Football Scout Rates High School Seniors as College Prospects

When it comes to evaluating high school football players, few people in Southern California have a better handle on the subject than Dick Lascola.

A longtime scout and director of his own service, Lascola rates college prospects on a scale of 1 to 4, although he says, “We don’t give 4s.” Lascola bases his evaluations on several criteria, including size, speed, strength and potential.

His list of top seniors in the greater Los Angeles area includes several players from the South Bay, including four from Banning. Two Pilots received ratings of 3, the highest for an area player.

Following are the South Bay seniors whom Lascola considers top college prospects. They are listed in descending order, according to their ratings. Comments are by Lascola:

Shayzar Hawkins, Banning, running back, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds--”He came out of nowhere this season. We like him. He makes things happen on the field.” Rating: 3.

Jim Irby, Banning, defensive end, 6-2, 210--”We think he has a lot of athletic ability. He’s quick.” Irby tested well at Lascola’s combine workout at Warren High in Downey last spring, recording a vertical jump of 28 1/2 inches and running the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds. Rating: 3.

Theron Hill, Carson, wide receiver/defensive back, 5-10, 165--”A very skilled player. A very elusive kid.” Hill recorded a vertical leap of 30 inches and ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds. Rating: 2+.

Damin Hurst, Carson, wide receiver, 5-8, 165--”He’s quicker than a cat.” Hurst, like his teammate Hill, recorded a vertical leap of 30 inches and scored exceptionally high on an agility test. Rating: 2+.

Jesse Swayze, Morningside, running back/defensive back, 5-10, 180--”We think he’s a pretty good football player. We think he may be better as a defensive back in college.” Rating: 2+.

Pauliasi Taulava, Morningside, two-way lineman, 6-7, 240--”We like his size. Even though he doesn’t play much offense now, we like him as an offensive tackle in college.” Rating: 2+.

Larry Roberts, Gardena, quarterback, 6-2, 185--”We think he is a really good football player. In college, we see him as a wide receiver or a strong safety. He’s a quality kid.” Rating: 2.

Naeem Mills, Banning, offensive lineman, 6-4, 290--Recorded a vertical jump of 28 1/2 inches. “For his size, that’s getting off the ground.” Mills also scored well on upper-body strength, bench-pressing 185 pounds 24 times, the fifth-best mark at Lascola’s combine. Rating: 2.

Tawan Hall, Banning, defensive end, 6-2, 220--”We feel he has some good technique.” Recorded exceptional vertical jump of 30 inches. Rating: 2.

Mike Hendricks, West Torrance, offensive lineman, 6-6, 285--”He passes the look test. He’s raw, but with that kind of size, you have to really look at him. If someone gets him on a solid weight and running program and redshirts him, he can be a big lineman for someone down the road.” Rating: 2.

Morell Ollis, Hawthorne, running back, 5-9, 170--”He’s a speed guy. He has great hands, and he’s a good (kick) return guy. He can bust the long one.” Rating: 2.

Jermaine Ferguson, Serra, wide receiver/defensive back, 5-8, 175--”He has pure speed. We think he may be a little bit better on offense. Rating: 2-.

Tony Snowden, Bishop Montgomery, fullback/linebacker, 6-0, 215--”He’s an aggressive kid and a good blocker. We feel he could be a free safety in college.” Rating: 2-.

Koury Clark, Bishop Montgomery, running back, 5-9, 170--”He’s quick. He can get to the outside, and he can run inside. He bounces around in there.” Rating: 2-.

Ryan Turner, Redondo, offensive lineman, 6-5, 250--”Size is his biggest asset. He’s still growing. He’s got some skills. We see him as an offensive tackle in college.” Rating: 2-.

Jesse Herrera, Hawthorne, offensive lineman, 6-5, 275--”He’s a size kid who is a project. He’s made some improvements.” Rating: 2-.

Na’il Benjamin, Inglewood, running back/defensive back, 5-11, 180--”We feel he has some natural tools. He can catch the ball and he’s a physical-type runner.” Rating: 2-.

Mike Thomas, North Torrance, defensive lineman, 6-2, 220--”A tough kid. He has a lot of raw talent. He’s a good pass rusher.” Thomas bench-pressed 185 pounds 20 times at Lascola’s combine. Rating: 2-.

Tony Church, Inglewood, defensive back, 6-2, 180--”He’s raw, but he does run well. His physical tools are his best asset.” Rating: 1+.

Fred Gatlin is on a pace to become the all-time leading passer at the University of Nevada, but the former Carson quarterback was on the bench Saturday when the Wolfpack staged the greatest comeback in NCAA history.

Chris Vargas relieved Gatlin with 1:04 left in the first half and Nevada trailing Weber State, 42-14. After Weber State extended its lead to 49-14 early in the third quarter, Vargas engineered a 41-point rally that resulted in a 55-49 Nevada victory. The sophomore completed 22 of 38 passes with no interceptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for a TD.

Despite Vargas’ performance, Gatlin remains secure in his role as Nevada’s starter, and for good reason. The junior has helped the Wolfpack to a 9-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division I-AA by completing 55% of his passes for 2,087 yards and 17 touchdowns. In three seasons, Nevada is 26-5 with Gatlin as its starting quarterback.

“Fred has been replaced before; it’s not a big deal,” said a spokesman for the Nevada athletic department. “He’ll start again next week.”

The spokesman pointed out that Vargas relieved Gatlin several times last season and guided the team to three overtime victories, two in the playoffs. Nevada was the Division I-AA runner-up to Georgia Southern in 1990.

“We have two quarterbacks,” the Nevada spokesman said. “If one of them is not doing the job, the other one comes in.”

In that regard, not much has changed for Gatlin since his senior year at Carson. In 1988, Gatlin and Perry Klein, now the backup to Mike Pawlawski at California, alternated every series at quarterback as the Colts captured the City Section 4-A title.

With his top two tailbacks sidelined with injuries, Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell said he might turn to a sophomore.

Jim Durroh, one of the leaders of Peninsula’s 8-0 sophomore team, will get his first taste of varsity competition Friday afternoon in a nonleague game against West Torrance, Kimbrell said.

“I don’t know if I want to throw him into the starting position, but he looked real good against our No. 1 defense last week,” Kimbrell said. “He works out with (the varsity) twice a week, but I didn’t feel he was mentally ready to bring up.”

Durroh has enjoyed several impressive games for the sophomore team, which has yet to be challenged. He rushed for 200 yards last week against Hawthorne and had a 400-yard game two weeks ago against Santa Monica, Kimbrell said.

This appears to be the perfect time to give Durroh a chance. Peninsula’s starting tailback, Brian Durbin, is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone suffered last week against Hawthorne, and backup Danny Sarner is out at least two weeks with a knee injury, Kimbrell said.

Hawthorne football Coach Dan Robbins came away impressed with Peninsula after the Cougars’ 25-16 Bay League victory Friday.

“They’re an excellent football team,” he said. “What I really hope is that we see them again in the CIF (Division III) championship game. I don’t want to see them before that because they’re just a fantastic football team, and I know great things will happen for them.”

Great things failed to happen for the Panthers last week. They turned the ball over four times against Hawthorne, twice in the fourth quarter, when the Cougars scored two touchdowns to rally from a 16-13 deficit.

It marked the seventh time this season that Hawthorne has caused at least four turnovers in a game, Robbins said.

It would be hard to find a more versatile football player in the South Bay than El Segundo’s David Scanlan.

The 5-11, 150-pound junior plays running back and safety, returns kicks and handles the kicking for the Eagles (6-2), who have won five consecutive games and lead the San Fernando Valley League with a 3-0 record.

Scanlan has rushed for 384 yards and two touchdowns in 55 carries, been in on 38 tackles (14 primary, 24 assists), intercepted five passes and returned one for a touchdown, returned five kickoffs for a 35-yard average, made 26 of 27 point-after kicks and converted six of nine field goals, with a long of 44 yards. He leads the team with 62 points scored.

“David Scanlan is going to be a spectacular athlete at El Segundo,” Coach Steve Newell said. “He does it all.”

Discouraged by a nagging ankle injury, Torrance tight end Colby Kaopua, an All-Pioneer League choice last season, when he led the Tartars with 20 catches for 524 yards and five touchdowns, quit the team two weeks ago.

“He didn’t feel he was playing up to his capabilities,” Coach Bill Bynum said. “I tried to talk him out of it, but his heart wasn’t in it.”

Torrance was 1-5 at the time Kaopua quit, but has since won two games with the help of another Kaopua to move into first place in the Pioneer League.

Aaron Kaopua, a sophomore linebacker and Colby’s younger brother, caught a fumble in mid-air and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown last week in a 21-8 victory over Centennial.

Notes

John Anthony, a 6-7 forward for Peninsula, said he will sign a letter of intent to play basketball for Loyola Marymount. The preseason signing period, which lasts one week, begins Wednesday. Anthony averaged 17 points and eight rebounds a game for Palos Verdes last season. . . . Bishop Montgomery tailback Koury Clark broke 24 tackles in his 376-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance last week against St. Paul, Coach Steve Carroll said. . . . With a fumble and an interception last week in a 21-0 victory over Gardena, Carson now has 30 turnovers in eight games. . . . San Diego State sophomore linebacker Terrill Steen, a former St. Bernard standout, blocked a field goal on the last play Saturday to preserve a 24-22 victory over Wyoming. . . . The Peninsula girls’ tennis team ran its record to 19-0 Tuesday with an 18-0 Ocean League victory over Mira Costa. . . . Despite its forfeit loss to Dorsey, Banning remained in the No. 7 spot in Cal-Hi Sports’ state AAAA Division rankings. Morningside, which had climbed to No. 8 in the AAA rankings, dropped out of the top 10 after a 39-32 loss to Redondo.

South Bay’s Football Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 Banning (Pacific) 7-1 2 Morningside (Ocean) 6-1 3 Hawthorne (Bay) 6-2 4 Serra (Camino Real) 5-2 5 Carson (Pacific) 5-3 6 Peninsula (Bay) 6-2 7 Redondo (Ocean) 5-3 8 B. Montgomery (Mission) 5-3 9 San Pedro (Southern) 5-3 10 El Segundo (San Fernando Vly) 6-2