1991 PREP FOOTBALL ALL-STARS : ...

The 1991 high school football season for Westside teams was one in which quarterbacks dominated.

It should be no surprise that four quarterbacks made The Times’ 1991 All-Westside football team, although only one of them is listed at that position.

Beverly Hills, which went to the semifinals of the Division VII playoffs and finished 10-3, has five players on the first team. Fairfax (8-2), which has won 19 of its past 22 games, has four.

Times sportswriters selected the team based on nominations received from area coaches. Several players were selected out of position because The Times attempted to pick the best athletes, regardless of position.

The order in which a coach nominated players was an important factor, but not necessarily a decisive one. If a player was not nominated by a coach, he was not considered.

The first-team offense includes receivers David Saraf of Beverly Hills and Thomas L. Covington Jr. of Culver City, tight end Dongwon Jahng of University and linemen Jerome Bryant of Fairfax, Leonardo R. Hernandez Jr. of Daniel Murphy, Lev Shaibi of Venice and Rabin Beral of Beverly Hills.

The quarterback is Ziv Gottlieb of Beverly Hills. Dameron Ricketts of Culver City and Rahim Muhammad of Fairfax, quarterbacks who passed and ran equally well, join the team as running backs. The other running back is Alvin Cooley of Venice High. The kicker is Michael Rappaport of Beverly Hills.

The defense includes linemen Angel Oseguera of Venice, Luke Davis of Santa Monica, Alex Kouba of Brentwood and Damon Rickenbacker of Fairfax. The linebackers are Markal Lincoln of Palisades, Greg Roach of Beverly Hills and Jabari Magnus of Westchester.

Defensive backs are Charles Gillum of Fairfax, Kelvin Moore of Hamilton, Shannon Gadson of Westchester and Zack Nishimura of Santa Monica, another quarterback who made the team at a different position.

Repeat selections from last year are Gottlieb, Muhammad and Saraf. Cooley and Gillum were second-team selections last year.

Players named to the first team, along with their parents and coaches, will be guests of The Times at an awards breakfast at 9 a.m. Jan. 12 at the Guest Quarters Hotel in Santa Monica. Winners of the Westside back, coach and lineman of year awards will be announced at the breakfast.

Although defenders sometimes double- and triple-teamed Saraf, he was nearly impossible to stop. In 13 games, he had 90 receptions for 1,730 yards and 22 touchdowns.

In 10 games, Covington caught 45 passes for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns.

A wide receiver, running back and linebacker, Jahng led University in receiving and rushing, returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, had 35 unassisted tackles and 35 assists, intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and had two quarterback sacks.

Fairfax co-coach Ron Price said that the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Bryant, also a defensive lineman, was “quick, agile and athletic for a person with his tremendous size. He was largely responsible for the success of our running game.”

Twice an All-Santa Fe League selection, Hernandez was the best blocking lineman for Daniel Murphy, which won a football league championship for the first time since 1969.

Shaibi was equally adept at run and pass blocking. As a linebacker and nose guard, he had 68 unassisted tackles and 39 assists, second on the Venice team.

Beral seldom missed a blocking assignment and provided excellent pass protection for a pass-happy Beverly Hills team.

Gottlieb, probably the best passer on the Westside since Santa Monica High standout Pat O’Hara, completed 171 of 314 passes for 2,825 yards and 27 touchdowns.

The Times’ 1990 Westside back of the year, Muhammad, played in only seven games because of injuries. But he ran and passed for more than 1,300 yards. He scored 11 rushing touchdowns and threw four touchdown passes. As a defensive back, he had five interceptions and was considered the team’s best tackler.

Ricketts had 2,780 yards in total offense. He completed 109 passes in 216 attempts for 1,702 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He rushed for 789 yards in 134 carries and five touchdowns. At defensive back, he had eight interceptions, including three for touchdowns. He also accumulated 289 yards on kickoff and punt returns.

In only 7 1/2 games before injuring a knee that ended his season, Cooley gained 1,121 yards in 140 carries (an average of eight yards a carry) and scored nine touchdowns. He also had 12 pass receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

Rappaport, who made eight of 10 field goal attempts, also kicked 26 extra points. His longest field goal was 43 yards.

As a linebacker and defensive end, Oseguera led Venice with 74 tackles and 56 assists. He had four sacks, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, and forced three fumbles. As a tight end, he caught 20 passes for 260 yards and five touchdowns.

The 6-6, 260-pound Bryant was regarded by Santa Monica Coach Ron Guercio as the best tackle “in the Bay League on offense and defense.”

A starter at defensive tackle and offensive guard, Kouba helped Brentwood to a 9-0 record during the regular season.

A superior pass rusher as an outside linebacker, Rickenbacker had 17 sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He was involved in more than 60 tackles. Price said he “turned in huge plays for us against the run and the pass.”

Lincoln, who was all-league as a sophomore and All-City as a junior, was the heart of a Palisades defense that gave ground grudgingly. He also played fullback.

Whether he played linebacker or blocking or running back, Roach was a heavy hitter. He was involved in 181 tackles, shattering Willie Crawford’s school record of 153.

Magnus led Westchester with 39 unassisted tackles and 41 assists. He also had two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and a sack.

An accomplished receiver and kick returner, Gillum shone brightest on defense. He intercepted seven passes and had 27 tackles and 31 assists.

Moore, regarded by Hamilton Coach John Ausbon as the team’s best athlete, played safety, linebacker and quarterback. He had 120 tackles, caused four fumbles, recovered three fumbles and had three interceptions.

Nishimura excelled as a quarterback and safety. He completed 144 of 287 passes for 2,327 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 350 yards in 55 carries and three touchdowns. He also had 32 tackles and three interceptions.

Gadson led Westchester with four interceptions and was second on the team in tackles with 58. He also recovered two fumbles. As a tight end, he had 18 receptions for 327 yards and three touchdowns.

1991 PREP FOOTBALL ALL-STARS

OFFENSE

Name School Pos. Height Weight Year David Saraf Beverly Hills WR 5-11 165 Sr. Thomas L. Covington Jr. Culver City WR 6-0 180 Sr. Dongwon Jahng University TE 5-11 180 Sr. Jerome Bryant Fairfax OL 6-3 290 Sr. Leonardo R. Hernandez Jr. Daniel Murphy OL 5-10 200 Sr. Lev Shaibi Venice OL 5-7 195 Sr. Rabin Beral Beverly Hills OL 6-0 215 Sr. Ziv Gottlieb Beverly Hills QB 6-3 190 Sr. Rahim Muhammad Fairfax RB 5-10 175 Sr. Dameron Ricketts Culver City RB 5-10 165 Sr. Alvin Cooley Venice RB 5-8 150 Sr.

KICKER

Name School Pos. Height Weight Year Michael Rappaport Beverly Hills K 5-10 175 Sr.

DEFENSE

Name School Pos. Height Weight Year Angel Oseguera Venice DL 6-1 180 Sr. Luke Davis Santa Monica DL 6-6 260 Sr. Alex Kouba Brentwood DL 6-1 193 Sr. Damon Rickenbacker Fairfax DL 6-0 190 Sr. Markal Lincoln Palisades LB 5-11 205 Sr. Greg Roach Beverly Hills LB 6-1 205 Sr. Jabari Magnus Westchester LB 6-2 180 Sr. Charles Gillum Fairfax DB 5-10 193 Sr. Kelvin Moore Hamilton DB 6-1 185 Jr. Zack Nishimura Santa Monica DB 6-3 190 Sr. Shannon Gadson Westchester DB 6-3 182 Sr.

All-Westside Second Team

OFFENSE

Player School Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos Cedric Meadows Santa Monica Sr. 5-8 152 WR Michael Green Brentwood Jr. 6-3 165 WR Larry Henderson Palisades Sr. 6-2 170 TE Edgar Renderos Hollywood Sr. 6-1 235 L Blake Riggs Palisades Sr. 6-0 185 L Ryan Morter Fairfax Jr. 6-1 295 L Jose Avila Venice Sr. 5-9 260 L Jono Ohlgren Brentwood Jr. 6-4 185 QB Darnell Rubin Westchester Sr. 5-6 155 RB Ryan Parker Daniel Murphy Sr. 5-9 175 RB Chephren Davis Fairfax Sr. 5-9 155 RB Chris Steinbacher St. Bernard Sr. 6-4 205 K

DEFENSE

Player School Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos Jason Blanchard Westchester Sr. 5-9 230 L Jorge Irigoyen Daniel Murphy Jr. 5-8 215 L Jared Lancer Fairfax Sr. 6-0 195 L Javier Birrueta Hollywood Sr. 5-10 210 L Erwin DeLeon Palisades Jr. 5-10 175 LB Marcellus Wiley St. Monica Sr. 6-2 185 LB Arthur George Hamilton Sr. 6-1 174 LB Sheldon Phillip-Guide Santa Monica Sr. 6-2 195 DB Damion Thomas St. Bernard Sr. 5-11 155 DB Danny Kamack Culver City Sr. 5-11 180 DB Larry Elmer University Sr. 6-2 190 DB