Sports : Culver City High Quarterback Is Armed, Dangerous

An electronic throwing machine fired footballs between 60 and 70 miles an hour at Culver City High receivers.

A thud was followed by a gasp as each player struggled to gain control of the ball ricocheting off his chest.

This drill was a prelude to the real test: catching a pass from Centaur quarterback Damon Williams.

“He can tear your hands up,” slot back Jahmal Wright said. “I have to ice my fingers every night.”

Williams can throw hard whether it’s a short pass to a running back or a long one to an end racing down the sideline.

“I had him taking three-, five- and seven-step drop backs in practice,” Coach Robert Moore said. “The ball was humming. It was sizzling.”

Culver City, with an abundance of talent and Williams leading the way, is attempting to win its first Southern Section title since 1978.

“We want nothing short of a championship,” Williams said. “This is the team to do it. If we don’t do it, it will be five or 10 years before this school has this many skilled athletes.”

In addition to Williams and Wright, the Centaurs return receiver and Division I prospect Jasiri Rodell, tailback Aki Wilson, flanker Rashad Stroops and tight end Vince Sims.

The Centaurs have won or shared the Ocean League title the past three seasons. In 1993, Culver City finished 8-4 and was 4-0 in league play. The Centaurs advanced to the Division VII quarterfinals, where they lost to Arroyo Grande, 35-30.

“We’ve got a good shot to go all the way if we stay focused and determined,” Moore said.

Williams began his football career in Pop Warner with the Culver City Lancers. He switched from receiver to quarterback after a growth spurt weakened his left knee and limited his speed.

“I was getting kind of slow,” Williams said. “I moved to quarterback after one of my Pop Warner coaches saw me throw a pass off of a reverse.”

Williams built up his arm strength by working out religiously in the weight room. When it came time to try out as the varsity quarterback, Williams was ready. So were the Centaurs, who have found success moving receivers to quarterback.

Dameron Ricketts, the Centaurs’ starting quarterback in 1991, and Tommy Covington, the 1992 starter, began their football careers as receivers.

But neither had the success throwing the ball like the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Williams.

Last season, Williams passed for a school-record 1,986 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also caught a game-winning touchdown pass with no time remaining in a 14-13 first-round playoff victory over Azusa and another touchdown pass in the loss to Arroyo Grande.

He was selected to The Times’ 1993 Westside All-Star Football first team and to the Southern Section Division VII first team.

A three-sport athlete, Williams was also second-leading scorer on the basketball team with a 17-point average and a first-team selection as a pitcher on The Times’ Westside All-Star baseball team.

“He’s the type of player a team builds around,” Moore said.

Williams competed at a scouting combine at Warren High in April and finished among the top-rated quarterbacks.

“He throws the ball with authority,” said Dick Lascola of the Fallbrook, Calif.-based Scouting Bureau Services. “His ball doesn’t dip or flutter. He puts it on the line.”

And when the ball reaches the receiver?

“It hurts,” Moore said. “Lot of guys complain he throws too hard.”

One player who rarely complains is Rodell, Culver City’s leading receiver and Williams’ best friend.

“I warm him up before the games,” said Rodell, who caught 32 passes for 871 yards and nine touchdowns. “It takes getting used to.”

Rodell seeks his revenge with video games.

“We like to play Bill Walsh College Football,” Rodell said. “I spank him all the time.”

It might be the only football game Williams loses this season.