Best Westside Teams Could Be on Collision Course : Preps: Because of realignment, Dorsey, Fairfax and Westchester will compete in the City 4-A Division.

Dorsey, Fairfax and Westchester--the Westside’s Big Three among Los Angeles City Section football teams last year--probably are in no danger of being dislodged from their lofty positions this year.

But with realignment, it is possible that the teams could play each other in the playoffs.

Fairfax, which went into the 3-A Division semifinals with an 11-0 record and then lost to eventual City champion L.A. Poly, 35-28, and Westchester, which finished 8-3 in 3-A competition, both move to the 4-A division. Dorsey, the 4-A City champion in 1989 and 9-3 last year, remains in 4-A.

All the Coastal Conference teams competed in 3-A last year, and Westchester and Fairfax dominated the competition. This year the conference’s Metro League is all 4-A and includes Venice and Manual Arts, Westchester and Fairfax. The Western League is all 3-A, and that should lead to more heated competition for playoff spots among Hamilton, Los Angeles, Palisades and University.

Crenshaw went 2-8 last year as a member of the 4-A Southern Pacific Conference with 1990 City champion Carson, Banning and Dorsey. The Cougars then lost their first playoff game to Granada Hills Kennedy, 40-6. Crenshaw will be a member of the conference’s 3-A Southern League this year, which includes Narbonne, San Pedro and Washington.

Hollywood broke a 27-game losing streak last year with three consecutive victories at the beginning of the season and finished 4-6. The Sheiks remain in 3-A and will attempt to finish above .500.

A look at Westside teams:

Crenshaw Cougars (Southern Pacific Conference, 3-A Southern League, 2-8 last year)--Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett says he is optimistic because “we have a lot of kids coming back and we gained some kids from the B program.” The biggest gain is probably senior running back Elgin Chislom, who rushed for more than 500 yards after he switched from wide receiver to backfield last year.

Garrett said that the offensive line is “our biggest asset,” with senior center Johnnie Culler (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), senior Kirk Bible (6-2, 240) and junior Marques Mitchell (6-2, 200) at tackles and junior Floyd Adams (6-2, 200) and senior Tish Pierce (6-3, 250) at guards. Some of them will also play on the defensive line.

The quarterback job is open, with four ex-B-team members competing for the spot. “We’ll really be hurting at the linebackers,” Garrett said.

The Cougars should be strong at wide receiver, where former defensive back Eric Scott, a junior, is expected to start. Two players better known for their basketball skills, senior Gerald Lacey and junior Tramaine Miles, also are expected to see plenty of playing time.

Another basketball player, senior Willie West Jr. (6-2, 190), whose father is the school’s basketball coach, will play his first year of prep football as a linebacker.

Other players being counted on for big seasons include senior safety Darius Gray and senior punter Kofi Nartey, said to have averaged 47.6 yards a punt last year.

Crenshaw will play host to Manual Arts in its opener at 3 p.m. Friday.

Dorsey Dons (Southern Pacific Conference, 4-A Pacific League, 9-3)--Despite the loss of running back Lamont Warren to graduation, Dorsey shouldn’t have too much of a drop at that position. Senior Sharman Shah, also a defensive back, filled in for an injured Warren for several games last year and did well.

Dorsey Coach Paul Knox said strongpoints should be the defensive and offensive lines, linebackers and running backs, but that the Dons will be inexperienced at wide receiver and secondary.

Top returnees include senior Cedric White (6-3, 260), an all-league offensive tackle-defensive end and The 1990 Times All-Central Section lineman of the year.

Others returnees include all-league senior linebacker Robert Beard (6-0, 180) and senior two-way linemen Dwayne Sanders (6-6, 230), a second-team all-league player last year, and Byron Kimbrew (6-3, 290).

Senior Damon Williams and junior John Dixon are battling for the quarterback duties. Knox said he thinks his team will make the playoffs and has a chance to contend for the City 4-A championship. Dorsey will begin its season at Lincoln at 7 p.m. Friday.

Fairfax Lions (Coastal Conference, 4-A Metro League, 11-1)--Fairfax lost a lot of seniors from last year’s team, but their leader in 1990, City 3-A Player of the Year Rahim Muhammad, returns at quarterback.

Muhammad, also The Times Westside Back of the Year, ran for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for 1,146 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Standout running back Mario Mattison graduated and the leading candidate to replace him is senior Chephren Davis, a 5-9, 155-pound transfer from North Hollywood High. Other players expected to carry the ball are juniors Ricky Harbor (5-8, 197) and Lamar Haywood (6-1, 192), who will also play tight end and be the kicker.

Senior wide receiver-defensive back Charles Gillum is the only experienced wide receiver. Tight ends who can play other positions are junior Andre Rhodes (6-1, 195) and senior Damon Rickenbacker (6-1, 200).

Returning two-way linemen are senior Damon Ross (5-11, 190) and junior Ryan Morter (6-1, 282).

Ron Price, co-coach with Earl Smith, said that the Lions may not be as good at running or catching the ball as they were last year and that this team may be “a notch below last year’s.”

“But we’ll be adequate, if not better than adequate,” he said. “We are big and physical but inexperienced. This may be the biggest group I’ve worked with, in terms of individual size.”

Fairfax will open at Monroe at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Hamilton Yankees (Coastal Conference, 3-A Western League, 0-9)--Coach John Ausbon said he expects better things from this year’s squad, which has several juniors who started last year. They include split end Kelvin Moore, who will also be the backup quarterback, flanker Andre Kinniebrew and center-defensive tackle Ivan Johnson (6-0, 230). Senior Julio Gomez, a capable passer, returns at quarterback, and junior Brandon Orange, who alternated at tailback, is the main running threat.

Seniors include tight end-cornerback Arthur George, offensive tackle-defensive end Chuck Crayton (6-3, 240), guard-linebacker Joseph Alonzo (5-11, 180) and guard-defensive tackle Mike Danbury (6-0, 240).

Ausbon said his team did well in passing leagues this summer and should be much improved in the fall. “We have some decent kids who are ready to play and should be able to play football.”

Hamilton will open at Eagle Rock at 3 p.m. Friday.

Hollywood Sheiks (Northern Conference, 3-A Northwestern League, 4-6)--Hollywood Coach Dave Loera, whose Sheiks broke a 27-game losing streak last year, believes that the team’s return from the dead will not be a temporary phenomenon.

Loera said he will find out more about this year’s squad when it plays Whittier California High and top quarterback Larry Haney on Sept. 27. But he believes that last year’s team established “a tradition, pride and teamwork ethic” that will carry over to this year’s players.

If that is the case, he said, “we’ll be a force and have a good shot at going to the playoffs.”

Hollywood will be hurt by the loss to graduation of three top players: two-way lineman Avetis Avetisyan, quarterback-safety Jesse Elkins and wide receiver Mo Camara. Camara’s loss will be particularly felt on special teams; last year he returned three kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns. Loera said that he has good replacements for the three players but that they will be inexperienced.

One of the team’s strengths will be the offensive line, where four of five starters, all seniors, return: guard-linebacker Javier Birrueta (5-9, 210), center Cosme Garcia (5-6, 180) and tackle Edgar Renderos (6-1, 230)--who were each named all-league last year, and senior guard Erik Alvarado (5-11, 225). Senior tackle Jose Castellanos (6-1, 260), a transfer from Taft High, should be a valuable addition.

Junior Jose Granillo, up from the B-team, will be the quarterback. Loera said Granillo is “the best throwing quarterback we’ve had in the four years that I’ve been here.”

Loera has seven returning starters on offense but has lost seven starters on defense. Four players on defense moved to other areas and three have decided to pass up football to concentrate on academics.

The tailback will be senior Curtis Fisher, who has been a linebacker, tailback and started at cornerback last year. Other senior veterans include wide receiver Eddie Duarte, defensive end Levi Barahona (5-9, 170) and junior cornerback Robert Garcia, who will also back up Fisher at tailback.

Hollywood will open at St. Genevieve at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Palisades Dolphins (Coastal Conference, 3-A Western League, 3-4-2)--Palisades Coach Jack Epstein said that his team will be “very inexperienced, but we’ll be quick and good on defense.”

He said that his team could be hurt by the loss of some key players because of academic ineligibility. Report cards come earlier this year because of the introduction of year-round classes in the Los Angeles School District, so eligibility will be determined after the third game of the season instead of the last.

All-City senior linebacker Markel Lincoln (5-11, 200) will lead a defense that includes the following senior varsity veterans: end Art Fuller (5-10, 180), tackle Leslie Hill (5-10, 185), two-way tackle Blake Riggs (6-0, 185) and cornerback Donnell Williams.

Newcomers to the varsity include senior wide receiver-cornerback Larry Henderson and juniors Ahmad Lewis, a cornerback-wide receiver, and linebacker Irwin DeLeon (5-10, 175).

Senior Tommy Cochran, who started a couple of games at quarterback last year, returns and the top candidate at running back is junior Andre Bratton, who also is an adept receiver.

Palisades will open at Birmingham at 5 p.m. Friday.

University Warriors (Coastal Conference, 3-A Western League, 3-7)--University Coach Brad Ratcliff began building this team with a foundation of sophomores two years ago. Now the sophomores are seniors who should be ready to put on the roof.

Seniors include quarterback Larry Elmer, who begins his third year as starting quarterback; tailback-linebacker Jevone Moore (5-10, 200) and linebacker-wide receiver Raymundo Calvillo (6-0, 180).

Calvillo leads a corps of wide receivers that Ratcliff said will be the strength of the offense. Other senior receivers are Dong Won Jahng, Jay Okuda and Jay Bennett.

Ratcliff expects to use eight two-way players, including Elmer and Okuda in the defensive secondary. Senior cornerback Ed Twum is one of a few who will play only one position.

The coach said that he tried the platoon system last year and found it wanting. “I didn’t always have my best players on the field.”

Last year the Warriors used the run-and-shoot offense with four receivers, and Elmer’s pass protection broke down often. This year Ratcliff said he will keep a man in the backfield to block on pass plays.

University opens at San Pedro at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Venice Gondoliers (Coastal Conference, 4-A Western League, 4-5-1)--Al Dellinger, the Venice co-coach with Tony Chretin, said that he will give up coaching after this year, ending a 26-year career at City schools, including the last 20 at Venice. He plans to remain at Venice as a teacher.

Dellinger expects Venice to be “solid but not spectacular” and that it will have 10 lettermen, including eight starters from last year. Many players will go both ways.

Top seniors include veteran quarterback Jorge Blanco, running back-cornerback Alvin Cooley, offensive tackles Jose Avila (5-9, 260) and James Trammell (6-2, 230), guard-linebacker Lev Shaibi (5-9, 200), wide receiver-defensive end Dan Pena (6-0, 175), fullback-strong safety Eddie Lopez, and linebacker-tight end Angel Oseguera (6-0, 180).

Cooley is being moved from wide receiver to running back. Dellinger said the team “has no experience (at running back) That’s our most needy area.”

Venice opens against Huntington Park at 8 p.m. Friday.

Westchester Comets (Coastal Conference, 4-A Western League, 8-3)--Westchester, which has been solid at running back for the past several years, is a little shaky there this year.

Westchester assistant Sean Hanagan said that several candidates are vying to take over at running back after the graduation of Walter Grissam, the Western League Player of the Year.

Hanagan said the team will have a “smattering of some experience but a good deal of inexperience. We have some big linemen, but the line is probably a question mark like running back.”

Linemen with the most experience are senior guard-defensive lineman Jason Blanchard (5-8, 230) and junior guard-defensive tackle Thurman Wheeler (6-2, 220). Other seniors include tight end-strong safety Shannon Gadson (6-3, 200) and wide receiver-defensive back Darnell Rubin.

Quarterback is a tossup between junior Richard Bowden, who acquired some experience there last year, and sophomore Seka Edwards.

Westchester had a large turnout of about 60 players at its first practice, but many of them are underclassmen. Hanagan said that he expects the Comets to “make a lot of mistakes early because they have to learn about playing. But by the end of the year, we’ll be competitive with anybody.

“We have good speed. If we find a running back, we’ll really be a threat because both quarterbacks are threats and we have some good receivers.”

Westchester opens at Oxnard at 7:30 p.m. Friday.