PREP FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : FACTS, FIGURES AND COMMENTS FROM LAST WEEK’S GAMES

ONE SIDE . . .

As it stands now, Friday’s Banning-Dorsey game will not be played unless one side bows to the other. And neither is budging an inch.

Banning Coach Joe Dominguez and his players stand firm in their belief that Jackie Robinson Stadium in not a safe site. They will not play unless the game is moved.

The school district responded by changing the starting time of the game from 8 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., but other than that, district officials have told Banning: “Take it or leave it.”

Caught in the middle is Banning Principal Augustine Herrera. He is sympathetic to concerns within the Wilmington community about the threat of violence at Jackie Robinson Stadium, which has been the site of two shootings at games in the past two years.

But Herrera believes necessary measures have been taken to provide a safe game for participants and fans.

“We’re at an impasse now, but personally I’d like to see us go to (Jackie Robinson Stadium) and play the game,” he said. “The district has shown me they’re serious about making it a safe venue by guaranteeing nine (police) black-and-whites in addition to 18 (school) police people. So if safety is the issue, I think that is being addressed.

“With all the publicity the game’s receiving, it has the potential to be the safest place in town.”

As for last year’s altercation at the end of Banning’s 21-20 playoff victory over Dorsey in which angry Dorsey players and fans rushed the Banning sideline, Herrera said it’s time to put the incident in the past and work toward smoothing over any hard feelings.

“I think Dorsey is anxious to make amends and looking forward to an opportunity to make amends,” he said. “And there’s more at stake than Friday’s game. There’s an outside chance that we’d play them in the playoffs, and there are other athletic teams that we’re concerned about. I regret the ill will that this is causing.”

. . . AND THE OTHER

Herrera’s opinion is not shared by the majority of the Banning community.

“(Dorsey) should not be able to intimidate other coaches and kids,” said Mario Navarro, a 1964 Banning graduate. “Sports are for the kids, and now that’s being taken away from them. It’s just not right. I don’t know why they allow that stuff to go on. They say they’ll have extra police there, but no police person is going to stop a bullet from 300 yards away.”

Students are just as wary of attending a game at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Said Brandon Toliver, a Banning sophomore: “I wouldn’t go to that game. It’s too dangerous. I was talking to a bunch of my friends and they all said they wouldn’t go either.”

Said Joe Gama, a Banning junior: “The general feeling among the students and players is that they don’t want to go. Even if they do play the game, none of us will be there.”

Floryence Williams, a 16-year-old St. Bernard cheerleader who is dating Banning offensive lineman Naeem Mills, said she understands the concerns of the school.

“I pretty much feel safe at all (St. Bernard) games, but they’re different than City games where there’s always a lot of gangs and other conflicts,” she said. “I would ask (Mills) how he felt about it, his views, see if he thought it would be safe. If he didn’t, I’d have to respect his opinion. It’s bad because it takes away from a lot of the good spirit that goes along with being at these games.”

Said Noel Sandoval, a Banning junior who plays offensive lineman on the Pilot B team: “We want to play because we would want to try to beat them. But I’d be kind of worried that they’d start something on the field that would just escalate into something bigger.”

POINTING FINGERS

There was a verbal altercation between Mira Costa Coach Bill Lysle and Morningside Coach Ron Tatum after Morningside’s 39-14 Ocean League victory Friday night at Mira Costa.

As the Morningside players walked on the field to shake hands, Lysle held back his players so he could talk with Tatum. Lysle said Morningside players taunted him and his team and told Tatum that the Monarchs were “very unprofessional.”

“His kids were talking to our kids and I believe they weren’t winning with class,” Lysle said. “(Tatum) couldn’t see what was going on. He was across the field.”

Tatum disputed Lysle’s charges.

“It was a hard game, but our kids didn’t take any cheap shots,” Tatum said. “I thought it was a good game. Both sides played well.”

Morningside quarterback Stais Boseman, who accounted for 291 total yards and had a hand in four touchdowns, said he was surprised by Lysle’s outburst.

“I thought Mira Costa had a little more class than that,” Boseman said. “We beat them fair and square. That’s never happened to me before.”

A Mira Costa fan came on the field after the game to chastise Lysle for not allowing his players to shake hands.

“I was trying to defuse any potential problem,” Lysle said. “It never entered my mind not to have my kids come and shake hands. I tried to get (Tatum) away and he wouldn’t come to meet me. And then when I told him what I wanted to talk about, he didn’t agree.

“I’ve always respected (Tatum) and his program. I used to recruit his school when I was at Santa Monica College.”

WHERE’S THE D?

Serra and North Torrance put on a show Friday night, but it was one that neither coach was particularly pleased about.

Serra defeated host North, 45-25, in a nonleague game that was in short supply of defense. The teams combined for 940 yards in total offense (495 for Serra, 445 for North) and six of the game’s 11 touchdowns covered 49 yards or longer.

North quarterback Frank Ramirez was the game’s statistical standout, passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns, although he completed only 13 of 32 attempts. Serra had a more balanced attack, rushing for 245 yards and getting a 250-yard passing effort from quarterback Eugene Davis (11 for 22, two TDs).

“It was a good win, but it was an ugly win,” said Serra Coach Jon Dimalante, whose team improved to 4-2. “Defense wins championships and right now we’re not playing real good defense. We’re giving up a lot of big plays. We’re playing hard, but we have mental lapses and it hurts us.”

The lapses are in sharp contrast to the Serra teams of the past two seasons, when defense carried the Cavaliers to as 24-1 record.

“Defense is what Serra is all about,” Dimalante said. “We don’t have a lot of size on defense up front, which is a problem sometimes. But we try to make up for it with our quickness. We’ll be a good defensive team before this (season) is out, I can tell you that.”

Actually, it was a Serra defensive play that turned around Friday’s game. With North facing fourth-and-goal situation at the Serra 15, Rashaan Shehee broke through the line and blindsided Ramirez, forcing a fumble that Bryan Wynne returned 78 yards for a touchdown to give Serra a 38-25 lead with 5:39 left to play.

QUESTIONABLE CALL

Wynne’s fumble return came one play after North had an apparent touchdown taken away by an official’s ruling.

Ramirez completed a pass in the back of the end zone to wide receiver Dean Halverson, who appeared to get his feet in bounds before sliding beyond the end line. But the official ruled the catch was out of bounds.

Informed that several spectators near the end zone thought the catch was good, North Coach Joe Austin responded: “Where the hell was the official then? Not only did they stop us from scoring, (Serra) scored on the next play.”

ROLL OF THE DICE

Almost single-handedly, Alemany receiver Richard Dice put away Bishop Montgomery, 27-13, Friday night in a Mission League game in Mission Hills.

Dice, a preseason All-American, scored three touchdowns in a 27-point second quarter for Alemany--two on punt returns of 68 and 89 yards and one on a 21-yard reception in the corner of the end zone.

“We stopped their plays offensively, but those two punt returns killed us,” Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll said. “That just annihilated us. You take away those two punts, and we feel like we could have won that game.”

GETTING DEFENSIVE

* West Torrance middle linebacker Cory Yamaguchi made his first start on defense--he had been the team’s starting center--and helped the Warriors post their first shutout of the season in a 41-0 victory over Centennial.

* Banning strong safety Brandon Moore returned an interception 46 yards to the San Pedro two-yard-line on the first play of the second quarter to set up a touchdown in the Pilots’ 28-7 victory. Moore leads the area with six interceptions.

* Ryan Shannon returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff to spark Torrance to a 28-14 upset over South Torrance in its Pioneer League opener.

BALL CONTROL

One of the keys to Crenshaw’s 12-6 upset over Carson was its ability to control the ball. Crenshaw ran 67 plays and gained 234 total yards. Carson ran only 28 plays and gained 212.

STREAKS

* Crenshaw defeated Carson, 12-6, to snap a 16-game losing streak against the Colts. The Cougars had never beaten Carson since first meeting in 1972.

* West Torrance defeated Centennial, 41-0, to snap a five-game losing streak.

* Torrance opened Pioneer League play with a 28-14 victory over South Torrance to snap a four-game losing streak.

IN QUOTES

West Torrance Coach Kerry Crabb after the Warriors shut out Centennial, 41-0, to snap a five-game losing streak: “It’s nice to get the monkey off our back. The kids showed a lot of pride--hopefully we’ll take it from here. This has been long overdue. We’ve been in every game. Defensively we’re coming around.”

Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins on his team’s 14-13 loss to Beverly Hills, in which the Normans ran 45 plays compared to 25 for Hawthorne: “(Beverly Hills) played a great game, but we should have been able to get the ball more. I don’t think our kids were prepared for a team that ran the ball as well as they did. They played a solid game.”

Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai on his team escaping with a 13-12 victory over Narbonne: “You know the old saying, ‘It’s better to be lucky than good.’ We were very lucky.”

Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell on beating Santa Monica, 20-16, Friday afternoon on an 18-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Scott Gordon to tight end Todd Upp with 30 seconds left: “You’re tired Friday night after a game like that. You don’t have a chance to relax.”

INJURIES

* North Torrance running back Jose Gomez, the Saxons’ leading rusher and a starting linebacker, sat out the second half of a 45-25 loss to Serra with a sprained ankle.

* Morningside running back Montres Gordes missed his third consecutive game with a leg injury.