Toros’ Yepez Is a Little Older, but Wiser : Soccer: At 24, Dominguez Hills’ forward is more accustomed to speed of collegiate game.

Dominguez Hills men’s soccer Coach Marine Cano calls standout forward Gerardo Yepez “our Magic Johnson, our point guard.”

Yepez, the Toros’ top goal scorer, is, at 24, the oldest player on a young team. The hub of the Toro offense, Yepez is returning to college soccer this season after a three-year hiatus.

After graduating from Hawthorne High in 1985, Yepez played for El Camino in 1986 and ’87. The Warriors, who won the state title in Yepez’s second season, are still coached by Norm Jackson, who said that Yepez was very receptive to instruction.

“He is one helluva coachable player,” Jackson said. “Whatever the coaches asked him to do, he would listen intently and then go out on the field and do it.”

After two years at El Camino, Yepez decided to concentrate on his academics and did not compete in 1988. He received an Associate in Arts degree from El Camino and was recruited by Cal State Los Angeles to continue his playing career. But Yepez never played for the Golden Eagles.

“By the time I got to CSLA, a new coaching staff had taken over and they kind of forgot about me,” Yepez said.

Yepez left CSLA after a quarter and began playing for club teams. He also played for a state select team that was coached by El Camino’s Jackson. In the spring of 1991, Yepez enrolled at Dominguez Hills to pursue a degree in bilingual education. It was during this time that Cano approached him about playing at Dominguez Hills.

“It was hard to convince him to play because he had other commitments,” said Cano, who was familiar with Yepez’s skills because he had played with Gerardo’s older brother, Juan, in the American Soccer League 10 years ago.

“We needed him because our team is so young,” Cano said. “We knew he could score goals and make an immediate impact.”

Yepez, however, didn’t decide to play until the first week of the season and isn’t even listed in the team’s media guide.

Once Yepez got on the field, the results were predictable. The forward has nine goals and three assists to lead the team in scoring. Cano said that Yepez would have even better statistics if other players had been able to capitalize more frequently on Yepez’s deft passing.

“He’s an unselfish player,” said Cano, who added that Yepez “has a high level of skills that he is able to utilize under pressure and in tight space.”

Because he is older and more experienced than most of his teammates, Yepez can almost be considered a coach on the field. In fact, he is a coach off the field too, having returned to Hawthorne High the past three seasons to assist his former coach, Bud Reagan.

Yepez, who wants to teach at the elementary school level after he receives his degree, is great with the high school players, said Reagan.

“When he played for me, I had never seen a player work harder and he brings all his special qualities to coaching,” Reagan said. “I use him as an example for my players, and they all try to emulate him. I would recommend him for a teaching and coaching job in a minute.”

Jackson, who also coached Gerardo’s younger brother Arturo, echoed Reagan’s sentiments.

“He’s a super person and a tremendous teacher and coach,” Jackson said.

Yepez is more accustomed to the speed of the collegiate game than are some of his younger teammates. He tries to help his fellow players develop new skills.

“We are still getting to know each other as a team,” said Yepez, who tries to show the forwards different moves that they will be able to use in game situations.

Yepez is heavily counted on for his scoring, but Cano is most surprised by the forward’s defensive skills.

Cano said other teams in the conference are wary of Yepez and always double-team him. In a recent game, they even kicked him. Even under such duress, Yepez was able to hustle back toward his own goal and help defensively.

Surprisingly, Yepez said he needs to improve his defensive play and tackling.

Yepez, who said he’s about “three semesters away” from earning a bachelor’s degree, wants to pursue a master’s in academic counseling. He would like to become a counselor at a community college because he wants to “help my community and help motivate young people.”