Biggest Kids on Peninsula High’s Block Are Front-Line Players

Midway through the third quarter of a game early this season, an outmanned defensive lineman, tired of being flattened on seemingly every play, looked across the line of scrimmage at Peninsula High guard John Welbourn and said, “That’s enough,” before walking off the field.

Considering that Welbourn is 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, and that teammate Matt Redman is 6-7 and 285, who can blame any opposing player for wanting to call it quits. Dick Lascola of the Fallbrook, Calif.-based Scouting Evaluation Assn. rates Redman and Welbourn, a tackle, as Southern California’s top offensive line prospects.

“Some schools are trying to recruit us as a pair,” Welbourn says. “They say, ‘You guys play well together, we’d like to keep you together.’ ”

But that scenario seems unlikely. Redman, who lived in Grand Rapids, Mich., for six years and has a sister at Michigan State, has expressed a desire to leave Southern California. Welbourn, whose father Robert, a lawyer, is a USC graduate, likes Los Angeles and acknowledges that he will probably sign with USC or UCLA.

The players will visit California this weekend. Only after setting up the trip independently and then comparing notes did they realize they would be traveling together.

Redman also plans to visit Colorado (Dec. 10-12), Iowa (Dec. 17-19) and the Naval Academy (Jan. 14-16), and will take an unofficial trip to Washington with his family. He has already been to Washington State.

Cal appears to be Redman’s top choice. His parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle graduated from Berkeley.

Welbourn will visit Nebraska Dec. 10-12 and UCLA and Colorado in January. He is also planning an official trip to USC. High school players can sign college letters of intent beginning Feb. 2.

“I’ve known John since sixth-grade; we’re really good friends,” Redman said. “But we realize that we might have to go our separate ways in college.”

Welbourn says the friendship turns into a rivalry off the football field.

“When we work out together, I beat him in the sprints, he beats me in the distances,” Welbourn says. “He beats me in the shotput and discus, although last year was the first year I competed.

“I always feel that competition is healthy. So do our coaches, who always try to pit us against each other. I like to beat him.”

Welbourn has grown two inches and gained 25 pounds in the past year. Size runs in the family--his father is 6 foot 3; oldest brother Rob, who played football at Pomona-Pitzer and graduated last spring, is 6-7 and 295, and brother Ed, who recently completed his senior season at Pomona-Pitzer, is 6-3 and 265.

Notes

USC football coaches are hoping to sign 25 players, including as many as six community college transfers. One of those players may be former Pasadena Muir High running back Saladin McCullough, whose Scholastic Aptitude Test score was ruled invalid recently by an arbitrator, ending a lengthy investigation. McCullough, whose breakaway speed helped him rush for 2,139 yards at Muir in 1992, has not attended school this fall. He plans to retake the SAT Dec. 11. If he achieves the minimum score of 700, he is hoping to be admitted to USC in time to participate in spring practice. . . . More USC: The Trojans would like to sign one quarterback. At the top of their list is Dana Hills’ Scott Covington (6-foot-4, 180 pounds), who completed 110 of 221 passes (49.8%) for 1,450 yards and five touchdowns for a 1-9 team. He had 14 passes intercepted. Three community college players likely to sign with USC are defensive linemen Richard Beatie (6-6, 270) of Glendale College, Marcus Bonds (6-6, 240) of West Los Angeles and linebacker Errick Herrin (6-3, 230) of Mt. San Jacinto. USC is also recruiting wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson (6-3, 200) of West Los Angeles, defensive back Mario Bradley (6-2, 180) of Cerritos, defensive lineman Anthony Sanford (6-6, 270) of Pasadena, and outside linebackers Israel Ifeanyi (6-4, 205) of Orange Coast and Scott von der Ahe (6-foot, 215) of Saddleback.

One of the best high school players the Trojans are recruiting is defensive tackle Darrell Russell (6-5, 280) of St. Augustine in San Diego. Russell is scheduled to visit Notre Dame this weekend, but is thought to have USC and UCLA at the top of his list.

Chris Draft (6-1, 205) of Placentia Valencia, one of the top running back-defensive back prospects in Southern California, has told friends and college recruiters that if Stanford offers him a scholarship, he will sign with the Cardinal. Draft is also a standout baseball player.

UCLA would like to sign 17 or 18 players, including as many as two community college transfers. Most likely to commit early is defensive back Jason Simmons (5-10, 175) of Leuzinger. Simmons, a member of the school’s 400-meter relay team that reached the California State meet last summer, attended UCLA’s summer camp and impressed Bruin coaches with his speed and quick feet. The Bruins’ top quarterback prospect is Steve Buck (6-4, 180) of Alta Loma, although UCLA is also recruiting Newbury Park’s record-setting quarterback Keith Smith (6-foot, 175).

Other Southern California players who are considering UCLA are Washington wide receiver-cornerback Jim McElroy (5-10, 155); running back-defensive back Grant Pearsall (6-1, 185) of Villa Park; offensive linemen Jason Rempel (6-5, 250) of Calabasas and Rick Austin (6-4, 300) of Rialto Eisenhower; wide receiver Tod McBride (6-2, 175) of Walnut; tight end Sheldon Jackson (6-4, 210) of La Verne Damien, and wide receiver-cornerback Javelin Guidry (5-11, 165) of Cerritos Gahr, younger brother of UCLA freshman cornerback Paul Guidry.