Powell Powers Millikan Into 5-A Baseball Final

Dante Powell, a senior at Long Beach Millikan High, occasionally gets into difficulties because of his athletic versatility.

A baseball player since he was 5, Powell’s talents at a variety of positions have allowed Coach Dan Peters to move him around freely. Powell started at shortstop as a sophomore, split time between shortstop and second base as a junior, and moved from second base to center field this season.

Encouraged by friends to try out for track this year, Powell found time to juggle the two sports and excelled in the sprints. At the Moore League meet last month, he finished second in the 100-meter dash and anchored the Rams’ 400-meter relay team, which also placed second.

But Powell was forced to miss the Southern Section 4-A meet because it was held the same day Millikan played Newhall Hart in the opening round of the baseball playoffs.

“A lot of my (track) teammates were disappointed because I was the key to the relay,” Powell said. “But they understood the situation going in. If there was ever a conflict, my top priority was always going to be baseball. But I still felt bad. I really was looking forward to going on in track.”

Powell, 17, probably would have qualified for the state meet. He ran the 100 in 10.6 seconds at the Moore League meet, finishing second to Ricky Carrigan of Compton, considered the best sprinter in the country.

As much as Powell loves baseball, though, that and track were put on hold early in the season, because Powell was playing on the basketball team. A two-year starter at guard, Powell averaged 16 points a game, helping lead the Rams to the 5-A final against Long Beach Jordan.

Jordan won but Millikan still got an at-large berth in the Division I Southern Regional tournament, then was eliminated by L.A. Fremont in the first round.

Powell did not begin playing basketball until his freshman year, but he took an immediate liking to the sport.

Still, baseball is his first love and he is having the kind of season that could result in Southern Section player-of-the-year honors.

Powell could improve his chances for that award with an outstanding game tonight against Huntington Beach Edison in the 5-A final at Anaheim Stadium. The game will start at 7:30.

The game will cap a busy day at Anaheim Stadium, where four champions will be crowned. Riverside Norte Vista (23-3) meets Yucaipa (21-9) in the 2-A game at 10 a.m., followed by Ontario (25-0) and La Mirada (21-5-2) in 3-A at 1 p.m., and Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (20-10-1) against Anaheim Canyon (19-9-1) in 4-A at 4:30.

Millikan (21-5) and Edison (17-12) are surprise finalists. Neither team was seeded and Edison entered the playoffs as the No. 3 representative from the Sunset League with a record of 13-12. Millikan, the Moore League runner-up, defeated the Chargers twice in a preseason doubleheader.

Millikan’s toughest test in the playoffs was supposed to be top-seeded Anaheim Esperanza last Tuesday in the semifinals. But Esperanza was upset by the Rams, 6-0, with Powell leading the way.

Powell, 6 feet 2 and 170 pounds, doubled twice, scored twice, and came up with several big catches in center field.

Powell is batting .438 and set a school record for runs with 46. His speed also is evident, with a school-record 44 stolen bases in 46 attempts. He stole six bases in a game against Colton.

“Dante has the green light when he’s out on the field,” said Peters, in his 10th year at the school. “When he gets on base he usually scores. He is the most aggressive and gifted player I’ve ever coached here.”

Powell has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Fullerton but is expected to go high in next week’s amateur draft by major league teams.