Nominated, They Dominate

The football season is down to its final three weeks, and the winners have separated themselves from the losers. Because The Times selects a player and coach of the year, here is an early look at the finalists.

For player of the year:

--Saladin McCullough, Pasadena Muir: The top running back in the Southland has gained 1,951 yards and scored 32 touchdowns. The senior has had several long touchdown runs, including a 91-yarder against Canyon Country Canyon last week. He is averaging nine yards per carry.

--Tim Carey, Los Alamitos: The top quarterback recruit in the Southland committed to Stanford last week, but his season is not over. The Griffins are 11-0 and will play a quarterfinal game Friday. Carey has thrown for 2,708 yards, completing 65% of his passes, four 29 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

--Travis Kirschke, Anaheim Esperanza: He has been one of the most dominating defensive lineman in Orange County history. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior is a three-year starter who has lead the Aztecs to one of the best records in the state.

--Sammy Knight, Riverside Rubidoux: A versatile player, he rarely leaves the field. He is being recruited as a defensive back and has 10 interceptions this season. The senior also starts at wide receiver for the Falcons (11-0), but is often asked to play running back or quarterback.

--Davis Delmatoff, Newhall Hart: In his first year as the team’s starting quarterback, the senior has passed for 3,336 yards and 36 touchdowns with eight interceptions. The Indians’ explosive passing game has resulted in an 11-0 record and quarterfinal berth in the playoffs.

--Rodney Sermons, La Puente Bishop Amat: He has been the key player for The Times’ top-rated team, rushing for 980 yards and 15 touchdowns. Although a junior, he is being compared to some of the school’s previous great running backs.

Honorable mention: Ramod Lee, running back, Valley View of Moreno Valley; Lawrence Phillips, running back, Baldwin Park; Keith Smith, quarterback, Newbury Park; Jeff Byrd, running back, Garden Grove Rancho Alamitos; Antonio Carrion, wide receiver, Dorsey.

For coach of the year:

--Jeff Engilman, Sylmar: The sixth-year coach has put his team in the same category in the City as traditional powers Carson, Wilmington Banning and Dorsey. The Spartans have not lost a Valley-Pac Eight Conference game in three years and are the top-seeded team in the Division 4-A playoffs.

--Louis Farrar, Covina Charter Oak: Two years ago, Charter Oak finished 0-10 and Farrar came close to calling it quits. The Chargers have rebounded in a big way. They are 11-0 and a favorite in the Southern Section’s Division VI.

--Jim Brownfield, Pasadena Muir: No coach in the Southland knows how to win better than Brownfield. He returned to the football field this season after a six-year absence and guided the Mustangs to their first Pacific League title since he stepped down in 1985. At 63, he is becoming a legend.

--John Barnes, Los Alamitos: The talent was there, but Barnes put it together on a team that has six shutouts and averages 37 points. Los Alamitos is the only team that has been able to beat Anaheim Esperanza in recent years.

--Tim Nelson, Alta Loma: In two seasons, Nelson turned the team from a perennial loser into a title contender. Alta Loma is in the playoffs for the first time since 1969. It also overcame adversity after forfeiting five games for using an ineligible player.

Honorable mention: Tom Hoak, Rialto Eisenhower; Jim Beckenhauer, Crescenta Valley; Mike Herrington, Newhall Hart; Larry Toner, Anaheim Servite; George Hurley, Newbury Park; Leo Brouhard, Valley View; Bob Rau, Duarte; Ray Galarze, Bell.

A strange season in City football took another odd twist Friday during the first round of the playoffs.

Defending Division 4-A champion Dorsey was routed by Locke, 62-37, and 4-A runner-up Wilmington Banning was upset by Garfield, 7-6. Traditional power Carson needed a late defensive stand to hold off Lincoln, 28-24. Previously undefeated Westchester lost to Van Nuys, 28-27.

Banning’s loss to Garfield might have been the most surprising and certainly won’t make things easier for first-year Coach Ed Paculba. Many of the Pilots’ fans were critical of Paculba’s play-calling Friday, and the school has never tolerated losing. Banning finished 7-4.

“Our kids played a good game, but maybe they weren’t in the game,” Paculba said. “It looked like something was holding them back. They just couldn’t get it going.”

The City playoffs resume Wednesday with the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be Dec. 4 and the championship games Dec. 11.

Prep Notes

Sylmar running back Tyrone Crenshaw rushed for 317 yards in 20 carries and scored three touchdowns during the Spartans’ 49-7 victory over Venice on Friday. He has 1,434 yards for the season. . . . The Simi Valley baseball team had to forfeit the Marmonte League title it won last year because it used an ineligible player. The league title was awarded to second-place Simi Valley Royal.

Gene Blankenship, one of the area’s most successful cross-country coaches, said he will leave Newhall Hart at the end of the school year. The Hart boys have won two consecutive State Division I titles. . . . The state cross-country meet will be run Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. The meet will begin at 9 a.m. . . . The state girls’ volleyball tournament will begin tonight and concludes with title matches in five divisions Dec. 5 at Cal State Fullerton.

Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS I 11-0 1 2. Los Alamitos SS II 11-0 2 3. Muir SS II 10-1 3 4. Fontana SS I 10-1 4 5. Hart SS II 11-0 5 6. Loyola SS I 10-1 6 7. Esperanza SS II 10-1 7 8. Eisenhower SS I 9-1-1 8 9. Mater Dei SS I 9-1-1 10 10. Servite SS II 9-1-1 9 11. Baldwin Park SS III 10-0-1 11 12. Irvine SS IV 10-1 12 13. Ran. Alamitos SS VII 9-2 13 14. Sylmar City 4-A 10-0 14 15. Hawthorne SS III 9-2 15 16. LB Poly SS I 8-3 16 17. Rubidoux SS IV 11-0 17 18. Charter Oak SS VI 11-0 18 19. Bell Gardens SS III 10-1 19 20. Duarte SS VI 10-0 NR