Coach Has Lofty Goals for El Camino Warriors

John Featherstone has the same goal every year: The El Camino College football coach wants to win the mythical national championship. The Warriors did it in 1987, and this season he thinks his team can repeat that feat.

Last year the Warriors came close. They won the PONY Bowl and finished on top of the Mission Conference (9-1-1), but their only loss, to Fullerton, knocked them out of contention for the national junior college crown.

El Camino opens this season Saturday night at Antelope Valley. The Warriors are tougher than ever defensively but very inexperienced on offense after losing every starting wide receiver and running back. They do, however, have all-conference quarterback Frank Dolce running the show.

“Our strength is definitely defense,” Featherstone said. “It’s the finest in the five years I’ve been here.”

El Camino has eight all-conference players in that area, including all-American defensive back Niu Sale (93 tackles, four interceptions), all-state linebacker Greg Franklin (99 tackles), defensive back Tony Church (28 tackles, two interceptions), lineman Jeff Cummins (44 tackles, two interceptions) and Ken Franklin, a Harbor College transfer.

Freshman linebackers Ron Hanze (North Torrance High), Peter Hunt (Carson) and Henry Bens (Leuzinger) will also see a lot of playing time. Hunt was an all-City player last year and Bens was an all-CIF selection.

“It’s a very secure feeling,” Featherstone said, “to go into the season with such a good defense. There’s no question that the success of this team depends heavily on how those guys play.”

Featherstone hopes defensive power will make up for an offense that is composed mainly of raw talent. The Warriors will miss star running backs Aaron Craver and Brian Conners, fullback Neil Tuihalamaka and wide receiver Bryan Burnett.

Fortunately, Dolce (1,278 yards and 10 touchdowns last year) is in full force after suffering an injury that kept him out of five games last year. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback will have an array of strong receivers and backs to work with.

Sophomores David Blakes (6-0, 165) and Kurt Wyrick (5-11, 180) will be the key wide receivers, although freshmen Shannon Thompson (Morningside), Marquis Owens (Carson) and Khevin Pratt have demonstrated lots of talent during practice.

Alfred Lowe (5-10, 185), Joe Magri (5-9, 200) and Mike Wyrick (5-9, 205) return at running back, but all saw very limited action last year. They will be complimented by freshmen Al Savea, an all-state high school running back from Hawaii, Deshon Mosley (Morningside), Derrick Duren (Gardena) and Khybdeed Hairston (Gardena).

“I think our offense can be real productive,” Featherstone said. “We’ve got some weapons, and Frank (Dolce) is one of the finest quarterbacks we’ve had at this school.”

Featherstone also said he’s content with his offensive line, which has six returning lettermen. Derrick Deese (6-5, 265) and Ishmal Peralta (6-1, 245) are the top returners, and sophomores Terry Louis (6-3, 265) and David Porter (6-3, 250) are expected to play key roles.

Sophomore Marlon McBride (6-2, 225) will be the starting tight end, and Calvert Johnson, a freshman from Dallas, will be the main backup.

Joe Jezulin will be the starting place-kicker with freshmen Ed Korn (Hawthorne), Louis Perez (Carson) and Izadore Camacho (Banning) backing him up.