Quietly Becoming One of City’s Best

His football coach at Woodland Hills Taft calls him an impact player who can carry a defense.

A coach at a rival school says he’s an outstanding athlete on a team loaded with them.

His teammate, an All-City Section quarterback, marvels at his ability to wreak havoc on an opponent’s offense.

Yet what might make linebacker Lance Broadus unique is the difference between his demeanor on and off the field.

On it, the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is extremely aggressive, covering ground quickly and delivering bell-ringing hits. Off it, he is rather quiet and shy.

“It’s like he’s two different people,” Taft quarterback Cary Dove said. “Because he’s so big and intimidating, he almost scares people. But he’s really a fun guy to talk to. He’s like a big, strong teddy bear.”

Broadus, the No. 4-ranked senior linebacker in the West by Student Sports magazine, is aware of the transformation when he puts on his uniform. But he finds it difficult to explain.

“I don’t really like to talk that much,” he said. “But something happens on the field. I’m not sure if it’s adrenaline or being competitive, but it’s almost like a light goes on and it’s my time to shine.”

Broadus was at his best during last year’s playoffs, when he averaged 18 tackles to help Taft advance to the City title game after the Toreadors finished second to Lake Balboa Birmingham in the West Valley League.

“Something just got into me,” Broadus said. “We hadn’t made it very far in the playoffs the previous year, so I just wanted us to go as far as we could go.”

His coach, Troy Starr, said Broadus put the entire defense on his back during the playoffs.

“Against Carson, Crenshaw and Dorsey, he was absolutely dominant,” Starr said. “He had as dominant a game against Dorsey as you’re going to see a high school linebacker have.”

The City championship game against Dorsey at the Coliseum is a source of pride and pain for Broadus.

He’s proud that Taft held the Dons’ offense to zero points and 60 yards in the second half.

But it pains him that Dorsey won, 19-14, after blocking a punt and recovering it in the end zone as time expired.

“We let up a little bit and they got by us and blocked the punt,” Broadus said with resignation. “We learned that we can’t let up at all. That we have to play hard until the game is over.”

Birmingham has beaten Taft, 41-14 and 40-21, the last two seasons, but Patriot Coach Ed Croson has the utmost respect for Broadus.

“He’s big, he’s physical and he’s rangy,” Croson said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to talk a lot, but he’s going to make plays. He has a lineman’s size and moves like a defensive back.”

Dove, entering his second season as Taft’s starting quarterback, concurs.

“He just seems like he’s everywhere he shouldn’t be,” Dove said.

“He’s hard to pass it over because of his height and he’s hard to throw around because of his frame. He’s quick and has a big arm span. He’s amazing.”

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*--* How They Rate Rating the top linebackers in the Southland SOUTHERN SECTION Player, School Ht Wt Yr Comment 1. Drean Rucker, Canyon 6-1 230 Sr Quick, aggressive and tough Springs 2. Andrew Ramirez, St. 6-3 215 Sr Inside backer with size, Monica instincts 3. Mark Washington, L.B. 6-3 235 Sr Has 4.6 40-yard speed Poly 4. Garrett Tremblay, Palm 6-2 225 Sr Has committed to California Desert 5. Rob Lewis, Montclair 6-5 215 Sr Has committed to USC Prep 6. Jed Collins, Mission 6-2 230 Jr Will be No. 1 next season Viejo 7. Brett Martin, Corona 6-0 220 Sr Had 110 tackles last year Centennial 8. Cody Kase, Hart 6-3 195 Sr Athletic, acrobatic and smart 9. Dominic Rickard, Mater 5-10 185 Sr Returning all-section pick Dei 10. Greg Johnson, Los 6-2 230 Sr Makes tackles and big plays Alamitos 11. Ralph Pineda, 6-2 235 Sr Has mobility, toughness Cathedral 12. John Caulfield, La 6-1 235 Sr Standout inside backer Salle 13. Keola Asuega, Costa 6-1 195 Sr Speed makes him effective Mesa 14. Lee Martin, St. 6-1 215 Sr Fills holes consistently Bonaventure 15. Ken Williams, Chino 6-1 210 Sr Had 49 solo tackles for Division II finalist 16. Matt Parent, St. Paul 6-2 241 Jr A top player in the making 17. John Nicols, 6-2 210 Sr Ex-tailback has good speed Bellflower 18. Riley Mahoney, 6-0 205 Sr Has 4.6 40-yard speed Trabuco Hills 19. Jason Turner, St. 6-2 220 Sr Mission League standout Francis 20. Jason Jenkins, 6-2 200 Sr A tough, hustling middle Crescenta Valley backer 21. Ezra Beaton, Calabasas 6-2 250 Sr Moves from defensive tackle 22. Cashun Robinson, 6-3 225 Sr Fast and physical Redlands 23. Juan Silva, Charter 6-1 230 Sr Loves to sack QBs Oak 24. Bubba Reynolds, Edison 6-0 210 Sr Had 108 tackles for Division I finalist 25. Greg Newman, Westlake 6-3 230 Jr Warriors’ latest big-time recruit 26. Matt Cooper, Corona 6-2 225 Sr Also a bruising fullback del Mar 27. Allen Wade, Kaiser 6-3 215 Sr Two-time all-leaguer 28. Jeff Asher, Crespi 6-0 218 Sr Aggressive, tough, relentless 29. Ty Belahger, Cypress 6-2 225 Sr Has excellent skills CITY SECTION 1. Lance Broadus, Taft 6-2 230 Sr Best in Southern California 2. Jerome Johnson, Dorsey 6-1 240 Sr Chases down ballcarriers 3. Micrin Lias, Jordan 6-1 180 Sr Has excellent feet 4. Peter Le, Monroe 6-1 225 Sr Three-year starter 5. Alain Karatepeyan, 6-1 215 Sr Doesn’t give an inch Chatsworth 6. Rhasson Hamilton, Locke 6-2 195 Sr Athleticism is his strength 7. Demetrius Jones, Dorsey 6-1 215 Sr Returning All-City player 8. Jesus Gamboa, Narbonne 6-1 220 Sr Starter since sophomore year 9. Eric Ochoa, Birmingham 5-11 210 Sr Must overcome knee injury 10. Niam Adams, Fairfax 5-11 220 Sr A three-year starter 11. Chris Garrison, 5-11 190 Sr Likes to make big plays Banning 12. Randy Lang, San 6-2 220 Sr Terrific on blitzes Fernando 13. Roy Lewis, Narbonne 6-0 190 Sr Inside backer with speed Eric Sondheimer

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