He’s Ready for His Cape

If Thomas Herring were to suit up in an Oakland Raider uniform and stand side by side with NFL players, no one would be able to tell he was an impostor.

“He looks like an NFL guy right now,” Los Angeles Fremont Coach Pete Duffy said.

Not only does Herring pass the eyeball test, he’d also inspire sportscaster Dick Enberg to say “oh my” just watching him run on a football field.

Herring is 6 feet 7 and 290 pounds. Lots of mouths were agape a couple of weeks ago when Herring caught a short pass over the middle and ran 65 yards for a touchdown against Crenshaw.

“Have you ever seen anyone that big run that fast?” Duffy said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Herring resembles a cartoon superhero dressed in his tight-fitting Fremont uniform. He’s a 17-year-old junior who plays tight end and defensive end and is used to people staring. They’re startled by his size and agility.

“They think it’s amazing,” he said. “Some people say they’re not intimidated, but I know they are.”

Who wouldn’t be taken aback by a teenager with the kind of physical stature that motivates many to make bold predictions for his future.

He’s still learning what is required to succeed in football. There are times when he dominates as a pass rusher. There are also times he disappears. Duffy’s challenge is to motivate Herring to perform effectively on a consistent basis.

“It’s typical of kids playing both ways that haven’t figured out what playing hard every play means,” Duffy said. “It’s what separates the great ones.”

Herring appreciates high expectations and wants to fulfill them.

“A lot of teams don’t run the ball to my side and it’s frustrating,” he said.

Herring considered himself a basketball player when he first came to high school, but he added, “I take football a lot more seriously.”

Duffy projects him to be an offensive lineman in college, although Herring said, “I don’t have that mind-set to be an offensive tackle. But if I need to be one, I will.”

The luckiest people are Herring’s brother and sister, who are 10-year-old twins. They can climb together on Herring’s back and get a piggy-back ride.

“They’re pretty light,” he said.

Even Duffy might want to hop on Herring’s back if Fremont (8-2) were to win the City Championship. Herring would have no trouble carrying Duffy or anyone else.

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Another player who attracts attention when he walks into a room is 6-5, 290-pound offensive tackle Aleksey Lanis of Crenshaw. He’s a 16-year-old sophomore in his first year of tackle football. But what a player he has become.

With Lanis providing effective pass blocking, Crenshaw (7-3) won the Coliseum League and is seeded No. 3 in the City Championship playoffs that begin Thursday.

He’s a straight-A student enrolled in Crenshaw’s gifted magnet program. He lived in Siberia until coming to the United States when he was 8. He’s a fast learner, picking up English and football in rapid fashion. “I can do something the first time and I can remember it,” he said.

Teammates have teased him about his Russian background, calling him “Ivan Drago” from Rocky IV.

He is a probable top college prospect because he has barely lifted weights and already has the strength and aggressiveness to hold his own in line battles.

“My coach wants me to be able to play all three positions on the line,” Lanis said.

Lanis doesn’t miss Siberia and its cold weather.

“In winter, I’d come home after school and spend all day in snow,” he said. “It stayed about 40 below zero.”

Lanis has his priorities all figured out.

“School, football and my girlfriend -- that’s all I have time for,” he said.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.