The Preps / Lonnie White : Southern Section Gets the Jump on City

Who has the best football teams in the area, the Southern Section or the City?

The question is always open to debate at the end of the season because the two sides have never reached an agreement to have a local prep championship game.

However, Southern Section and City teams do play during the regular season and, based on last weekend’s results, the Southern Section has a clear advantage.

In seven inter-sectional games, the Southern Section won five, including victories over two of the Times’ top-ranked City teams, Carson, the defending City 4-A Division champions, and San Fernando.

Despite its early showing against Southern Section teams, many City coaches say they are at a disadvantage in game preparation. This season, City teams were not allowed to begin practices until Sept. 5. The Southern Section began Aug. 24.

“I do not think that there is any difference between the top teams in each section,” said Carson Coach Gene Vollnogle, whose Colts lost to Bishop Amat, 24-23, last Friday night at La Puente. It was the second consecutive year Carson lost the matchup.

“They (Southern Section teams) have twice as many practices to begin the season and then they usually have one game under their belts because they begin their season a week earlier.

“We have to hurry our preparation in order to play a Southern Section team. It is impossible to have everything installed in time. You always would like to bring in a kid slowly, but because of the quality schools we play, we have to take risks.”

San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez agrees with Vollnogle.

“The top five teams in both sections are basically the same,” said Hernandez, whose Tigers lost to Fontana, The Times’ top-ranked Southern Section team, 35-9, last Friday night.

“We were just not ready to play a team like that to start the season. They had already played a game and also had a couple of weeks more to practice than us.”

The only City teams to defeat Southern Section teams last weekend were Wilmington Banning, which defeated Long Beach Poly, 21-9, in both teams’ first game of the season, and Crenshaw, which defeated Lynwood, 35-22.

“High school is high school and we feel that we play the best teams anyway,” said Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett, whose Cougars are in the Pacific League with City powers Carson, Banning and Dorsey.

“They have an advantage in playing a game before us, but to us, it is just another ballgame because we cannot face any tougher competition than we do in the league.”

Bishop Amat vs. Carson II--Last season, Carson finished 12-1, with its only loss coming against Bishop Amat in its second game of the season. This year, Carson rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to take a 23-17 lead in the fourth quarter. However, Bishop Amat came back on Zack Zertuche’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Jason Patterson, capping an 89-yard drive with 2:13 left to close the scoring.

“It was like Carson thought the game started at 9 instead of 7:30,” Bishop Amat Coach Mark Paredes said of the Colts’ comeback. “When we were up 17-0, the kids settled a little too much. We were fortunate that they did not have an extra minute to score late in the game.”

A key factor was Bishop Amat’s ability to shut down Carson’s running game, which accounted for only six yards in 21 carries.

“I never, ever remember Carson having a night like that rushing,” Vollnogle said. “We have a very inexperienced offensive line, but they just completely stopped us.”

Carson instead went to the air with first-year starting quarterback Armin Youngblood throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns after a shaky first half. Carson receivers were led by senior Michael Ross, who had six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Tydus Winans caught three for 99, and junior Latario Rachal had three for 72.

Afterward, Parades reviewed the two-year Southern Section vs. City rivalry with Carson.

“In all fairness, the City and Southern Section should start at the same time,” said Paredes, whose Lancers averted their first 0-2 start since 1966. “But, last year we played Carson under basically equal circumstances and I thought that they were a little better this year.

“If Gene (Vollnogle) says that they needed a couple more days to practice, we would have been in trouble.”

Prep Notes

In Crenshaw’s 35-22 victory over Lynwood, the Cougars amassed a school record in total offense with 498 yards. Senior tailback Kevin Hicks led the way, gaining 196 yards in 10 carries and scoring two touchdowns, including a 70-yard run. Senior fullback/linebacker Charles Jenkins also had a big game, gaining 78 yards in 7 carries and scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Lynwood, which played without injured star quarterback Charles Levy, was sacked 10 times by the Cougars’ defense, with linebacker Shawn Lowery accounting for four and Jenkins two. . . . Levy said he will play in Lynwood’s game against Carson Friday night at Long Beach Veterans Stadium. . . . Ivan Wilson of South Gate, City 3-A Division Player of the Year last season, gained 200 yards in 16 carries in the Rams’ 35-12 win over Los Angeles Wilson

Kahill McAlpin of Los Angeles Loyola rushed for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Cubs’ 35-14 win over Long Beach Jordan. . . . For the second consecutive week, Paramount junior running back Leon Neal outshined star quarterback Jack Manu, rushing for 121 yards in six carries in the Pirates’ 34-6 victory over Anaheim Katella. . . . In Los Altos’ 40-7 victory over Crescenta Valley, the Falcons’ only score came on a Southern Section record-tying 99-yard touchdown pass play from Aaron Erickson to Ryan Kadletz. For Los Altos, junior quarterback Mike Allen completed 18 of 29 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior fullback/linebacker Bobby Sylvester of Fontana gained 181 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 35-9 win over San Fernando. Dana Riddle of Rancho Alamitos rushed for 317 yards on 37 carries in the Vaqueros’ 9-6 victory over Costa Mesa. . . . In Los Alamitos’ 45-28 victory over Anaheim Servite last Thursday night, running back Erik Mitchell gained 245 yards in 20 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Griffins, while Servite senior quarterback Rob Walker, playing in only his second varsity game, passed for 371 yards.

TIMES’ TOP TEAMS

Southern Section

No. School, League Record 1. Fontana, Citrus Belt 2-0-0 2. Loyola, Del Rey 2-0-0 3. Paramount, San Gabriel Valley 2-0-0 4. Los Alamitos, Empire 2-0-0 5. Leuzinger, Bay 2-0-0 6. Los Altos, Sierra 2-0-0 7. Muir, Pacific 2-0-0 8. Bishop Amat, Angelus 1-1-0 9. Santa Monica, Bay 1-0-0 10. Rubidoux, Citrus Belt 1-0-1 11. Mission Viejo, South Coast 2-0-0 12. Oxnard, Channel 2-0-0 13. Thousand Oaks, Marmonte 2-0-0 14. Dominguez, San Gabriel Valley 2-0-0 15. Lompoc, Northern 2-0-0

City

No. School, League Record 1. Banning, Pacific 1-0-0 2. Carson, Pacific 0-1-0 3. Granada Hills, North Valley 1-0-0 4. San Fernando, North Valley 0-1-0 5. Dorsey, Pacific 1-0-0 6. South Gate, Central 1-0-0 7. Franklin, Northeast 1-0-0 8. Crenshaw, Pacific 1-0-0 9. Westchester, Metro 0-1-0 10. Fairfax, Western 0-0-0