Just Preps : Have Talent, Will Travel a Long Way

One would need a map and a few hours of patience to trace the path of many of the Southland’s top high school football players this season.

Movement of notable athletes between schools is nothing new, but proximity no longer seems to be a factor. Players often go from one county to another to find a team. One even moved all the way to Texas and back.

The mobility is making it increasingly difficult for the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports in the state, to investigate each case. Perhaps that is the idea.

Whatever the motives and no matter the distance, transfermania is in full gear and appears here to stay.

A small sampling:

--Austin Moherman, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley: A talented 6-foot-4 junior quarterback who passed for 1,887 yards and seven touchdowns at Mission Viejo last season. After attending a passing contest at Los Angeles Wilson over the summer, Moherman transferred there. He started the opener for the Mules, a 13-7 loss to Cathedral. Then he checked out and enrolled at Capistrano Valley. He is vying for a starting job with the Cougars.

--Michael Graham, Pasadena Muir: A senior running back considered one of the area’s top players at his position. It has been a long, strange road for Graham, who has compiled impressive numbers at four schools. He started at Santa Ana Mater Dei as a freshman, transferred to Huntington Beach Edison midway through his sophomore season and played at Covina Charter Oak last season. He had problems at each school and was expelled from Charter Oak. He enrolled at Muir last month. Still, Graham has more than 4,000 rushing yards.

--Jason Steen, Gardena Serra: A senior linebacker, who at 6-3, 210 pounds, is receiving plenty of attention from college recruiters. Steen was a starter his sophomore and junior seasons at Verbum Dei, an all-boys’ parochial school in Watts. Last season he had 80 solo tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception for a 5-5 team. After practicing with the Eagles all summer, Steen enrolled at Serra. “Jason never even told me he was leaving,” Verbum Dei Coach Lalo Mendoza said. “He just called a week later in tears, apologizing.”

--Keijuan Douglas, San Fernando--A flashy 5-9 senior option quarterback. Douglas began his high school football career at Sun Valley Poly as a sophomore. He transferred to San Fernando as a junior but left during the spring semester for Littlerock. He had a change of heart and returned to San Fernando this summer. In three games, he has passed for 174 yards and rushed for 287 for the 1-2 Tigers.

--Rod Perry, Santa Ana Mater Dei: A junior wide receiver and defensive back who is expected to be one the nation’s top prospects next season. Perry was a key player on Mater Dei’s undefeated championship team last year, finishing with 59 receptions for 1,191 yards and 16 touchdowns. He moved to Houston last May when his father, Rod Perry Sr., took a job as an assistant coach with the Oilers. Unhappy at his new school, the younger Perry returned to Orange Country last week to live with family friends. He caught a touchdown pass in the Monarchs’ 31-7 victory over Hawthorne on Friday.

Anthony White, Dorsey--Another top junior wide receiver and defensive back. After making his way into the lineup as a sophomore at Los Angeles High, White had 53 receptions for 747 yards and also intercepted six passes for a 3-7 team. This fall, he showed up at Dorsey, a perennial City Section contender.