Sports

NO MOORE

Robert Moore will not return for a third season as Culver City High football coach.

Moore, who turned 35 on Jan. 17, resigned Tuesday but was hesitant to talk about his reasons for stepping down until he contacted his former players.

Moore had a 17-6 record in two seasons as a walk-on coach. He served as a Centaur assistant for six seasons under Coach Lou Lichtl, whom he replaced in 1993.

Under Moore, Culver City had a 11-0 record in Ocean League play and won two league championships. The Centaurs finished 8-4 in 1993 and 9-2 in 1994.

Moore purchased a Las Vegas home last summer. During the football season, he would live in Los Angeles Monday through Saturday and return to Las Vegas on Sunday.

Moore said he would have returned for a third season if his brother, Centaur assistant Kevin Moore, would have been guaranteed to succeed him.

Steve Carroll, a Culver City assistant last season, is the leading candidate to replace Moore. Carroll is a physical education and in-school suspension teacher. He was a former coach at Norwalk Mayfair and Bishop Montgomery.

VEGAS BOUND?

Culver City receiver Jasiri Rodell and quarterback Damon Williams remain undecided about where they will continue their playing careers.

Rodell, who was named to the Cal-Hi Sports Magazine first team, and Williams, The Times’ 1994 Westside back of the year, recently returned from a trip to Colorado State.

Rodell and Williams are also being recruited by Nevada Las Vegas, which is considered the front-runner.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Rodell, who caught 55 passes for 1,380 yards and 13 touchdowns, will visit Nevada Las Vegas this weekend.

“I’m leaning toward signing with UNLV,” said Rodell, who at one time was also being recruited by USC and Arizona State.

The 6-3, 200-pound Williams, who passed for 2,168 yards and 19 touchdowns, visited Las Vegas Jan. 6. He is being recruited as a receiver.

DUCK OR BRUIN?

Westchester defensive lineman Travor Turner was also undecided about his college choice.

Turner, who had narrowed his list to Oregon and UCLA, was impressed with his trip to Eugene, but he also is a lifelong Bruin fan.

“I like Oregon and the plans they have for me,” Turner said. “I also like the fact that it’s away from home and I can be more independent.

“As far as UCLA is concerned, the school is close to my home and my support group. I also know the coaches pretty well after competing in their summer camp.

“This was a pretty tough decision for me. I’m still debating about the two.”

Bruin coaches originally were not interested in Turner but later joined the recruiting battle. Until UCLA offered Turner an on-campus visit, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound defensive end was all set to go to Oregon.

“I was surprised they came in at the last minute,” Turner said. “But they said they saw some recent film on me and liked what they saw. They admitted they made a mistake by not trying to recruit me sooner.”

CHANGE IN POSITION

San Jose State went to Los Angeles shopping for a tight end and found what they wanted in Westchester’s Courtney Brown.

Although he played receiver as a senior, the 6-3, 210-pound Brown has the size and blocking ability to fill the Spartans’ needs, said Westchester Coach Larry Wein.

“Of course, we had Tony Griffin, so we didn’t need Courtney to play tight end,” said Wein about Griffin, The Times’ 1994 Westside lineman of the year who has made an unwritten commitment to attend USC. “(But Courtney) was our strongest receiver. We liked to go to him inside the 20.”

HURRICANE WARNING

St. Bernard two-sport standout Brandon Pernell may benefit from his versatility and earn a scholarship to the University of Miami.

Pernell, who is a better baseball prospect than football, will go on a trip to Miami this weekend. The 6-2, 180-pound senior is a pitcher and shortstop for the Viking baseball team. He turned down a baseball scholarship to Miami and Nevada during the November signing period.

But the Hurricanes intimated that Pernell, who played quarterback and free safety, would also be given a chance to try out for the football team. He had three interceptions, 58 solo tackles and 59 assists.

“They only have three free safeties and two of them are seniors,” said Daric Pernell, Brandon’s older brother.

“They told him he could play both. I think he will sign this weekend.”

Daric Pernell, the freshman football and assistant varsity baseball coach at St. Bernard, said that running back Andrew Dillard and defensive tackle Kerrick Brown are Division I players but are not getting attention from recruiters.

“I think the change in coaching is affecting our players,” Daric Pernell said. “I’m not sure if recruiters know who to contact.”

Last week, the Vikings named Thomas Paredes as their football coach. Paredes, an offensive coordinator at Cantwell-Sacred Heart last season, took over for Bob Yarnall and Tom Burgess, who filled in after the resignation of Mike Noonan before St. Bernard’s first game last season.

OFF AND RUNNING

Charlotte Helmkamp of Santa Monica, Pamela Bryant of Pacific Palisades and six other former Playboy playmates will be among the celebrities competing Sunday in the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10-K run and 5-K walk.

Helmkamp, president of the Santa Monica-based Playboy Running Team, has competed in four marathons, including the 1993 L.A. Marathon. She hopes to qualify for the 1995 Boston Marathon.

About 10,000 runners are expected to compete in the race that starts at the Redondo Beach Marina in King Harbor. The invitational men’s mile begins at 7:15 a.m., followed by the invitational women’s mile at 7:20.