PREP FOOTBALL ’94 : Long-Running Carson Show Readies for New Season

David Williams doesn’t have all the answers, but he knows one thing. His Carson High football team will soon find out how it measures up against the best competition.

“Once again we have a formidable schedule,” said the second-year coach. “Many are saying it’s the toughest in California.”

No argument there. Carson’s first three games are against Bishop Amat, ranked No. 1 in the nation; San Diego Morse, ranked No. 8 in the state, and Los Alamitos, ranked No. 5 in the state and current holder of California’s longest unbeaten streak (34-0-1).

Talk about a death march. By the time the nonleague season is over, Carson could be the best 0-3 team in the country. Or 1-2, which wouldn’t be so bad. Or 2-1, which would be nice. Or 3-0, which means the Colts immediately become contenders for the national title.

The latter scenario is a longshot, but not out of the question. Carson, ranked 18th in the state, returns many of the top players from last season’s City Section 4-A Division championship team, and Williams has a better grasp of running a varsity program. The Colts started 0-2 against Bishop Amat and Morse in his rookie season.

“Mistakes cost us in those games,” Williams said. “Hopefully, we’re a little more sound. Our teaching is ahead of where it was last year at this time.”

With Carson at the head of the class, here’s a look at The Times’ top 10 South Bay prep teams:

1. CARSON

1993 record: 10-4; League: 1st (Pacific); Returning starters: 10.

Strengths: The Colts’ success will depend heavily on versatile back J.R. Redmond, who dazzled defenses as a junior by accounting for 1,316 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns. He broke Wesley Walker’s school record by returning four kicks for TDs, and he became the first Carson player to score by rushing, receiving, and returning punts and kickoffs in one season. Williams says that the 6-foot, 190-pound Redmond is bigger and faster than last season. Carson’s other main offensive threat is quarterback Ramon Rogers, who passed for 1,853 yards and 15 TDs in 1993 and has become more adept at running the option. The other skill players have good speed, including touted sophomore running back Patrick McCall, who competed on Carson’s track team as a ninth-grader. Both lines have good size--returning offensive tackle Brian Teofilo (6-1, 280) is a standout--and the defense includes middle linebacker Fa’avae Fa’avae (5-11, 195), the team’s leading tackler last season.

Weaknesses: The biggest hole is in the secondary, where all four starters graduated. Overall depth also concerns Williams.

Fast fact: The coaching staff includes two former head coaches. Ex-Gardena coach Mike Sakurai has replaced retiring Jim D’Amore as defensive coordinator, and he will be assisted by Ed Elias, the former coach at Franklin.

2. LEUZINGER

1993 record: 5-6; League: 3rd (Bay); Returning starters:8.

Strengths: Area coaches are raving about the Olympians. “They looked super in the summer,” North Torrance’s Tony Uruburu said. And this from Hawthorne’s Dan Robbins: “They’re bigger and faster than anyone.” Fred Boehm, starting his second season as Leuzinger coach, doesn’t share the same opinion, but he acknowledges that the Olympians should be improved. The offensive line ranks among the area’s best. Four starters return, led by tackles Ione Iereno (6-2, 280) and Enga Usu (6-5, 265). In the backfield, Leuzinger has physical runners in junior tailback Derrick Norris (6-1, 200) and senior fullback Aaron Williams (6-3, 220), who moves from tight end. Williams will anchor Leuzinger’s defense at linebacker, where he was named a preseason All-American. Boehm has high expectations for senior linebacker Peter Leilua (6-0, 230), who was ineligible last season.

Weaknesses: Boehm says the Olympians lack the breakaway speed they’ve had in the past, a situation made worse by the loss of tailback Don Williams, the team’s leading rusher last season with 752 yards. Williams moved out of state and has not returned. “We thought he’d be back, but he ran into some kind of family problem,” Boehm said. “It really hurts us.”

Fast fact: Leuzinger will not start any players who played on underclass teams last season, but maybe that’s a good thing. The freshman and sophomore teams were a combined 1-19.

3. MIRA COSTA

1993 record: 13-1; League: 2nd (Ocean); Returning starters: 10.

Strengths: The Mustangs have more running backs than they know what to do with. “I’ve never seen so many good skill players,” Coach Don Morrow said. Junior tailback Maurice Russell could start for other teams, but he’ll have to wait his turn behind senior Mike Fikes (6-2, 200), potentially the best back in school history. All Fikes did last season, after regaining eligibility, was rush for more than 300 yards in the last two Division VII playoff games to help Mira Costa win its first Southern Section title. Steady and durable Dennis Hughes will play fullback after rushing for 509 yards in 1993. Russell, the team’s fastest player, also figures to get his share of carries behind a huge offensive line anchored by tackles Stuart Sellars (6-5, 270) and James Kasanos (6-6, 280). Most of the starters return from a defense that gave up only 147 yards a game. The linebacking corps is especially strong.

Weaknesses: It won’t be easy, but the Mustangs have to find replacements for All-American nose guard Phil Fonua and standout wide receiver-defensive back Dino Rossi. Fonua is recovering from a ruptured brain aneurysm, and Rossi needs surgery after suffering a torn knee ligament this summer, Morrow said. Rossi led the team in receptions, interceptions and kick returns last season.

Fast fact: Mira Costa, runner-up to Culver City in the Ocean League last season, has not won a league title since 1976.

4. SAN PEDRO

1993 record: 13-1; League: 1st (Southern); Returning starters: 8.

Strengths: The two-time defending City Section 3-A Division champions return eight starters from a defense that gave up only 27 points in the last nine games in 1993. That alone should keep the Pirates competitive in most games. The team’s best player is senior Mike Lennox (6-3, 180), who can do just about anything the coaches ask. He’ll start at receiver and safety (he had five interceptions last season), and serve as backup quarterback and punter. Look for the versatile Lennox to assume the leadership role vacated by receiver-defensive back Bryan Castaneda, the 1993 3-A Division Player of the Year. Tailback Rick Ponce (5-8, 160) makes up in toughness what he lacks in size. He figures to be San Pedro’s primary ballcarrier after rushing for 345 yards and three TDs as a key reserve last season.

Weaknesses: The Pirates are breaking in a new offensive line and a quarterback, sophomore Melvin Yarborough, who has never taken a high school snap. If Yarborough struggles, Lennox will get the call, perhaps as early as Friday’s opener against Hawthorne.

Fast fact: Senior center Anthony Amalfitano is the nephew of Dodger coach Joey Amalfitano.

5. HAWTHORNE

1993 record: 12-2; League: 1st (Bay); Returning starters: 7.

Strengths: The Cougar defense, with five returning starters, should be one of the most physical units in the area. Linebacker Ka’vika Purcell (6-0, 225) led the team in tackles last season and will play alongside cousin and fellow linebacker Maze Tufele (6-1, 215), a highly regarded transfer from Riverside County. A seasoned secondary is led by free safety Kelvin Hunter, who had seven interceptions last season to give him 12 in his career, and cornerback Aaron Butler. Up front, defensive end Sione Finau (5-11, 210) and tackle Alex Maimot (6-0, 310) are back from the 1993 squad that lost in the Division III final to Newbury Park. Coach Dan Robbins (three-year record of 33-7, including 8-2 in the playoffs) says this group reminds him of the 1991 team, a playoff quarterfinalist, because of its blend of quality seniors and newcomers.

Weaknesses: Only two offensive starters return, and the entire backfield is made up of juniors who played on the sophomore team last season. Add to that the Cougars’ demanding nonleague schedule--they play San Pedro, Culver City and Mater Dei in the first three weeks--and it looks like the defense might have to carry the load for a while.

Fast fact: Former Hawthorne standout Tevita Moala, the 1992 Times’ South Bay Back of the Year, will help coach the running backs until November, when he begins his two-year Mormon mission. Moala, a defensive back, was a redshirt last season at Brigham Young.

6. BANNING

1993 record: 5-6; League: Tied for 2nd (Pacific); Returning starters: 8.

Strengths: Perhaps the best news at Banning is that Coach Ed Paculba is attending booster club meetings again. He stopped going midway through last season after some boosters circulated a petition calling for his removal. But the principal stood behind Paculba, who returns for his third season with a 12-10 record and no playoff victories. “Everything is OK,” Paculba said of his tenuous relationship with the boosters. “We don’t talk about the past.” A confident Paculba said Banning will be vastly improved in 1994. Reasons for optimism include a physical defense led by tackle John Toavalu (5-11, 270) and safety Eric Whitfield, who led the area with eight interceptions last season, and a more balanced offense that boasts two capable tailbacks--Ricardo Diaz and Jermaine Claxton.

Weaknesses: A lack of offensive consistency has been the Pilots’ downfall in recent seasons. Whether they can solve the problem with a new quarterback (either junior Ira McKenna or senior Luis Villasenor) remains to be seen.

Fast fact: Banning, which has rarely played on its home field, will play four night home games this season, starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Muir. Bleachers will be placed on the visiting side to accommodate more fans.

7. SERRA

1993 record: 6-4; League: Tied for 1st (Camino Real); Returning starters: 12.

Strengths: The Cavaliers have 17 players who started on the varsity level last season, including five transfers. Offensive standouts include quarterback DeWayne Hervey (1,246 yards passing in 1993), running back Ricky Boyer (742 yards rushing, 25 catches), wide receiver David Burr (20 catches for 427 yards) and a big line led by all-league tackle Greg Pollard (6-1, 262). Linebacker Michael Wiley (6-4, 227), a college prospect, is the top returning defensive player. Notable transfers include junior running back Frank Rice, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards for Pius X last season, and safety Terry Winston, an all-league pick from Verbum Dei. Speed and size are present on both sides of the ball.

Weaknesses: Some are calling this the best Serra team since the 1989 squad that went 14-0 and won the Division VII title. On paper it could be, but the Cavaliers must prove they can put it together under second-year Coach Charles Nash, who took over the program midway through last season after Kevin Crawley was fired. The jump to the Division III Mission League will make it a tougher challenge.

Fast fact: In 1989, Jerald Henry helped Serra beat Napoleon Kaufman and Lompoc, 34-31, in the Division VII final at El Camino College. Saturday at the Coliseum, Henry had an interception to help USC beat Kaufman-led Washington, 24-17.

8. PENINSULA

1993 record: 10-2; League: 2nd (Bay); Returning starters: 7.

Strengths: The Panthers have an experienced leader in quarterback Peter Krogh, who passed for 634 yards and seven touchdowns in a run-oriented attack last season. Coach Gary Kimbrell said Peninsula will probably throw more this season after passing for only 59 yards a game in 1993. One of the main targets should be Chris Duffy, an elusive runner who can play every offensive skill position. The team’s tried-and-true running attack features fullback Petros Papadakis, brother of former Peninsula standout and current USC player Taso Papadakis, and a good-sized line anchored by returning center Jeremy Sparling (6-3, 220). The secondary, which includes Duffy, Papadakis and promising sophomore Marty Cheatham, is solid.

Weaknesses: Only four starters return on defense, and one of them, nose guard Mike Migliaccio, has been slowed because of a knee injury. “Our defense is really green, a lot greener than I thought,” Kimbrell said.

Fast fact: Peninsula’s sophomore team has never lost a game since the school opened in 1991.

9. NORTH TORRANCE

1993 record: 5-6; League: Tied for 1st (Pioneer); Returning starters: 6.

Strengths: Second-year Coach Tony Uruburu says the Saxons’ off-season work in the weight room will show on the field. “We’re bigger and more physical,” he said. “That’s the thing that hurt us last year. We weren’t very big or strong up front.” Uruburu hopes the improvement makes for a more consistent running game. North recently became more physical in the backfield by moving guard Shant Barsoumian (5-11, 220) to fullback to block for tailback Bruce Guerra, who rushed for 505 yards last season. There are several promising linemen in the program, including juniors Wilder DeLeon (6-0, 255) and Steve Judd (6-2, 300).

Weaknesses: The Saxons will miss the big-play capabilities of quarterback Rocky Jackson and tailback Lacy Watkins, both South Bay all-stars last season. “We don’t have the ability to score from anywhere on the field this year,” Uruburu said. With a number of players going both ways, depth could also be a problem.

Fast fact: North’s new offensive coordinator is Dan Speltz, the former quarterback at Rolling Hills, El Camino College and Cal State Fullerton.

10. WEST TORRANCE

1993 record: 6-5; League: Tied for 1st (Pioneer); Returning starters: 7.

Strengths: History has shown that when Kirk Bolling is throwing and Jim Yates is hitting, good things usually happen for West. Last spring, pitcher Bolling and outfielder Yates helped the baseball team reach the Division III final. The two seniors also excel in football. Bolling returns at quarterback after passing for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns in only six games. He sat out part of the season because of a shoulder injury. Yates, an all-Southern Section safety, led the Warriors with 110 tackles as a junior. Their continued success is crucial if West hopes to contend in the Bay League.

Weaknesses: The Warriors may have trouble matching up physically with some of the Bay League’s bigger teams. A lack of depth and speed could also hurt.

Fast fact: Former co-coaches Mark Knox and John Black have returned to the sideline to help new Coach Greg Holt, the former defensive coordinator.

BEST OF THE REST

Torrance (4-5-1) boasts one of the area’s quickest players in tailback Andre Hilliard, who will operate behind a huge offensive line. Rock Hollis succeeds Bill Bynam as the Tartars’ coach.

South Torrance (7-3-1) should be a factor in the Ocean League with a lineup that includes shifty tailback Chad Morton and experienced players at most positions.

Redondo (4-7) lost running back Bob Cracknell, the area’s leading rusher last season, but it has a promising quarterback in junior Doug Francis (6-5, 220) and several good linemen.

Bishop Montgomery (3-7) hopes to turn things around with the help of 12 returning starters, including standout receiver Brandon McLemore.

El Segundo (3-7) will hinge its hopes in the Ocean League on an aggressive defense led by tackle Matt Jasik (6-0, 200), a Times’ South Bay all-star last season.