DeSaussure Has It All--but There’s a Catch

Critics say his weaknesses are only an arm’s length away, but Taft High’s Andre DeSaussure isn’t listening. He’s taken his weaknesses and placed them firmly over his ears.

“I don’t let words people say take me down,” he said. “I’m always gonna be out here working hard. Those are the people that come out on top.”

DeSaussure, blessed with all the speed and size any receiver could wish for, has difficulty holding on to a thrown football. “I’m glad that’s the only thing they talk stuff about, because I run good routes and I get to the ball,” he said. “It’s just catching it.”

Although some say DeSaussure is overrated because of his inability to catch with consistency, several Pacific 10 Conference football coaches came calling over the past year, seeking the opportunity to work with the fleet-footed receiver.

Why? Because DeSaussure--6-foot-3, 195 pounds--is a not-so-average track athlete who desperately wants to play football.

DeSaussure won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprints in the City Section championships as a junior, becoming only the second male athlete since 1911 to complete that hat trick, joining Ronnie Wayne Williams of Chatsworth (1977).

Further still, DeSaussure was the state runner-up in the 400 in 1993.

Considering his track record, he should probably stay in his own lane. But DeSaussure is out to prove his skeptics wrong and attain his goal of becoming one of the country’s best college receivers.

Tonight, DeSaussure and 73 other senior football standouts will showcase their talents in the Daily News all-star game at Birmingham High at 6:30 p.m.

DeSaussure, who earned a football scholarship to Washington after only one season as a high school receiver, and Arizona-bound receiver Jim Romero of L.A. Baptist will lead the West.

If DeSaussure had the sure, soft hands of the diminutive Romero, he would possess the complete package as a receiver. But, for now, DeSaussure knows where his game needs work--he just doesn’t like talking about it.

“His speed cannot be questioned,” said West co-Coach Joel Schaeffer of Reseda. “But he’s inconsistent catching the ball.”

After 10 all-star practices, DeSaussure’s weakness is no secret to his West teammates.

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During a recent workout at Pierce College, West players were milling around after more than an hour of practice drills. Many rested while some offensive players, including DeSaussure, played catch.

Then Taft lineman Dan Lazarovits bellowed to no one in particular, “Hey, you know why that (L.A. Times’) photographer has been here so long? She’s still waiting for Andre to catch the ball.”

Those within earshot--DeSaussure not among them--doubled over with laughter. “Oh, that’s so cold,” said one player, after picking himself up off the ground.

DeSaussure did not have a good practice that day, to be sure. He dropped several easy passes in drills, but got better as the day wore on.

Coaches say his problem hands are the result of not enough work. After playing defensive back almost exclusively at Royal High, DeSaussure transferred to Taft in the middle of his junior year.

Taft Coach Troy Starr and one of his assistants, Rod Gatlin, began molding DeSaussure into a receiver. Starr even bought a passing machine so his receiver could catch more practice passes after his coach got tired.

When DeSaussure wasn’t fielding the machine’s offerings, he was on the other end of throws from Gatlin, a former El Toro High quarterback who played at Cal State Fullerton and Northridge.

“He made me his project and worked with me,” DeSaussure said. “Basically, I owe my scholarship to him.”

A year after catching only two passes for 45 yards at Royal, DeSaussure caught 27 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns for Taft. Practice makes him better, according to Gatlin.

“There has been drastic improvement, but it’s been all his commitment and hard work,” Gatlin said. “With Andre, it’s more of a mental thing, him being focused and him keeping his intensity to the football. He tends to get lazy, lackadaisical after he gets open.”

Getting open deep is rarely a problem for the speedster. In fact, the long ball, or “big play,” as he calls it, is what inspires him.

“He wants to do whatever’s necessary to win. He just hopes it’s necessary that he goes deep,” said West co-Coach George Hurley of Newbury Park.