1988-’89: THE YEAR IN REVIEW : Area Schools Win 3 State Titles, 6 CIF Crowns, 2 City Championships

He came. He saw. He conquered.

Then he skipped town.

The unusual odyssey of quarterback Perry Klein, who raised eyebrows when he transferred from Palisades High to Carson and then caused jaws to drop when he transferred to Santa Monica after helping Carson to the L.A. City 4-A football title, was one of the intriguing prep stories of the 1988-89 academic year.

But it was by no means the only item of interest.

The year began with the much-traveled Klein grabbing headlines and it ended with John Stevenson, coach at the same school for 30 years, guiding El Segundo to a sixth CIF baseball title.

In between, there were other success stories. The Palos Verdes boys soccer team stormed to the best season in CIF-Southern Section history, Morningside’s girls rose to the pinnacle of state basketball and Hawthorne’s boys closed out the decade with yet another state track title.

South Bay teams won three state crowns, six CIF-Southern Section titles and two L.A. City championships. And that’s not counting the athletes who excelled on an individual level.

A look back at those who made it a memorable year:

FOOTBALL

It was, as Carson offensive coordinator Steve Clarkson put it, “as high as it gets.”

That was the overwhelming emotion among the Colts after they beat archrival Banning, 55-7, for the L.A. City 4-A title at the Coliseum.

“You can never envision something like this,” said Clarkson, the young architect of Carson’s sophisticated double-spread offense. “I’m in shock.”

So, too, were many of the estimated crowd of 12,000 who watched as Carson scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions en route to the most lopsided victory in an L.A. City final since Fremont beat Hollywood, 59-0, in 1949. It was the largest margin in the 26-year history of the Banning-Carson series.

The Colts (12-1) finished the season with 11 straight wins after losing their second game of the year to Bishop Amat, 17-13. Klein was sidelined in that game with an elbow injury, but he finished the season strongly.

In one of the finest passing performances in a City final, the 6-foot-3 quarterback bound for UC Berkeley completed 13 of 15 attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Klein, who alternated each series with Fred Gatlin, also rushed for 50 yards.

Another hero was running back Errol Sapp, who carried the ball 10 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a Carson single-season record of 21 TDs. Sapp, who signed with Arizona, led the Colts in rushing, receiving and all-purpose yards.

It was the seventh City championship in 26 years at Carson for Coach Gene Vollnogle, whose team outgained Banning, 515-190, in total yards.

Banning, under first-year head coach Joe Dominguez, finished with an 11-3 record and improved greatly over the 1987 team that struggled to a 6-4 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

But the Pilots were dealt a blow after the season when All-City fullback Derek Sparks, a sophomore who was the team’s leading rusher with 1,394 yards and 15 touchdowns, transferred to Montclair Prep in Van Nuys after his mother became concerned for Sparks’ safety at Banning because of reported shootings in the Wilmington area.

Hawthorne quarterback Curtis Conway earned The Times South Bay Back of the Year award for the second straight season after leading the Cougars to the CIF quarterfinals. The speedy Conway, who signed with USC, ran or passed for 23 of Hawthorne’s 40 touchdowns this year and accounted for 62 of the team’s 82 TDs over the last two seasons.

“He’s the heart and soul of our football team,” said Hawthorne Coach Goy Casillas. “He’s the best pure athlete I’ve ever coached.”

El Segundo Coach Steve Newell felt similarly about his top player, running back-kicker Erik Evans. The versatile senior led the Eagles to a 10-1 record and the Santa Fe League title, the school’s first league crown since 1974, and he ended the regular season as the second-leading scorer in the state with 171 points, including 23 touchdowns. He finished with 172 points.

Morningside staged one of the most dramatic turnarounds. The Monarchs, who were 0-4-1 in the Pioneer League in 1987, captured the Ocean League title with a 7-0 record under Coach Ron Tatum.

Coast Christian’s Dan Pride beat out Tatum and Vollnogle for The Times South Bay Coach of the Year award after guiding the Redondo Beach school to its second consecutive CIF Eight-Man title. The Saints (12-0), led again by junior running back Earl Rhodes, extended the CIF-Southern Section’s longest winning streak to 24 games with a 44-26 victory over Bloomington Christian in the Eight-Man Small Division finals at El Camino College.

Westchester may have suffered the most frustrating loss of the year in the L.A. City 3-A championship game at El Camino College. Leading 9-6, the Comets lost when punter Victor Darensbourg failed to chase a bad snap that went into the end zone. South Gate linebacker Eduardo Manzanares recovered the ball for a touchdown with 2:17 left to give the Rams a 13-9 victory.

CROSS COUNTRY

Facing virtually no challenges throughout the season, the Palos Verdes girls captured the State Division I and CIF-Southern Section 4-A titles for the second consecutive year.

Senior Ashley Black paced Palos Verdes, as she had all year, by finishing fourth individually at the state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The Sea Kings won the title by 46 points over their nearest competitor, Agoura, on a wet, muddy course.

The return of freshman Maya Muneno, Palos Verdes’ No. 2 runner at the state championships, and sophomore Joanna Della Gatta give Coach Joe Kelly a chance for “three-peat” next fall.

In boys competition, Miraleste senior Gary Stoltz finished fourth in the State Division II race.

GIRLS TENNIS

Miraleste reached the Southern Section 4-A finals for the fifth straight year, but the top-seeded Marauders were denied the title when they were upset by Corona del Mar. Although the match ended in a tie, 9-9, Corona del Mar was awarded the championship because it won more games, 71-65.

The result was a bit of a surprise, considering that Miraleste had beaten Corona del Mar, 13-5, during the regular season. The loss ended the Marauders’ two-year reign as 4-A champs.

Senior Kim Po, the top-rated 18-year-old in the state, paced Miraleste to a 14-1 record.

WATER POLO

With seniors J. Chapin, Luke Downer and Simon Kim leading the way, Mira Costa won the Ocean League title and reached the semifinals of the Southern Section 2-A playoffs before losing in overtime to La Serna, 12-11.

The Mustangs, who were seeded No. 2 for the playoffs, finished with a 23-9 record, one of their best seasons ever.

Palos Verdes (20-6) won the Bay League title and lost in the second round of the 3-A playoffs to San Clemente.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Mira Costa gave Southern California a preview of things to come during the 1988 season. With no seniors in the lineup, the Mustangs reached the Southern Section 5-A finals and the State Division I quarterfinals.

Coach Dae Lea Aldrich’s young team was 23-0 before being swept by Irvine, 17-15, 15-10, 15-6, in the 5-A finals. Gahr, the 4-A champion, then beat the Mustangs in the state tournament, 15-6, 8-15, 15-11, 15-7.

Mira Costa, which finished with a 24-2 mark, should be among the nation’s most formidable teams next season. Its entire lineup returns intact, led by All-CIF performers Piper Hahn, Kristal Attwood and Heidi Eick, all juniors.

Chadwick, meanwhile, reached the semifinals of the Small Schools playoffs.

BOYS BASKETBALL

A scrappy, defensive-minded team from Orange County proved to be a thorn in the side for two of the South Bay’s prime contenders in the CIF playoffs.

Unheralded Corona del Mar, third-place finisher from the Sea View League, became the Cinderella story of the Southern Section 3-A playoffs by upsetting top-seeded Rolling Hills and fourth-seeded Morningside in back-to-back games.

Corona del Mar prevented an all-South Bay match-up by beating Rolling Hills, 69-63, in the quarterfinals. The Sea Kings then edged Morningside, 57-56, in a thrilling game at Redondo High to reach the finals.

Morningside, led by Northern Arizona-bound forward Eddie Scott, avenged the loss two weeks later by defeating Corona del Mar, 53-46, in the semifinals of the Southern California Division III regionals. But the Monarchs lost in the finals to 3-A champion Trabuco Hills, denying them a trip to the state finals in Oakland.

The only other South Bay teams to reach the semifinals were Carson and El Segundo. Carson threw a scare into top-seeded Manual Arts before falling, 50-44, in the L.A. City 4-A playoffs at the Sports Arena, while El Segundo lost in the Southern Section 2-AA playoffs to eventual champion Whittier Christian, 71-57, after it had upset top-seeded Cabrillo in the quarterfinals.

Individually, it was a strong year in the area.

College coaches recruited heavily in the South Bay, plucking the top prizes from local courts. St. Bernard’s 6-11 Ed Stokes signed with Arizona, Inglewood swing man Harold Miner picked USC, Westchester forward Zan Mason committed to UCLA and Rolling Hills’ John Hardy, who was nearly overlooked, finally signed with the University of the Pacific.

Stokes, named The Times South Bay Player of the Year, bounced back from an injury-plagued junior season to blossom into one of the Southland’s dominant big men. He led St. Bernard with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots a game on his way to being named the Camino Real League MVP. His rebound and blocked-shot averages were the best in the area.

Miner, the 1988 South Bay Player of the Year, followed a dynamic junior season with an equally impressive senior campaign. The 6-5 jumping jack led the area in scoring with a 29-point average, many of his baskets coming on spectacular dunks, and he grabbed 10.5 rebounds a game.

But the exploits of the talented Miner weren’t enough for Inglewood to win the Bay League title. The Sentinels finished behind Rolling Hills, led by the versatile Hardy.

Although not as physically gifted as Miner, the 6-4 Hardy capped a stellar prep career by beating out his rival for Bay League MVP. In his two years as a starter, Rolling Hills was 45-12 and won back-to-back Bay League titles. Hardy averaged 27.7 points and 11.4 points for the 24-5 Titans.

The expectations were high for Westchester, led by Mason and flashy point guard Sam Crawford, but the Comets never lived up to them in the competitive L.A. City 4-A Division. They were overshadowed by Manual Arts in the Western League and lost to old nemesis Crenshaw in the 4-A quarterfinals.

Torrance’s Carl Strong earned The Times South Bay Coach of the Year award for guiding the Tartars to a surprising season. Picked to finish last in the Bay League by the coaches, Torrance contended for the title before finishing third behind Rolling Hills and Inglewood. The Tartars (16-11), sparked by sharp-shooting junior guard Rick Robison, reached the Southern Section 4-AA quarterfinals.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

They both started the season with No. 1 rankings. Only one finished on top, but nobody can deny it was another successful year for Morningside and Palos Verdes.

Morningside, avenging last year’s loss in the State Division I championship game, defeated Fremont of Oakland, 60-50, to capture its first state title and cap a 32-1 season.

Palos Verdes was ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 4-A Division when it was upset by eventual champion Katella of Anaheim, 56-55, in the semifinals of the playoffs. The Sea Kings finished 24-4.

Not surprisingly, both teams featured dominant players.

The most dominating was Lisa Leslie, Morningside’s all-everything center. The 6-foot-5 junior, chosen The Times South Bay Player of the Year, averaged 26 points, 14.6 rebounds and 6.7 blocked shots to lead the Lady Monarchs to their finest season, which included the Southern Section 5-AA title.

A Parade All-American, Leslie was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Ocean League and State Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports. She recently added to her impressive resume by being the only high school player selected to the U.S. Junior National team, otherwise made up of collegians.

Bay League champion Palos Verdes featured “twin towers” Heather and Heidi Burge. The 6-4 sisters, who both signed with Virginia, each averaged more than 20 points and 12 rebounds a game on their way to being named league co-MVPs.

But as impressive as the Burge-led Sea Kings were, they had to take a back seat to Coach Frank Scott’s Morningside team.

The Lady Monarchs, whose only loss was to Southern High of Louisville in the finals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, normally had their games in hand by the end of the first quarter, winning by margins of 50, 60 and 70 points.

And the team’s success wasn’t solely because of Leslie.

Senior point guard JoJo Witherspoon, a Kansas recruit, impressed coaches with her heady court play, averaging 16.8 points and a team-high 10 assists. After helping the Lady Monarchs to their seventh consecutive league title and 72nd straight league win, Witherspoon was honored as the Ocean League’s MVP.

During a league game against South Torrance, she scored a school-record 68 points, the third-highest total in Southern Section history.

Scott, The Times South Bay Coach of the Year the past two seasons, figures to have another powerhouse next season with the return of Leslie and Janet Davis, a promising 6-3 freshman who averaged 11 points a game.

SOCCER

Dominance and superiority were words frequently used to describe the Palos Verdes boys team.

Arguably the best high school team ever, the Sea Kings finally captured a Southern Section title after years of falling just short.

And they did it in grand style, capping a perfect 33-0 season with a 2-0 victory over Edison in the 4-A Division championship game at Gahr High.

“I never had a team like this,” said Coach Alan King, who guided Palos Verdes to the semifinals eight times and the finals once in previous years. “This team just (didn’t) want to lose.”

Aside from setting the Southern Section record for the best single-season record, the Sea Kings registered 23 shutouts and outscored opponents, 93-11.

Brandon DeMott and Jeff Bowers scored the goals in the 4-A championship game, which, like all their previous wins, was a total team effort. Goalie Mark Antrobius and Gregg Swartz headed the defense, while midfielder Lance Haworth and forwards Paul Kaemmerer and Doug Kay sparked the offense.

Haworth, also a football and baseball star, was named the 4-A Division’s Offensive Player of the Year.

San Pedro stunned top-seeded Belmont, 4-3, in overtime to win its second L.A. City title in three years.

In a strange twist, the Pirates were beaten in the semifinals by Palisades but received a bid to play in the final after officials discovered that seven Palisades players had participated in an American Youth Soccer Organization tournament the weekend before meeting San Pedro.

The Pirates took full advantage of their reprieve, beating Belmont when midfielder Jack Holt scored with 11 minutes to play in overtime on a 40-yard shot that bounced over the head of goalie Roberto Campos.

Joe Lopez had two goals, and Anton Spanjol added one for San Pedro, which finished with a 14-0-1 record.

WRESTLING

Four South Bay wrestlers won CIF-Southern Section individual titles.

Mike Ramirez of West Torrance (165 pounds) won his second straight 3-A Division crown. Also capturing 3-A titles were Ronell Lone of Morningside at 175 pounds and Mike Matsumoto of North Torrance at 105 pounds. Jeremy Carr of El Segundo won the 1-A title at 126 pounds.

Ramirez, Matsumoto and West’s Kelly Yokoe (126 pounds) were the only area wrestlers who qualified for the state finals.

BASEBALL

It was supposed to be a rebuilding season.

El Segundo returned only one starter from 1988--outfielder Erik Evans. But blessed with a talented group of underclassmen, it soon became apparent that the Eagles were a championship-caliber team.

They ended St. Bernard’s three-year reign as Camino Real League champion, clinching the title with a 6-5 victory over the Vikings in eight innings to claim their fourth league crown in five years.

El Segundo’s run of success continued in the playoffs with four straight wins, culminated by a 7-4 victory over San Marino in the Southern Section 2-A championship game at Dodger Stadium. John Stevenson, California’s most winning coach with a 632-243 career record, was named The Times South Bay Coach of the Year for the way he handled an inexperienced team.

The Eagle pitching staff, headed by senior right-hander Rick Clark (10-0), who hurled complete games in the 2-A semifinals and finals, was successful without overpowering batters. As a team, El Segundo hit .358, led by junior catcher Garret Quaintance (.460), Evans (.396) and senior third baseman Chris Lane (.389).

Although the Eagles overshadowed St. Bernard, the Vikings’ Dan Melendez distinguished himself as the area’s best all-around player. The versatile senior, who pitched and played first base, ended his career with 14 school records and a truckload of awards.

Statistically, Melendez ranked near the top of nearly every pitching and hitting category in the South Bay. The left-hander posted an 11-3 record and an 1.36 ERA in 84 1/3 innings. He batted .527 (39 for 74) with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.

He finished his career with 31 home runs, one shy of the Southern Section record, and set St. Bernard career records for most hits (117) and RBIs (112) and highest batting average (.489).

Named The Times South Bay Player of the Year, Melendez was chosen MVP of the Camino Real League and CIF 2-A Player of the Year. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Baltimore Orioles, but reportedly will honor his letter of intent with Pepperdine.

Leuzinger pitcher Tyrone Scott was the first South Bay player drafted, taken in the fourth round by the Houston Astros. The erratic left-hander, who led the area in strikeouts and walks, quickly signed a pro contract.

Leuzinger’s season ended in controversy when Coach Derrel Thomas resigned after a walkout by nine Olympian players. The incident, which occurred with one week left in the season, ended a stormy two-year coaching stint at the Lawndale school for the ex-Dodger. The players who quit were reinstated for the team’s final two games.

The L.A. City 4-A playoffs were nearly canceled because of a boycott by the 4-A coaches during the teachers strike. But when the strike was settled, the playoffs were resurrected under a shortened schedule. The area’s three entries--San Pedro, Banning and Gardena--all lost in the first round.

SOFTBALL

San Pedro reached the L.A. City championship game for the second straight season under Coach Tony Dobra, but lost again to an old nemesis.

El Camino Real of Woodland Hills captured its sixth title in seven years with a 1-0 victory, marking the third consecutive season the Conquistadores eliminated the Pirates from the playoffs with a shutout.

El Camino Real beat San Pedro in the 1988 final, 5-0, and blanked the Pirates, 1-0, in the ’87 semifinals.

“We’ve got to get that monkey off our backs,” said a frustrated Dobra. “Geez, we at least have to score a run against them one of these times.”

This year’s loss negated a three-hit pitching performance by San Pedro’s Meagan Moore, who finished the season with an 18-5 record.

Banning, runner-up to San Pedro in the Pacific League, lost to El Camino Real in the City semifinals.

Hawthorne, the area’s top Southern Section team, won the Bay League title and reached the second round of the 4-A Division playoffs before losing to No. 1 Hart, 4-2. The Cougars were led by pitchers Tricia Waayers and Lisa Smith.

BOYS’ TENNIS

The South Bay is traditionally a tennis hotbed, but not in 1989. No area team made it past the second round of the Southern Section or City playoffs. Redondo won the Ocean League title, its first league title in several years.

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

Mira Costa’s hopes of an unbeaten season and winning its second CIF title came to a disappointing end when the top-seeded Mustangs were beaten by Corona del Mar, 16-18, 15-12, 15-6, 15-8, in the Southern Section 4-A final at Marina High in Huntington Beach.

The Mustangs, also a CIF runner-up in 1987, finished with a 21-1 record.

Coach Mike Cook’s team should make another run for the title in 1990. Mira Costa returns several players, including All-CIF outside hitter David Swatik and 6-5 middle blocker Pat Ivie.

St. Bernard, the third-place team from the Camino Real League, surprisingly reached the 2-A final before losing to Royal High of Simi Valley, 15-12, 9-15, 15-9, 12-15, 15-4. The Vikings, led by seniors Jay Armant and Keith Cochran, finished 17-7.

SWIMMING

Two swimmers and one diver from Peninsula high schools captured individual titles at the Southern Section divisional finals at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Debra Kory of Rolling Hills set a 3-A record with a time of 1:05.87 in the 100-meter breast stroke and won the 100 butterfly in 58.00. Sara Marsh of Palos Verdes set a 3-A record by amassing 480.90 points in springboard diving. And Chadwick freshman Jessica Tong won the 2-A 50-meter freestyle in 24.28.

In one of the most impressive performances of the year, the Redondo girls team won all 10 events to capture the championship of the Ocean League finals. Dusty Crayton, Chrissy Johnson and Jennifer Kalinowski each won two events for the Sea Hawks.

TRACK AND FIELD

Hawthorne opened the CIF State Championships with a disastrous performance in the 400-meter relay, but they rallied behind sprinter Curtis Conway and, by meet’s end, were celebrating their third straight state title.

Despite being disqualified in the 400 relay for an illegal baton pass and not winning the state 1,600 relay for the first time in seven years, Hawthorne had more than enough to stave off the competition at Cerritos College.

The Cougars amassed 40 points, besting second-place Dorsey (26) and Oakland (22) by comfortable margins.

After their disqualification in the 400 relay, a race they were favored to win, the Cougars rode Conway’s shoulders to their sixth state crown in seven years under Coach Kye Courtney.

Conway gave Hawthorne a boost by winning the 100 in 10.42 seconds over a strong field, which included teammate Chris Alexander, who finished third in 10.68. In the 200, Conway took second in 20.89 behind San Francisco Mission’s Barry Smith, who ran 20.82.

Conway anchored the 1,600-relay team to a second-place finish behind Dorsey but had no chance to score points for Hawthorne in the 400 relay after third leg Erik Allen took off too soon and received the baton exchange from Anthony Smith out of the passing zone.

It was a disheartening blow for the Cougars, who for three straight weeks leading up to the State Championships had broken their own state record in the event, culminated with a 40.24 effort in the state prelims.

“That’s all right,” said Courtney, who also guided Hawthorne to the 4-A Southern Section title. “We still got the (state) plaque.”

Individually, Rolling Hills pole-vaulter Greg Wiler ended the season impressively with a second-place finish at the state meet. His mark of 15-2 was a personal best.

The Hawthorne girls, meanwhile, took seventh in the state meet, led by the winning 1,600-relay team of Keisha Marvin, Rhonda Kennerson, Konika Conwright and Kee-Sha Adams.

In the L.A. City finals, the Carson boys team finished in a second-place tie behind Dorsey.

CROWNING GLORY OF ‘88-’89 State Titles PALOS VERDES--girls cross country MORNINGSIDE--girls basketball HAWTHORNE--boys track & field CIF Titles COAST CHRISTIAN--football PALOS VERDES--girls cross country MORNINGSIDE--girls basketball PALOS VERDES--boys soccer EL SEGUNDO--baseball HAWTHORNE--boys track & field L.A. City Titles CARSON--football SAN PEDRO--boys soccer