Cream Rises as Season Winds Down

An early ballot on the winners and surprises of a football season heading into the home stretch:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. Jason Thomas, Compton Dominguez, quarterback: Thomas is the most talented two-sport athlete in the Southland since Stais Boseman, a football and basketball standout at Inglewood Morningside from 1989 through ’93. Thomas, 6 feet 5, 215 pounds, is regarded as one of the top junior basketball players in the country after leading the Dons to the state Division II title last season. He is equally effective in football as a two-way starter for the undefeated Dons. He has rushed for 506 yards, passed for 734, returned 10 kickoffs for 295 yards, scored 19 touchdowns and made five interceptions on defense.

2. Chris Czernek, Newbury Park, quarterback: Coach George Hurley implemented a sophisticated passing game many years ago, so his quarterbacks often post big numbers. Keith Smith passed for more than 3,000 yards while leading the Panthers to a Southern Section title in 1993. Czernek, 5-11 and 175, established the state’s single-season record last year with 4,360 yards. He may not eclipse that mark this season, but he has completed 58% of his passes for 2,196 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions in leading Newbury Park to a 6-1 record.

3. Michael Jones, Laguna Hills, running back: He’s only a junior, but Jones, 6-1 and 190, is already regarded as the area’s premier running back. As a sophomore, he rushed for 2,350 yards, fourth-best all-time in Orange County, and 25 touchdowns. He should better that mark this season having already run for 1,616 yards (8.4 per carry) and 22 touchdowns despite routinely being pulled in the second half. He gained 341 yards in a victory over Estancia two weeks ago. It’s no surprise the Hawks are 7-0.

4. Cory DeSanti, Los Altos, wide receiver: The 6-4, 210-pound senior set a school record last week with 17 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He’s among the state leaders with 56 receptions for 1,044 yards and eight touchdowns. He has six interceptions as a free safety. DeSanti is also among a dying breed of three-sport athletes as a standout on the basketball and baseball teams.

5. Oscar Arzu, Baldwin Park Sierra Vista, running back: Arzu, who grew up in Belize, didn’t take up football until he enrolled in high school three years ago. He quickly made up for lost time, however, establishing himself as a versatile player for the Dons. In only his second season running the ball, he leads the state with 1,939 yards and 28 touchdowns. Arzu, 5-10 and 180, set a school record earlier this season against El Monte with 364 yards in 39 carries. He also starts on defense as an outside linebacker for 7-0 Sierra Vista.

Honorable mention: Art Gipson, Fontana, running back; Antoine Harris, Loyola, tight end/defensive end.

COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Mike Walsh, San Pedro: He’s not afraid to give his opinion, so Walsh hasn’t won over everybody in the City Section coaching fraternity. But he’s a hero in his community, building a football power at a school that had few winning seasons since it opened in 1909. San Pedro won the Division 3-A title in 1992 and ’93 and lost to Dorsey in the 4-A championship game last year. At 7-0, it’s off to the best start in school history and will probably be a top-seeded team in the playoffs.

2. Jerry Person, St. John Bosco: The Del Rey League is considered by many the toughest in California, perhaps the nation. It’s made up of large parochial schools with no attendance boundaries. Loyola and Bishop Amat have dominated it for years, so Person had his work cut out for him when he took the St. John Bosco job in 1992. He went 1-8-1 his first season and is 6-0-1 this season with dates remaining against Loyola and Bishop Amat.

3. Ron Gueringer, Corona Centennial: Centennial opened seven years ago and it already is a force in the Inland Empire. Gueringer served as an assistant at the school for three years before taking over last year. In his first season, he led the Huskies to a school-best 9-4 record. They’re currently 6-1, including shutout victories over Diamond Bar and Riverside North, which each won Southern Section divisional titles last year. Centennial plays host to its biggest game in school history Nov. 8 against undefeated Norco.

4. Willie and Keith Donerson, Compton Dominguez: Willie has had some success since coming to Dominguez 13 years ago, but the addition of his son, Keith, as a co-coach has proved the difference between good and great. Keith, who handles the offense, is responsible for a team that has scored 306 points. The defensive unit, handled by Willie, has given up six points. Keith was looking for a job of his own until his dad enticed him with a promotion.

Honorable mention: Carter Paysinger, Beverly Hills; Jeff Hesselmeyer, Goleta Dos Pueblos; Ron Price, Palisades.

SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

1. The continued demise of Carson and Wilmington Banning: It’s hard to believe these two South Bay schools dominated City Section football during the 1970s and ‘80s, combining for 14 titles. The programs have quickly declined in recent years and coaching changes haven’t helped. Mike Sakurai is 5-12 in two seasons at Carson, which missed the playoffs last year and probably will again this season. Under first-year Coach Ken Stumpf, a longtime assistant, Banning is 0-7 and has been outscored, 262-88.

2. Harbor City Narbonne struggling to make the playoffs: With three weeks remaining in the regular season, it’s too soon to write off the Gauchos, who are 3-4. They were last year’s Cinderella team, having gone from a perennial loser to a City Section contender under Coach Leroy Wilson. With most of the team back, optimism was high. However, Narbonne opened its conference schedule with consecutive losses to San Pedro, Washington and Crenshaw. Wilson responded by dismissing his offensive coordinator, Rick Soria. The Gauchos defeated Dorsey last week, 38-12.

3. The survival of Van Nuys Montclair Prep: This small, private school has been an outcast in the Southern Section since it was found to have made recruiting violations several years ago. As a result, it was kicked out of the Alpha League and forced to play a freelance schedule. It has had a difficult time finding opponents, and this season it was barely able to schedule eight games, the minimum required to be considered for the playoffs. The Mounties have persevered, though, and are 4-1.

4. The emergence of day games: Increased violence surrounding football games has forced many administrators to move the traditional night kickoff up to the afternoon. More and more schools are following this trend. Administrators were so worried about gang retaliation in connection with a local shooting that they moved last week’s San Pedro-Carson game to University High in West L.A.

5. The quarterback rush to Ohio State: It is still more than three months until national letter-of-intent day, but two quarterbacks from Orange County have already said they will sign with the Buckeyes. David Priestley of Cypress Brethren Christian and Austin Moherman of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley made their college selection on Sept. 10, before either had thrown a pass in the regular season.