With Football Season Past, Morningside Coach Gets His Mind Back on Track

A few days after he had coached the Morningside High football team to the Southern Section Division VIII championship, Ron Tatum’s thoughts were starting to drift elsewhere.

“I’m trying to clear my mind of football and get ready for track season,” Tatum said.

Tatum, the coach of Morningside’s track teams, will send a contingent of boys and girls to the annual Sunkist Invitational Indoor Track Meet on Feb. 15 at the Sports Arena.

But Tatum hasn’t entirely forgotten about football. Not after the Monarchs won their first title in school history with a 27-20 victory over defending champion Temecula Valley.

The victory was a crowning achievement for Tatum, who has steadily developed the program in his seven seasons as coach.

“I think my objective as a coach was to improve the program, keep it competitive and try to remain in the top two or three in the (Ocean) league,” he said.

Tatum has accomplished that feat the past two seasons. In 1990, the Monarchs won the Ocean League title and reached the Division VIII semifinals before losing to Temecula Valley, 27-9. Morningside finished in a three-way tie for second in the league this season.

What made this season rewarding for Tatum was the manner in which his team responded after back-to-back league losses to Redondo and Beverly Hills.

“With the way we started at 6-0 and then stumbled, it was very gratifying the way we came back,” he said. “It was nice to see and I think it said something about our program.”

He was also gratified with the way fans supported the team.

“We don’t always get a lot of fans at our games,” Tatum said. “So the end of that game (at Temecula) was a surprise to me because the bleachers just unloaded. We had quite a few people come from Inglewood to support us the last two weeks and that was really special to us.”

Tatum said it was a fitting end to the prep careers of several seniors, including halfback Montres Gords, fullback Jesse Swayze, offensive lineman Pauliasi Taulava and wide receivers Keith Long and Ron Tatum--the coach’s son.

Of course, the Monarchs do return all-everything quarterback Stais Boseman .

“Our skill people were people with experience and I think that really made a difference,” Tatum said. “I think that helped facilitate the success of Stais this year. Next year it might be different.”

But Tatum doesn’t want to look too far ahead. At least, not past track season.

Mira Costa High boys ‘ basketball Coach Glenn Marx says he got his first hint about the potential of guard Shane Willis when the Mustangs played Crespi in the first round of the Division III-AA playoffs last season.

“When he has his first game of the playoffs as a freshman and gets 20 points, I think that is an indication of what he can do,” Marx said.

But as a sophomore, Willis appears to have taken his game a notch higher. That’s not an easy feat when you’re only 5-foot-10.

Willis is averaging 17 points to lead the Mustangs in scoring and also ranks among team leaders in rebounds and assists. He was in top form at the El Segundo tournament last week, where he earned most valuable player honors to lead the Mustangs to the title.

The only question is whether he is more effective as a point guard or shooting guard.

“People ask me if he’s a two guard or a point guard and I say he’s just a player,” Marx said. “He can play anywhere.”

He said Willis is particularly dangerous on fast breaks.

“He’s just a great open-court player,” Marx said. “When he gets the ball on the break he can do a lot of things.”

Marx said he is also the player the team has turned to in crucial moments this season.

“You get to a point in a game where you need somebody to go to the basket and he’s not afraid,” Marx said. “He’s not afraid take it to the (basket) against anybody.”

Marx said Willis has played an important role in the team’s 7-1 start, which includes a second-place finish in the 40th annual Pacific Shores tournament.

“Shane has been a key player, but from a team standpoint, we have a lot of people with good numbers on this team,” Marx said.

Mira Costa’s front line, which includes juniors Frank Zeno and Chris Whitworth, and guards Josh Branca and Chris Kresser, has also been impressive.

The Mustangs expect to receive a boost this week when junior forward John Murphy returns after an injury.

In fact, Marx said his team has five players who have scored 15 or more points in a game and six who have made at least two three-point baskets.

The Peninsula High girls’ basketball team has been as good as advertised in winning its first four games.

The Panthers, ranked No. 1 in the state, easily won the Capital City Shootout tournament two weeks ago and had little trouble in a 55-42 victory over second-ranked Washington--the three-time defending L.A. City champion--last week.

The Panthers expect some tough competition when they compete in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, which runs today through Monday at Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools.

The tournament includes several of the top teams in the state, including defending Division I champion Berkeley and Division II champion Brea Olinda. Other top teams include Washington, Poway, Chino, Thousand Oaks and Palmdale.

Peninsula opens against Channel Islands at 9 tonight at Santa Barbara High. The Panthers could play San Diego power Poway on Friday in the quarterfinals. Poway has a tall front line that includes 6-4 junior Kristen Carlson and 6-foot senior Allison Brady.

Poway could provide a good matchup for Peninsula, which also has good size with players such as 6-5 center Jeffra Gausepohl and 6-3 forward Monique Morehouse. The Panthers also feature guards Kristen Mulligan and Raquel Alotis and forward Mimi McKinney.

Peninsula, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Street & Smith magazine and No. 3 by USA Today in preseason polls, will compete in the Christ the King tournament Dec. 26-30 in Queens, N.Y.

Notes

The Westchester boys’ basketball team was caught shorthanded in a 76-60 loss to Mater Dei in the championship game of the Ocean View Tournament of Champions last week in Huntington Beach. The Comets were without four players, including starting guard James Gray and James Towns and forward Walter Walker, who missed the game because of car trouble. Westchester, the defending City 4-A champion, is 7-1. . . . The Morningside girls’ basketball team is also entered in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions. The Monarchs, who finished second in the state Division I last season, open against Santa Barbara at 4:30 p.m. today at Santa Barbara High.

Morningside quarterback Stais Boseman was more noted for his offensive skills this season, but he also had impressive statistics as a defensive back, where he led the team in interceptions with six. As a quarterback, he had only two passes intercepted in 137 attempts. . . . Two South Bay athletes are listed in the Southern Section individual wrestling rankings. Chris Xavier of Torrance is ranked No. 2 in the 103-pound division, and Steve Nishido of West Torrance is No. 6 at 145.

South Bay’s Football Top 10 Final

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 Banning (Pacific) 12-2 2 Morningside (Ocean) 11-2 3 Hawthorne (Bay) 9-3 4 Serra (Camino Real) 8-3 5 Carson (Pacific) 6-5-1 6 San Pedro (Southern) 8-5 7 Redondo (Ocean) 7-5 8 Pceninsula (Bay) 7-4 9 El Segundo (San Fernando Vly) 8-3 10 South Torrance (Pioneer) 6-5