Something Hot on Alemany Back Burner

In a league noted for explosive tailbacks, Alemany High’s running attack in recent years has been a dud.

Not since 1991 has an Alemany player rushed for more than 1,000 yards, and no back from the school has since rushed for as many as 600 yards in a season.

Small wonder the Indians have only seven victories in Coach Pat Degnan’s four-year tenure and have not had a winning season in five years.

But this year, Degnan might drop a bomb.

Junior tailback Miguel Fletcher (5 feet 11, 178 pounds), electrifying last season as a member of the sophomore team and even more dominating during track season, might be the answer to Alemany’s anemic attack.

Fletcher rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season and “single-handedly won three games,” Degnan said.

In May, Fletcher won the Southern Section Division III championship in the 100 and 200 meters with career bests of 10.47 seconds and 21.06, both of which rank second on the all-time region performance list.

Fletcher has yet to take a handoff in a varsity game and, as Degnan is quick to note, is far from fully developed. A good portion of practice time still is devoted to teaching Fletcher fundamentals.

But count on Fletcher figuring in the fortunes of the Indians, who placed fifth last season with a league record of 1-4.

“He’ll be the fastest guy on the field, but he’s got a long way to go on football things,” Degnan said. “He’s got a chance to be a real impact player and he definitely will play. Right now, I don’t know if he’ll even start.”

Fletcher is being challenged for the starting job by senior Kurt Hohan (5-10, 180), who played sparingly last season on the varsity, and junior Johnnie Walker (5-11, 145), Fletcher’s backup last season.

“I just want to win games,” Fletcher said. “There’s more to learn [on the varsity]. It takes more skill. Basically, I could just outrun everybody on the sophomore team.”

Fletcher’s reputation for outrunning secondaries appears to have preceded him.

“I don’t know who [Alemany’s tailback] is, but I hear he’s really fast,” Bishop Amat Coach Tom Salter said. “I think they’re going to be much improved.”

Bishop Amat, defending Division I champion and four-time defending league champion, again appears to be a heavy favorite to reign supreme.

The Lancers, who defeated league-rival Loyola, 14-10, in last season’s final and lost in the 1994 final to Mater Dei, historically have thrived on a strong running attack spearheaded by a talented tailback.

Last season, Ralph Brown II rushed for 2,243 yards. Two years ago, Daylon McCutcheon, son of former Los Angeles Ram Lawrence McCutcheon, rushed for 2,450.

This year, the torch has been passed to Breon Ansley, a 5-8, 170-pound senior sidelined most of last season because of various injuries. If Ansley doesn’t produce, Aaron Wetherspoon, a 5-8, 175-pound transfer from Rowland Heights Rowland.

Neither may prove to be as explosive as Fletcher, the Lancers likely will outrun the competition.

“Whoever they have will be somebody really fast,” Crespi Coach Tim Lins said.

Crespi also has a strong tradition at tailback. Ten years ago, Russell White, a 15-year-old sophomore phenom, rushed for more than 2,000 yards while leading the Celts to a Southern Section championship. The past two seasons, Jamian Barbour amassed 2,196 rushing yards.

This season, Crespi’s tailback situation is sketchy. The Celts’ top candidates are untested juniors Howard Johnson (5-8, 160) and Anthony Trejo (5-9, 165), a pair with similar builds and running styles.

“They might play by committee, they might play together,” Lins said. “They’re both good cutback runners. They both get the ball and make the right decisions, hit the right hole and gain yards. Neither of them are necessarily breakaway threats like we’ve had in the past.”

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Crespi wide receiver Dennis Fox (6-4, 205) ranks among the league’s best after a junior season in which he caught 16 passes for 131 yards. Alemany senior quarterback Gary Nieto (6-1, 185) has gained size and strength after passing for 492 yards last season. Loyola senior Antoine Harris (6-4, 230), a tight end and defensive end, should be among the league’s most recruited players. Senior defensive lineman Anthony Salazar (6-5, 220) and senior tackle Brian Polak (6-5, 305) of Bishop Amat are the top returning players for the defending Southern Section Division I champion.

* THE PROMISING: Alemany junior tailback Miguel Fletcher (5-11, 175) might emerge as the league’s best ballcarrier after a dominating season with the sophomore team. Senior Breon Ansley (5-8, 170) of Bishop Amat is the latest in a succession of talented tailbacks for the Lancers. Crespi quarterback Nick Rita (5-10, 180), a backup last season who also played wide receiver, will provide mobility in the Celts’ multiple-set attack.

* FAST FACT: Bishop Amat has not lost a Del Rey League football game since joining the league in 1992, an unbeaten streak of 20 games. Last season, St. John Bosco provided the only blemish on the Lancers’ league record while breaking their winning streak with a 10-10 tie.

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Del Rey League Schedules Alemany

Sept. 13--Notre Dame

Sept. 21--Pasadena at Pasadena City College

Sept. 27--St. Francis

Oct. 4--Righetti

Oct. 11--at Bishop Montgomery

Oct. 18--*St. John Bosco

Oct. 25--*at St. Paul

Nov. 1--*at Bishop Amat

Nov. 8--*Loyola

Nov. 15--*Crespi at Pierce College

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Alemany High

Crespi

Sept. 13--at Serra

Sept. 20--at Quartz Hill

Sept. 27--Franklin

Oct. 4--Notre Dame

Oct. 11--St. Bernard

Oct. 18--*at Bishop Amat

Oct. 25--*St. John Bosco

Nov. 1--*Loyola

Nov. 8--*at St. Paul

Nov. 15--*Alemany

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Pierce College