South Armed for Battle in Air

Running backs Tyrone Crenshaw and George Keiaho might not get a chance to carry the ball as much as they are accustomed to at the 43rd Shrine all-star football game tonight at 7 at Citrus College in Glendora.

Both are powerful running backs headed to NCAA Division I colleges and are used to carrying an offense virtually by themselves. But they might be frustrated after tonight’s game. South Coach Tom Hoak has promised a wide-open game with plenty of passing.

Quarterback Steve Campbell, 6 foot 7, 220 pounds, from Norco High is expected to start. He completed 55% of his passes for 1,674 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior. Mike Good, 6-0, 200, from Los Alamitos is his backup.

“In an all-star game, the guys that had better be the stars are our two quarterbacks,” Hoak said. “We’re going to throw the ball more than in a normal high school game, so you want your quarterbacks to be the ones who win all the MVP trophies.”

Jim Romero from L.A. Baptist will be one of their targets. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound wide receiver caught 87 passes for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He will attend Arizona in the fall.

Rushing chores will be shared by the South’s five running backs, Hoak said.

“We’re not going to say we’re going to take one running back and have him carry the ball 30 times,” said Hoak, who led Eisenhower to an unbeaten season and a No. 2 national ranking last season. “We’re going to be changing in a lot of positions.”

Keiaho, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound fullback from Buena High, ran for 6,585 yards in his career, second best in state history. The Washington-bound back gained 2,249 yards as a senior.

Crenshaw, 5-10, 185, ran for 1,785 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Sylmar High and is a two-time City Section 4-A Division player of the year. He will attend Michigan State.

Other South team area players are tight end John McLaughlin of Hart, defensive end Willie Perryman of Burbank, offensive tackle David Pratchard of Canyon and linebacker Keith Schiele of Antelope Valley.

Best of the Bunch

* What: The 43rd Shrine all-star football game.

* When: 7 p.m.

* Where: Citrus College.

* Tickets: $5 at the gate. $2 for students with an ID.