Dorsey Remains One Step From Success

When Dorsey High moved from the City 3-A Division to the 4-A Division’s Pacific League in 1984, no one gave the Dons’ football program much of a chance to prosper. With perennial powers Carson and Wilmington Banning in the same league, Dorsey finished with a 2-6 record.

The Dons improved over the next three seasons, in which they were 20-11 overall, but they continued to have problems with Carson and Banning, losing all seven meetings against them.

Dorsey co-coaches Paul Knox and Eugene McAdoo thought they could solve the problem.

“We definitely did not feel that we were at the level of Carson and Banning when we first moved into their league,” said Knox, who became coach along with McAdoo in 1985. “We knew we could match up with them at the skilled positions, but we also knew that we had to upgrade our interior lines. We struggled at first, until we got things going.”

An indication of Dorsey’s rapid improvement is that the Dons play host to Carson Friday night with a share of the Pacific League title on the line. Dorsey defeated Carson, 26-15, last season to win its first major division City championship.

Dorsey’s progress has come over several years. Guided by assistant coach Darryl Holmes, the Dons were first able to gain respect by improving their play on the line. That was evident two years ago, in the City semifinals, when Dorsey led Carson at halftime before losing.

This season, Dorsey was considered one of the teams to beat, and with this distinction came surprises. Instead of searching out players to compete against Carson and Banning, Dorsey had quality players, such as wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and kicker Adrian Villareal, transfer to the school.

Johnson, who played last season at Palisades, and Villareal, who played at Carson, have keyed the offense for Dorsey, the Times’ third-rated City team with a 7-1 record.

“We thought that we would have a good team this year, but they have helped us have a chance to win a league title,” Knox said. “They have been a big addition to our program.”

Johnson, 6 feet 3, 185 pounds, has caught 24 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns. His 38-yard reception helped lead to Dorsey’s go-ahead touchdown in a 21-14 victory over Granada Hills earlier this season.

Johnson played for Palisades last year, when he started as a defensive back, before moving back into the Dorsey area to live with relatives last summer.

Knox was introduced to Johnson last summer during a passing league practice.

“He basically just showed up at our practice and started hanging around,” Knox said. “He is a cousin of one of our players, and he told me that he was moving to the area. He kept coming until we started putting him in, and he’s been with us ever since.”

While Johnson was hanging around the Dorsey practice field, Villareal was already attending summer school at Dorsey.

“(Villareal) just showed up in school,” Knox said. “I didn’t know a thing about him coming here until after he started attending summer school.”

Last season, Villareal was a backup kicker for Carson, where the starter was his twin brother, Aaron.

Despite Dorsey’s recent success, Knox still considers Carson the best program in the city.

“We are just not at the point where Carson is,” he said. “Right now, we just can’t come and line up and be dominant every year. Those are the last touches to come.”

It is a weekend of big football games, with three showdowns slated for Friday night.

Carson, The Times’ top-rated City team, will try to avenge last season’s championship loss to Dorsey. Carson (7-1) will be led by John Walsh, who with 2,843 yards passing is on pace to break the national prep record of 4,179 yards. Walsh passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns in the Colts’ 47-0 victory over San Pedro and has 31 touchdown passes this year. Dorsey (7-1) bounced back from its loss to Banning two weeks ago by defeating Narbonne, 37-4.

In the Southern Section, Los Angeles Loyola (8-1) will play for a share of the Division I Angelus League title when the Cubs travel to La Puente Bishop Amat (7-1). A Loyola victory, along with a Santa Ana Mater Dei victory over St. John Bosco, creates a three-way tie for first place. A Loyola victory and a Mater Dei loss would give the Cubs the title. Loyola will be led by Corby Smith, who has passed for 888 yards, and Matt Vanis, who has rushed for 913 yards. Bishop Amat will be led by the backfield tandem of fullback Jason Patterson and tailback Scott Fields.

In a long-awaited showdown of unbeaten teams, Rialto Eisenhower will travel to Fontana to decide the Citrus Belt League title. Fontana, The Times’ top Southern Section team and defending Division I champion, has a 23-game winning streak. The Steelers defeated Riverside Poly, 50-0, last Friday. Eisenhower moved up to second in The Times’ poll from No. 4 after defeating Redlands, 28-0.

Prep Notes

Montclair Prep of Van Nuys clinched the Southern Section Division X Alpha League football title Saturday with a 20-7 victory over Sun Valley Village Christian. The Mounties (6-3) have won five in a row after losing three of their first four games. Montclair Prep struggled early in the season after cousins Derek and Leland Sparks transferred to Santa Ana Mater Dei. Running back Eliel Swinton has filled the gap left by Derek Sparks. Swinton, a sophomore, has 1,381 yards rushing in 194 carries and 18 touchdowns. . . . Mission Viejo (8-1) jumped from No. 12 to No. 5 in The Times’ Southern Section poll after its 21-9 victory over previously undefeated El Toro Friday night. El Toro (8-1) dropped from No. 2 to No. 9. . . . Bell, which made its debut in The Times’ City poll at No. 10, may be the hottest 3-A City team right now. The Eagles, who upset Locke, 33-0, Friday, have won four in a row by a combined score of 110-6. . . . Crenshaw basketball guard Kevin Ollie has made an oral commitment to attend the University of Connecticut.

Southern Section

No. School, League / Division Record 1. Fontana, Citrus Belt / Div. I 9-0-0 2. Eisenhower, Citrus Belt / Div. I 9-0-0 3. Bishop Amat, Angelus / Div. I 7-1-0 4. Paramount, San Gab. Valley / Div. II 9-0-0 5. Mission Viejo, South Coast / Div. II 8-1-0 6. Loyola, Angelus / Div. I 8-1-0 7. Canyon Springs, Ivy / Div. IV 9-0-0 8. CC Canyon, Golden / Div. I 8-1-0 9. El Toro, South Coast / Div. II 8-1-0 10. Tustin, Sea View / Div. VI 9-0-0 11. Hawthorne, Bay / Div. III 8-1-0 12. Edison, Sunset / Div. I 8-1-0 13. Westlake, Marmonte / Div. II 8-0-1 14. Esperanza, Empire / Div. III 9-0-0 15. Serra, Camino Real / Div. VII 7-0-0

City

No. School, League / Division Record 1. Carson, Pacific / 4-A 7-1-0 2. Banning, Pacific / 4-A 5-3-0 3. Dorsey, Pacific / 4-A 7-1-0 4. Granada Hills, West Valley / 4-A 7-1-0 5. Fairfax, Metro / 3-A 7-0-0 6. Sylmar, Valley East / 3-A 7-0-0 7. El Camino Real, West Valley / 4-A 6-1-0 8. Belmont, Northwestern / 3-A 6-1-0 9. Garfield, Eastern / 3-A 6-1-0 10. Bell, Eastern / 3-A 5-2-1