most in the Valley area. The senior wide receiver averaged 16.1 yards a carry and scored 12 touchdowns. He excelled at the acrobatic catch and Coach Rich Lawson describes him as a possession-type receiver in the mold of USC’s Erik Affholter, another Valley-area player from a small school (Oak Park).

San Fernando’s Sean Williams made his mark early in the season when he dashed 66 yards with a punt return for a touchdown that helped throw a scare into Crespi during San Fernando’s 24-20 loss. The senior wide receiver is part of the new breed at San Fernando. Once known for their punishing wishbone, the Tigers have flourished as a passing team the past 2 seasons. Williams was second in the Valley among City Section receivers with 43 catches. He averaged 17.9 yards a reception, totaling 770 yards, and scored 10 touchdowns.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Monroe’s Reggie Anderson excelled as both an offensive tackle and defensive end. Coach Frank D’Alessandro called him the dominant defensive player in the Valley Pac-8 Conference, but he may be best remembered as Curtis Scott’s personal escort through opposing defenses. The 3-year starter bench presses 350 pounds and numerous Division I colleges, including Arizona and Colorado, have shown interest in him, probably as a nose tackle.

Foothill League coaches were locked in a tie in their vote for lineman of the year and it took a second ballot to choose Hart’s Brian Allen over Burbank’s John Cotti. The senior tackle was a first-team selection on offense and defense and has the height (6-5) that college recruiters seek for offensive linemen. Currently, Oregon State is Cotti’s first choice.

Tackle to tackle, the area’s best offensive line played at Canyon, which has earned a berth in the Southern Section Division II championship game. The leader of that line is senior tackle Rick McKeon, the Cowboys’ strongest player. Coach Harry Welch brags that McKeon managed to bench press 350 pounds immediately after a 4-hour practice. “He’s the most powerful blocker we’ve had here in seven years,” Welch said. McKeon already has said he will attend Brigham Young.

Despite the emphasis on the passing game during the summer, Taft Coach Tom Stevenson stuck with what he knows best in ‘88--the ground game. Among City Section Valley teams, only Monroe rushed for more yards than the Toreadors, and the strength up front started with Erin Reeder. The senior tackle was an All-City selection as a junior and seems a cinch to repeat.

KICKER

San Fernando’s Andrew Munoz is the smallest member of the All-Valley team, but he performed his job in a big way for the North Valley League champion. He converted 11 of 13 field-goal attempts and missed only 2 of 36 conversion kicks. The senior was the area’s leading scorer among kickers--67 points.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Crespi senior Quinn Fauria earns the mantle as the area’s most versatile player after completing a varsity career that included duty at 7 different positions. As a fullback this season he caught 52 passes for 514 yards, rushed for 381 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. As a 3-year defensive starter he moved around from linebacker, to end, to the middle of the line on defense, but his future rests at linebacker.

If Fauria is the most versatile player, Canyon’s Justin Fix may be the most enigmatic. He entered his senior season as the area’s top college prospect among defensive linemen and did nothing but improve his stock with a strong season as the anchor in the middle of the Cowboy defense. College recruiters from the West Coast to Nebraska and Oklahoma have pursued him, but Fix may skip college to play with his rock ‘n’ roll band.

With his imposing size, it was expected that Agoura’s Todd Steussie (6-6, 230 pounds) would dominate his Frontier League opponents. But when the level of competition increased, Steussie rose to the challenge. The senior tackle controlled the line of scrimmage in Agoura’s 7-0 win over Paso Robles in a Southern Section Division VIII quarterfinal, prompting Coach Frank Greminger to call it the best performance by an Agoura defensive lineman in his 19 years with the program.

LINEBACKERS

When Granada Hills scrapped its flashy image and went to a hard-hat approach, Coach Darryl Stroh asked his defense to carry the team. The strength of the defense rests with a superior linebacker crew led by senior Sebastian Glaze, a dominant player, according to Stroh, and the North Valley League’s defensive MVP.

At 195 pounds, San Fernando’s Keary Johns is the lightest player among the All-Valley linebackers but also the quickest. His pass rush from the outside was patterned after the current NFL technique that emphasizes speed over brawn. Johns finished the regular season with a team-high 15 sacks and 79 tackles, accounting for 158 yards in losses.

Canyon’s Sean McCune also set up on the outside and specialized in pass deflections. Although the Cowboys keep no statistics in that category, “Sean swatted down more passes by far than anyone we’ve ever had,” Welch said. Welch also moved McCune around, routinely pitting him against the opposition’s best offensive lineman.

As a running back, Agoura’s Carrick O’Quinn struggled to gain 183 yards in 47 carries, but he transformed himself into a premier player when the opposition had the ball. O’Quinn was especially good at stopping the run from tackle to tackle, sparking a defense that jelled in the playoffs as the surprising Chargers, who placed third in the Frontier League, advanced to the Division VIII semifinals.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Cleveland’s Sean Burwell, a two-way starter for the Cavaliers, joined a select group. The senior running back-defensive back became one of the few area players to rush for 1,000 yards in a season at 2 different schools. Burwell gained 1,211 yards as a sophomore at Chaminade and after a disappointing junior year at Cleveland rushed for 1,145 yards in ’88. Despite those numbers, he may be a better defensive player. He intercepted only 1 pass but was voted the West Valley League’s defensive MVP.

Notre Dame’s Reggie Dominique played well on offense, catching 20 passes for 403 yards, an average of 20.2 yards a catch. But it was as a defensive back that opponents most felt the presence of his long arms. The rangy senior intercepted 6 passes, returning one 72 yards for a touchdown. Dominique also starts for the Notre Dame basketball team.

Perhaps the area’s most explosive player was Monroe’s Terry London, a gifted wide receiver playing on a run-oriented team. Still, London managed to provide big plays as a defensive back and wide receiver. He carried the ball only 6 times, but 2 went for touchdowns; 7 of his 19 receptions were turned into touchdowns; and he returned 4 punts for scores, for a season total of 13 touchdowns.

Although he may have been San Fernando’s best skill-position player, Howard McCrary scored no touchdowns. That fact has not cooled interest among college recruiters who rate McCrary as the best prospect among defensive backs in the area. He intercepted 9 passes, tops among City Section Valley players and played his best game in the Tigers’ 24-3 win over Granada Hills in the North Valley League championship game. He had 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries for a school-record 5 takeaways.

PREP FOOTBALL ALL-STARS 1988: First Team

OFFENSE Name: Brady Mitchell Position: Wide Receiver School: Chaminade Height: 6-0 Weight: 165 Year: Senior Name: Sean Williams Position: Wide Receiver School: San Fernando Height: 5-10 Weight: 155 Year: Senior Name: Brian Allen Position: Tight End School: Hart Height: 6-4 Weight: 212 Year: Senior Name: Reggie Anderson Position: Lineman School: Monroe Height: 5-11 Weight: 235 Year: Senior Name: John Cotti Position: Lineman School: Burbank Height: 6-5 Weight: 235 Year: Senior Name: Rick McKeon Position: Lineman School: Canyon Height: 5-11 Weight: 235 Year: Senior Name: Erin Reeder Position: Lineman School: Taft Height: 6-4 Weight: 240 Year: Senior Name: Ron Redell Position: Quarterback School: Crespi Height: 6-3 Weight: 185 Year: Senior Name: Kelvin Byrd Position: Back School: Taft Height: 5-10 Weight: 180 Year: Senior Name: Curtis Scott Position: Back School: Monroe Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Year: Senior Name: Russell White Position: Back School: Crespi Height: 6-0 Weight: 180 Year: Senior Name: Andrew Munoz Position: Kicker School: San Fernando Height: 5-8 Weight: 150 Year: Senior PREP FOOTBALL ALL-STARS 1988: First Team

DEFENSE Name: Quinn Fauria Position: Lineman School: Crespi Height: 6-0 Weight: 200 Year: Senior Name: Justin Fix Position: Lineman School: Canyon Height: 6-3 Weight: 235 Year: Senior Name: Todd Steussie Position: Lineman School: Agoura Height: 6-6 Weight: 230 Year: Senior Name: Sebastian Glaze Position: Linebacker School: Granada Hills Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Year: Senior Name: Keary Johns Position: Linebacker School: San Fernando Height: 6-1 Weight: 195 Year: Senior Name: Sean McCune Position: Linebacker School: Canyon Height: 6-3 Weight: 220 Year: Senior Name: Carrick O’Quinn Position: Linebacker School: Agoura Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Year: Senior Name: Sean Burwell Position: Back School: Cleveland Height: 6-0 Weight: 185 Year: Senior Name: Reggie Dominique Position: Back School: Notre Dame Height: 6-3 Weight: 185 Year: Senior Name: Terry London Position: Back School: Monroe Height: 6-2 Weight: 190 Year: Senior Name: Howard McCrary Position: Back School: San Fernando Height: 6-3 Weight: 195 Year: Senior SECOND TEAM ALL VALLEY

OFFENSE

Name School Position Height Weight Year Clint Beauer Canyon WR 6-3 187 11 Cameron Smyth Hart WR 6-2 180 12 Adam Zutler Taft TE 6-2 225 12 Gordon Witter Canyon OL 6-0 210 12 Steve Rosen Chaminade OL 6-3 245 12 Anthony Hall Granada Hills OL 6-4 270 12 Chris Campuzano Alemany OL 6-2 275 11 Rob Westervelt Hart QB 6-2 195 11 Chris Peery Canyon RB 6-1 225 11 Jerome Casey Sylmar RB 6-0 180 11 Tyler Robuck Alemany RB 5-10 170 12 Scott Etheridge Hart K 6-0 145 12

DEFENSE

Name School Position Height Weight Year Vince Blanks Cleveland DL 6-0 250 12 Earl Negrete Reseda DL 6-1 210 12 Chris Robbins Granada Hills DL 6-0 235 12 John Bietsch Canyon LB 6-0 180 12 Aaron Brumfield Reseda LB 6-1 205 12 Ivan Davis Kennedy LB 5-10 220 12 Keith Moffatt Burroughs LB 6-1 235 12 Jeff Burdick Chaminade DB 6-0 160 11 Tarin Cardenaz Burbank DB 6-0 180 12 Steve Smith El Camino Real DB 6-3 190 12 Jason Stanley Canyon DB 6-0 175 12