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FOOTBALL

RICKY THENARSE

Sr., Los Angeles Jordan

* Then: Thenarse established himself as one of the Southland’s top athletes during a junior season in which he rushed for 1,234 yards in 130 carries and had four interceptions as a defensive back. He was named to the preseason All-City Section team this fall.

* Now: A combination of speed and agility has Thenarse ranked as the No. 12 athlete in the nation by one recruiting service. His 4.48-second 40-yard dash speed makes him so difficult to pass against that teams rarely throw his way when he’s playing defensive back, but he has made up for it with 94 tackles -- tops in the City Section and among the top 15 in the state. He also has rushed for 784 yards in 61 carries, has eight receptions for 219 yards and is a key to Jordan’s current five-game winning streak and 3-0 start in Eastern League play. Thenarse rarely comes off the field. He has nine punt returns for 199 yards and 12 kickoff returns for 265 yards. At 6 feet 1 and 180 pounds, he projects as a defensive back in college but has said he prefers to play receiver.

* Quote: “He is a leader as one of our captains and by example,” Coach Elijah Asante said. “He loves football and he’s very coachable. To get one of those qualities combined with his talent is a bonus; to get them all is rare.”

--PETER YOON

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GIRLS’ TENNIS

MOLLY SCOTT

Jr., Santa Margarita

* Then: Scott had an inauspicious start in competitive tennis, dropping her first open match to Alexa Glatch, a Newport Beach 16-year-old who turned pro this year. But she has since developed solid ground strokes to go with a keen mind that makes the 5-5 Scott adept at strategizing and thinking on her feet. Ranked No. 17 in the Southern California girls’ 16 division by the U.S. Tennis Assn., Scott was a 16s semifinalist at the 2004 National Winter Championships last December.

* Now: Suffered a bout of mononucleosis in March that has limited her junior-circuit competition this year. She has recovered enough to post a 32-1 record in sets for the Eagles (10-4, 5-1), her only loss in round-robin play to Palm Desert’s Brittany Blalock. She beat Laguna Beach’s Claire Rietsch, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa’s Rachel Manasse and Newport Coast Sage Hill’s Sarah Geocaris in head-to-head matchups of No. 1 players in last weekend’s Corona del Mar/All-American tournament. Rietsch is ranked No. 4 in Southern California in girls’ 16s and No. 21 in 18s.

* Quote: “She’s always had this understanding of the game,” Coach Eric Michaut said. “She’ll never overpower anyone, but she’ll out-think everyone.”

--LAUREN PETERSON

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BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

TED PRICE

Sr., Camarillo

* Then: A gangly freshman when he arrived at Camarillo, Price displayed a determined work ethic that he has carried with him. He was the first sophomore across the finish line at the Southern Section Division I final, finishing 12th on the Mt. San Antonio College course in 15 minutes 24 seconds. He returned last season and placed fifth at the Division I final (15:05) and 11th at state (15:40). He also won Pacific View League and Ventura County titles his sophomore and junior seasons.

* Now: Injuries to his groin and knee sidelined Price until last week, when he won a league cluster meet in 15:52. He is entered in the individual sweepstakes race Saturday at the Mt. SAC Invitational, where he hopes to run in the low 15-minute range. “He certainly won’t be 100%,” Coach Mike Smith said.

* Quote: “Hopefully, we’ll have him there at end of season and go to the state meet again,” said Smith, whose goal is to have Price ready for another strong run at the Southern Section finals Nov. 19 at Mt. SAC. “Right now, we’re really not too worried about anything other than training consistently and getting in good races.”

--DAN ARRITT