A Memorable Half for Some Teams Was Regrettable for Others

Our two-cents worth at the half-way point of the football season, marked this week by the start of competition in the Bay, Ocean and Pioneer leagues:

The Pioneer League has never looked better: North Torrance (5-0) is ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division IX, West Torrance (4-1) is ranked fifth and owns a four-game winning streak, Centennial (3-2) has its best team in years, El Segundo (3-2) remains a threat despite some key injuries, South Torrance (2-3) tuned up for league play with an impressive victory over Inglewood, and Torrance (1-4) is getting its passing game in gear after a slow start. In short, the three teams that secure playoff berths will have earned it.

Our picks: 1. North; 2. West; 3. South; 4. El Segundo; 5. Centennial; 6. Torrance. Key game: West at North, Oct. 30.

The Ocean League has never looked worse: This was the best Southern Section league in the area last year, but no more. In head-to-head competition against the Bay and Pioneer leagues last week, Ocean League teams were 0-5. Redondo (4-1) remains the only Ocean team with a winning record, but the Sea Hawks were defeated by Centennial, 33-8, last week, and have been outscored, 77-74, in their past four games. What about Morningside? Good question. If you have any answers after the Monarchs (1-3) were throttled by Leuzinger, 21-3, let us know. It doesn’t look like another banner season for Stais Boseman and company. Then again, nothing would surprise us in this up-for-grabs league.

Our picks: 1. Culver City; 2. Redondo; 3. Morningside; 4. Mira Costa; 5. Beverly Hills. Key game: Culver City at Redondo, Oct. 23.

The Bay League is a two-team race: Mark Oct. 30 on your calendar. That’s when Hawthorne (4-1) plays host to Peninsula (4-1) in the game that will probably decide the Bay title. Among the league’s other three teams, only Leuzinger (3-2) appears capable of challenging the favorites. Inglewood (1-4) has no defense--the Sentinels have given up an average of 30 points in their past four games--and once-mighty Santa Monica (0-5) has fallen on hard times.

Our picks: 1. Hawthorne; 2. Peninsula; 3. Leuzinger; 4. Inglewood; 5. Santa Monica.

The City Section is down this season: When we continued to rank Carson in the South Bay top 10 after the Colts started 0-2-1, a reader called to tell us we were living in the past. Maybe so, but since then the Colts have won three in a row and are again looking like a championship contender. Overall, though, it does appear that City teams are living on past laurels. Last year’s 4-A Division finalists, Dorsey (1-1-1) and Banning (3-2), are struggling and Carson has been inconsistent offensively. The emerging power in the 4-A is Crenshaw (4-1), which visits Carson on Friday afternoon in what might be the best game the section has to offer this season. San Pedro (3-1-1), meanwhile, looks like a strong contender for the 3-A title.

Best team: Hawthorne: The Cougars have size, speed and, perhaps most important, depth. When a talented running back like Corey McCoy averages only 13 carries a game and your team can still win handily, that’s a good sign.

Back of the half-year: McCoy. In the past two games, the Hawthorne tailback has averaged 16.5 yards a carry in 24 attempts, including a 43-yard average in six touchdown runs. Other candidates include quarterbacks Frank Ramirez of North and Jamie Sander of Carson, and Serra halfback Kenny Fredieu.

Coach of the half-year: Joe Austin. In his third season at North, Austin has helped revitalize a team that hasn’t enjoyed this kind of success since the early 1980s. Another worthy candidate is San Pedro’s Mike Walsh, who in two seasons has elevated the Pirates to a new level of consistency.

Biggest surprise: West. There weren’t many people touting the Warriors before the season, but second-year Coach Kerry Crabb has pushed the right buttons since opening the season with a 42-7 loss to Mission Viejo.

Biggest disappointment: Stais Boseman. The Morningside quarterback hasn’t been the same since spraining his left ankle in his team’s opener, and his supporting cast is weaker than expected. Maybe we should have seen it coming after all the preseason hype.

Easiest path to a league title: Serra. They might as well clear a space in the trophy case for the Cavaliers’ sixth consecutive Camino Real League title. Serra (4-1, 2-0 in league play) has as many victories as the six other league teams combined, and four of them are still winless.

Losingest team: Narbonne. The Gauchos had hoped a move from the Southern Pacific Conference to the Southeastern Conference would help them become more competitive. Sorry. Narbonne is 0-5, including an 0-4 conference record, and has been outscored, 106-27. Coach Patrick Bender was hoping the transfer of quarterback Lamar House, who backed up Stais Boseman at Morningside last year, would give the Gauchos’ offense a boost. House, however, moved to Texas.

Mary Star (0-5) is the area’s only other winless team, but the Stars showed signs of improvement in last week’s 28-21 loss to Serra.

Hard-luck team: El Segundo. First, returning quarterback Landon Wilson moved to Minneapolis a few weeks before the season. Then standout running back-kicker David Scanlan suffered a sprained arch in the second game. In the third game, standout running back-linebacker Joey Bolder separated a shoulder. Scanlan returned last week and Bolder returns this week, but quarterback Jake Coulter is questionable for Friday’s Pioneer League opener against Torrance after suffering a sprained knee.

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After struggling with a 40% completion rate and an average of 78 yards passing in the first three games, Torrance quarterback Bill Bynum has found his touch the past two weeks, passing for 635 yards and five touchdowns in losses to Mira Costa and Hawthorne.

Bynum’s father, Coach Bill Bynum, said some personnel changes have helped make the difference in the Tartars’ passing offense.

“We’ve moved a few kids,” he said. “These guys are starting to run the (offense) the way we want.”

Of his son, Bynum said: “The kid’s a smart QB and he knows who to throw to. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t let him eat dinner.”

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The Peninsula boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams won team titles at the Kenny Staub Invitational in La Crescenta on Saturday, but it was the girls’ performance that carried the most significance.

In winning the Division I race, Peninsula defeated Agoura, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Harrier magazine. The tightly grouped Panthers finished with 35 points, followed by City Section power Belmont (55) and Agoura (68).

Peninsula Coach Joe Kelly said it was the first time the Agoura girls had been beaten since 1989, the year Kelly coached Palos Verdes to its fifth consecutive Southern Section title. Since then, Agoura has dominated girls’ cross-country in California, winning the past two state titles.

Asked the significance of Saturday’s victory, Kelly said: “It means we won the Kenny Staub meet and (Agoura) didn’t. Beyond that, I don’t know. If we can keep it up, that’s great, but we still have to face them at Mt. SAC and the CIF and state meets.”

Kelly pointed out that Agoura was without its No. 5 runner, who was taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Its No. 3 runner, Kristie Camp, twisted an ankle during the race and did not finish. But even if Agoura’s No. 3 runner had finished as high as third, behind two teammates, it would not have kept Peninsula from winning the meet, Kelly said.

“(The victory) looks more decisive because of that one girl,” Kelly said. “I didn’t think it would end up that way. For us, we just run through meets at this time of year. We don’t try to peak for them. I just figured we’d go out there and whatever happens, happens. We ran well and (Agoura) didn’t.”

Peninsula’s top five runners were among the top 11 finishers, led by sophomore Molly Mehlberg, who finished the three-mile course at Crescenta Valley Park in 19 minutes 21 seconds to place third. Junior Jaime Artzner was sixth in 19:43, senior Alisa Scudamore was seventh in 19:47, sophomore Mary Blake was eighth in 19:49 and senior Julie Meyers was 11th.

Agoura’s sensational sophomore, Amy Skieresz, won with a course record of 17:30 as the Chargers finished 1-2, but Peninsula’s balance prevailed.

“We don’t have a super-fast runner, but we pack well,” Kelly said. “On paper, Agoura is better than we are, but you don’t run them on paper.”

Despite its victory, Peninsula remained No. 2 in the Southern Section Division I rankings behind Agoura. The teams will meet again Oct. 24 at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational.

Notes

Peninsula won the boys’ Division I team title at the Kenny Staub Invitational with 64 points, beating Canyon of Canyon Country (73) and Belmont (88). Senior Dan Minami placed sixth in 16:18, sophomore Ken Goodrich was ninth in 16:29 and junior Steve Schultz was 10th in 16:31 to lead the Panthers, who are ranked third in Division I behind Hart of Newhall and Thousand Oaks. Hart is considered a heavy favorite for the Division I title, won last year by Peninsula.

When El Segundo’s football team lost to Chaminade of West Hills, 48-0, two weeks ago, it was the Eagles’ worst defeat in 25 years. The Eagles lost to West Torrance, 72-14, in 1967 on their way to an 0-9 season. . . . Redondo slipped from third to sixth in the Division VII football poll after its 33-8 loss to Centennial. . . . Our apologies to West Torrance running back Leo Galvan, who was omitted Sunday from last week’s rushing leaders. Galvan rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in 13 carries in a 19-13 victory over Culver City, including a 63-yard run that set up his game-winning, one-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.

South Bay’s Football Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters

Rank, School, League Record 1 Hawthorne (Bay) 4-1 2 North Torrance (Pioneer) 5-0 3 Carson (Pacific) 3-2-1 4 Serra (Camino Real) 4-1 5 Peninsula (Bay) 4-1 6 Banning (Pacific) 3-2 7 West Torrance (Pioneer) 4-1 8 San Pedro (Southern) 3-1-1 9 Leuzinger (Bay) 3-2 10 Redondo (Ocean) 4-1