Carnes Calls It Quits at Leuzinger

Steve Carnes resigned Wednesday as Leuzinger High’s football coach, thus ending one of the most successful coaching reigns in South Bay history.

Carnes, who took over the program in 1984, guided the Olympians to seven playoff appearances, four league titles and a CIF championship during his seven seasons as coach. His teams never finished lower than third in league play.

Even with that success, though, Carnes says he suffered from burnout. He decided this would be his last season as coach before the opening game.

“Basically, I’m tired and kind of worn out,” he said. “I need a change in my life at this point.”

Leuzinger’s season ended Friday with a 31-7 loss to Esperanza of Anaheim. It marked the fourth consecutive year the Olympians lost in the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals to either the eventual champion or a top-seeded team. Esperanza is ranked No. 1 in Division III.

“I think Leuzinger High School has gone just about as far as I can take it,” Carnes said. “I think it needs a change, maybe some new blood.”

Carnes guided Leuzinger to the school’s only CIF football title in 1985. Led by quarterback Mike Reddington and receiver Sean Smith (now playing for Rose Bowl-bound Iowa), the Olympians captured the Desert-Mountain Conference championship with a 39-17 victory over Harvard of North Hollywood.

Since then, Carnes said it has been frustrating to watch Leuzinger come up short in its quest for another title.

“When you win a (CIF) championship, it’s like nothing is good enough after that,” he said. “We had a successful season this year, yet we are looking at it as a year that wasn’t very successful.”

Leuzinger tied Hawthorne for the Bay League title and finished 8-4, giving Carnes a career record of 56-22-6, including 8-6 in the playoffs. Leuzinger’s other titles under Carnes came in 1984, 1985 and 1987, all in the Pioneer League.

He will remain a teacher and athletic director at the school at least until the end of the school year, he said.

Carnes, whose teams were characterized by a hard-nosed, aggressive style of play, said he will recommend the school name a new coach as soon as possible.

“It’s been a good seven years,” he said. “I have a lot of things to be proud of.”

There’s no question of that.

Carson football Coach Gene Vollnogle thinks the world of Banning tailback Travis Davis. He compares Davis to Banning greats Freeman McNeil and Stanley Wilson, both of whom reached the NFL.

But when it came time Monday night to choose the Pacific League Player of the Year, Vollnogle was disappointed Davis and Carson quarterback John Walsh tied for the award after a vote of the league’s four coaches.

His disappointment was justified.

Davis, who has rushed for 1,500 yards, has had a good season.

Walsh, who has set 22 school records and is approaching several state and national marks, has had a great season.

Moreover, Carson beat Banning, 41-14, in a game in which Walsh outplayed Davis. Walsh passed for 406 yards and four touchdowns. Davis rushed for 165 yards and no TDs.

“I expressed my feelings,” Vollnogle said of the split vote. “I think the problem was that it was only four schools (voting).

“Davis is an outstanding running back. But I think what John has done is more significant.”

Well said.

Serra football Coach Leo Hand, who has been known to worry unnecessarily about his team’s opponents, might have reason to fret this week.

The top-seeded Cavaliers (10-0) face fourth-seeded Arroyo Grande (10-1) in the CIF Division VII semifinals Friday night at Serra.

Hand has vivid memories of his team’s meeting with Arroyo Grande last year. Serra needed a late touchdown to pull out a 32-25 quarterfinal victory. It was the Cavaliers’ closest call on their way to the Division VII title.

“I don’t think we’re as good as we were last year, and I think they’re better,” Hand said. “They’re so much bigger than we are. I’m talking guys who are 6-5 and 300 (pounds). Up north, they feed them well.”

Arroyo Grande, located near Pismo Beach on the central coast, suffered its only loss in a close decision to third-seeded Lompoc, last year’s Division VII runner-up.

Making matters more stressful for Hand is the questionable status of Alex Marcelin, Serra’s quarterback. Marcelin suffered a sprained ankle last week in a 34-6 victory over La Mirada. Hand said Marcelin, who also plays linebacker, will be limited to offense if he is able to play Friday.

“In order for us to move the ball on (Arroyo Grande), we’re going to have to put the ball in the air,” Hand said. “Alex is the only guy we have to do that.”

A student statistician at Serra claims that Cavalier running back Jerald Henry has rushed for 2,362 yards in 10 games.

Our reaction: The student needs a refresher course in basic math.

Unless newspaper accounts of Serra’s games are grossly inaccurate, Henry has around 1,700 yards rushing.

According to the Serra student, Henry is averaging more than 230 yards a game. But, according to reporters covering Serra’s games, he has rushed for 200 or more yards only three times.

And, considering the number of lopsided victories the Cavaliers have been involved in, it’s unlikely Henry has been left in games long enough to total more than 2,000 yards for the season.

Palos Verdes tight end-linebacker David Bohner, the only player named to the All-Ocean League first team on offense and defense, will lead the Sea Kings against top-seeded Cabrillo of Lompoc at 7:30 Saturday night at North Torrance High.

Coach Bill Judy said the 6-5, 235-pound Bohner has been instrumental in Palos Verdes’ three-game winning streak heading into the semifinals of the Division VIII playoffs.

“He’s given us blocking, and defensively he plugs up that middle from tackle to center,” Judy said. “He’s been our most outstanding player.”

Notes

Bishop Montgomery linebacker Mike Hall, a 6-3, 225-pound senior, is being recruited by Notre Dame, Stanford, Colorado and California, according to Coach Steve Carroll. . . . St. Bernard forward Wyking Jones, who was expected to sign an early letter of intent to play basketball for Loyola Marymount, did not sign. The Vikings, who return their entire front line of 6-foot-7 Jones, 6-5 Chris Keldorf and 6-4 Rick Famuyiwa, are rated second in the CIF Division III preseason rankings. Morningside is third. . . . In girls’ basketball, two-time defending State Division I champion Morningside is rated second. Palos Verdes is ranked first in Division III.

South Bay’s Football Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 Serra (Camino Real) 10-0 2 Carson (Pacific) 9-1 3 Banning (Pacific) 7-3 4 Hawthorne (Bay) 10-2 5 Morningside (Ocean) 10-2 6 Leuzinger (Bay) 8-4 7 Palos Verdes (Ocean) 7-5 8 Torrance (Pioneer) 8-4 9 West Torrance (Pioneer) 9-3 10 Mira Costa (Ocean) 6-5-1