Prep Wrapup : South Bay Football Recorded Some High Highs--and Low Lows--in ’88

Prep football fans in the South Bay had a lot to cheer about in 1988.

Carson opened the season with a national ranking and ended up L.A. City champion for the seventh time, Banning rebounded from a subpar 6-4 season to reach the City final, and five Southern Section schools advanced to playoff quarterfinals. One of those schools, Coast Christian of Redondo Beach, won a second straight CIF eight-man title.

On the other side, there were teams that set new standards for futility. Narbonne extended a losing streak that spans three seasons, while Inglewood suffered through the worst season in school history.

A look back at the highlights, and lowlights, of 1988:

Sept. 9--Carson proved its two-quarterback system could work in the season opener as transfer Perry Klein passed for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns and Fred Gatlin passed for 1 TD and ran for another in a 34-0 win over Sweetwater of National City. The game was a confidence builder for Klein, who had considered returning to Palisades and met with his former team on Sept. 6. The next day he decided to stay at Carson.

El Segundo tailback Erik Evans gave Eagle fans a preview of things to come as he scored 5 touchdowns in a 41-0 win over Mira Costa. Evans finished the season with 23 TDs and 172 points, both area highs.

Sept. 16--Week Two provided a rare occurrence when Carson and Banning both lost. Carson saw its No. 2 national ranking by USA Today disappear as Bishop Amat used a blitzing defense and a ball-control offense to upset the Colts, 17-13. Banning lost to Long Beach Poly, 21-20, when Jason Jones blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt by the Pilots’ Miguel Manzano with 14 seconds left.

Sept. 23--Palos Verdes, an early-season surprise, ran its record to 3-0 as quarterback David Walsh passed for 1 touchdown and ran for another in a 13-0 non-league win over Serra.

Sept. 30--Filling in for senior Chris Griffieth, who was kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons, sophomore Derek Sparks started his first game at fullback for Banning and rushed for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 41-18 win over Gardena. It turned out to be a good move for the Pilots. Sparks went on to rush for more than 1,300 yards and 15 TDs.

Narbonne saw its losing streak extended to 15 games with a 72-0 loss to Dorsey. The Gauchos were outscored 141-6 in their first three games.

Hawthorne quarterback Curtis Conway did a little bit of everything to help the Cougars open Bay League play with a 30-15 win over Palos Verdes. He rushed for 87 yards and 1 touchdown, scored on a 75-yard punt return and intercepted a pass at his own 3-yard line to turn back a Sea King scoring threat.

Oct. 7--In one of the biggest upsets of the year, Palos Verdes parlayed the passing arm of Walsh and a blitzing defense into a 36-24 victory over Santa Monica. It was the only Bay League loss for the Vikings, who went on to win the league crown. The left-handed Walsh completed 13 of 17 passes for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Carson running back Errol Sapp, who had rushed for only 103 yards in the Colts’ first three games, exploded for 209 yards and 3 TDs in a 54-8 win over Washington. He set a school record by averaging 26.13 yards per carry.

Oct. 14--Bishop Montgomery brought a 4-1 record and loads of confidence into its Angelus League opener against Servite, but the Knights were no match for Friar running back Derek Brown, who rushed for 140 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 42-13 win. Bishop Montgomery finished 0-4 in the competitive Angelus League, compared to a 5-1 mark in non-league games.

Leuzinger remained in first place in the Bay League with a 28-7 win over Beverly Hills. The Olympians used a double tight end formation to rush for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the defense recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes.

Oct. 21--When Carson, arguably the best team in the South Bay, met Narbonne, arguably the worst, the 51-0 result wasn’t pretty. But there were a few laughs along the way. Coaxed by a friend, Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle had his team perform a “return punt” in the game. Sapp fielded a punt, took a few strides and punted the ball back to Narbonne.

Banning tailback Keith Mims, running behind a huge line anchored by tackle Bob Whitfield (6-7, 275) and guard Andy Gonzalez (6-4, 245), became the first South Bay rusher to go over the 1,000-yard mark by gaining 126 yards in a 24-6 win over Washington. It put Mims at 1,010 yards for the 6-1 Pilots.

Oct. 28--In the most exciting game of the year, Banning rallied from a 21-0 deficit with 4 fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull out a 26-21 Pacific League win over Dorsey at Harbor College. The Pilots drove 75 yards in 23 seconds to score the game-winning TD on a 33-yard pass from John Ma’ae to Lamont Shedrick with no time remaining.

Serra took over sole possession of first place in the Camino Real League as tailback Fred Safford scored on a 11-yard run with 1:53 left to give the Cavs a 26-21 win over Verbum Dei. Serra went on to capture its second straight CRL title.

El Segundo recorded its fifth straight shutout in Santa Fe League play with a 41-0 victory over Cantwell.

Nov. 4--Centinela Valley rivals Hawthorne and Leuzinger played to a 13-13 Bay League deadlock, marking the second straight year and the third time in the last four seasons that the teams tied.

Morningside, which lost its first two games of the season, won its sixth straight and clinched at least a tie for the Ocean League title with a 44-0 romp over South Torrance. Quarterback Ernesto Carmicle scored 3 TDs.

Nov. 10--In a showdown for the Bay League title, Santa Monica tailback Mark Harper rushed for 228 yards and 5 touchdowns to help the Vikings overpower Leuzinger, 41-28. It was the first loss for the Olympians (8-1-1).

Rolling Hills finished the season on a high note by upsetting Peninsula rival Palos Verdes, 21-10. The Titans, in their first year under Coach Gary Kimbrell, won as many games (five) as in three previous seasons combined.

Narbonne (0-10) lost to Washington, 36-0, to suffer through its second straight winless season and extend its losing streak to 22 games.

Inglewood (0-9) completed the worst football season in school history by losing 43-0 to Hawthorne. The Sentinels were outscored 285-67 on the year.

Nov. 11--Carson wrapped up the Pacific League title for the second straight year with a 24-13 win over rival Banning before an overflow crowd of 14,000 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach. Klein passed for 2 touchdowns, wingback Armin Youngblood scored 2 TDs and the Colts sacked Banning’s Ma’ae six times.

El Segundo completed a 10-0 regular season and captured its first league title since 1974 by holding off previously unbeaten St. Monica, 19-18, in a showdown for the Santa Fe League championship. The Eagles held St. Monica on downs near midfield with 1:04 left.

Nov. 18--Gardena running back Khybdeed Hairston rushed for a school-record 307 yards and scored 3 touchdowns to lead the Mohicans over Marshall, 43-12, in a first-round L.A. City 3-A playoff game.

Hawthorne’s Conway broke loose for a 61-yard scoring run on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak in the second quarter to spark the Cougars to a 13-0 win over Pasadena in the first round of the CIF Division II playoffs.

In the only all-South Bay match-up in the CIF playoffs, fullback Deshon Mosley scored 3 touchdowns and receiver Shannon Thompson scored on an 80-yard run to lead Ocean League champion Morningside over St. Bernard, 51-0, in a Division VII opener.

Nov. 23--Playing on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Banning, Carson and Westchester all posted victories to advance to the semifinals of the L.A. City playoffs. Klein passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more to lead Carson over Kennedy of Granada Hills, 53-0; Sparks rushed for 225 yards and 2 TDs to carry Banning past Fairfax, 41-24; and Westchester overcame a 6-0 halftime deficit to beat Reseda, 13-6.

Nov. 25--Hawthorne (8-3-1) and Leuzinger (9-2-1) both lost in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division II playoffs, while Serra (7-4) and Morningside (8-3) were beaten in Division VII games.

Nov. 26--Led by running back Earl Rhodes and receiver Jerry Stephens, Coast Christian rallied from a 20-0 second-quarter deficit to defeat Bloomington Christian, 44-26, at El Camino College and capture its second straight CIF Eight-Man Small Division title.

Dec. 2--Carson and Banning both needed big finishes to pull out victories in the L.A. City 4-A semifinals. Sapp rushed for 137 yards, and touchdowns of 62 and 7 yards in the second half, to help Carson erase a 13-0 deficit and score a 14-13 win over Dorsey at Veterans Stadium, while Banning used a fourth-down touchdown on a 7-yard option pass from Mims to Ma’ae with 2:37 left to gain a 36-34 win over host San Fernando.

Dec. 9--A crowd of 12,000 at the Coliseum watched as Carson stunned Banning with a 55-7 win in the L.A. City 4-A championship game. Sapp rushed for 104 yards and 3 touchdowns, Klein passed for 173 yards and 2 TDS and the Carson defense, led by linebacker Peter Hunt (10 tackles), shut out Banning until the score was 55-0 midway through the fourth quarter. The Colts (12-1) outgained the Pilots (11-3) in total yards, 515-190, and posted the most lopsided decision in the 26-year history of the cross-town rivalry.