BUILDING BLOCKS

The building adjacent to the Taft High football field isn’t particularly impressive.

What now holds a locker room, weight room and football offices used to be an auto body shop.

But to Taft football players, the structure is a second home and a status symbol.

“Having that place, it feels more like a college program than high school,” senior defensive back Sedric Hurns said.

Troy Starr, Taft’s coach, got permission to convert the building in the fall of 1992, after his first season as coach.

The facility is open to all Taft students, but for the 35 or so varsity football players who survive a grueling off-season conditioning program each year, the building stands for something more.

“If we’re not at home or in class, we’re there,” senior linebacker Robin Tadross said.

Which is one reason why Taft has become the premier team in the Northwest Valley Conference. After reaching the City Section 3-A final in 1992, Taft has won the conference title three of the past four seasons and is 46-8-1 since 1993.

Should the Toreadors (6-0, 4-0 in conference play) defeat Birmingham (6-1, 3-1) tonight at 7 p.m., Taft will be virtually assured of another conference title. With two games remaining, every team but Taft would have at least two losses.

The Toreadors are increasingly becoming a bigger player in the City Section playoffs. After playoff losses to Dorsey in 1993 and 1994, Taft reached the 4-A final for the first time last season.

If Taft finishes the regular season undefeated, it will be among the top two seeded teams for the 4-A playoffs that begin Nov. 21.

Taft players are quick to credit their coaches for creating a winning atmosphere. The coaches, in turn, laud the school’s administration for its continued support.

And opposing coaches? They say good players make for a good team.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear Taft has taken a big step toward the head of the City Section class.

Taft was moderately successful in the 1980s under Coach Tom Stevenson, winning four consecutive league titles. But the Toreadors never advanced to a section final.

Taft bottomed out in 1991, finishing 1-8. That year ended on a tragic note when Coach Larry Stewart died of a heart attack at a Christmas party.

Immediate success seemed unlikely when Starr and defensive coordinator Frank Grossman arrived the following spring.

“It was a zoo,” Starr said. “I cut 18 guys in one day. There was no concept of hard work.”

In his first head coaching job, Starr borrowed from his experiences playing linebacker at Mount Union (Ohio), one of college football’s winningest small-college programs the past two decades. He also took from the region’s most successful programs--even bitter rivals--to formulate his own style.

“Look at the passing game at Hart, look at the intensity at Sylmar,” Starr said. “There were things to be learned. Frank and I weren’t afraid to ask questions.”

Taft was 9-5 in Starr’s first season, advancing to the 3-A final. And other than a 6-4-1 season in 1995, Taft kept making progress.

As the program’s success grew, as many as 200 players came to tryouts. Many couldn’t survive the off-season regimen.

“The administration has been excellent as far as letting me remove kids from the program,” Starr said. “Some were good players, but they didn’t have what it took to be united. It’s not a matter of talent. It’s a matter of trying.”

Taft administrators support Starr’s tough demands on players.

“It was one of the best decisions I made to hire Troy and Frank Grossman,” Taft Principal Ron Berz said. “They are two outstanding, committed, dedicated coaches who have high standards and expectations. Every student-athlete knows where they stand.”

Indeed, earning a place on the varsity is a source of pride. For every standout like Hurns, who is being recruited by several colleges, there is Tadross, who has never started a game for Taft but played for four years.

Defensive lineman Carlos Meza, like several teammates, comes each day from Los Angeles.

“During the summer it’s hell, but I keep going,” Meza said.

Others, such as Hurns and linebacker David Melo, come from different areas of the San Fernando Valley and attend Taft under open enrollment.

Taft has been accused of recruiting, but charges have been proven only once. In 1994, Taft was placed on one year probation by the City Section because Starr made improper contact with Dante Clay, a running back who played for North Hollywood.

“It was one of his first years as coach and I think he just made a mistake,” Berz said. “I meet with the coaches on a regular basis and I’m philosophically very pleased. I support him 100%.”

With open enrollment, Taft enjoys the kind of success that prompts players to gravitate to the school.

“Success breeds success,” Kennedy Coach Bob Francola said. “We’ve all had transfers. Taft has gotten to the point where the program recruits itself.

“Troy is a good coach. His plan is simple. He takes only the players he thinks can win the City title.”