Column: Sophomore standouts offer promise of a bright future for prep football in Southland

For the first time since August, there were no high school football games played this past weekend. To help those suffering from prep football withdrawal symptoms — eating licorice at 8 p.m.; eating pizza at 11 p.m.; complaining about the coach not passing enough — let me offer a glimpse into the future.

This season’s group of sophomore varsity players was outstanding. It’s difficult to list everybody from the class of 2018 who made an impact because there were so many, but here are some observations:

Beware of linebacker Jackson Sirmon of Los Angeles Loyola. He has a chance to leave campus as one of the Cubs’ best. He had 10 sacks in 10 games before suffering a knee injury that required surgery. He’s already on the comeback trail. At 6 feet 2, 210 pounds and with great instincts, he has a GPS chip in his brain to track down quarterbacks.

He made a successful jump from freshman team to varsity starter.

“It was a lot faster when I first came up,” he said of varsity football. “There was a lot more structure. Everyone had their own responsibility. Everyone was bigger, tougher. You had to know you were going to have to hit people harder.”

And that’s what Sirmon did. He’s got good genes. His father, Peter, is the interim defensive coordinator at USC and played in the NFL. He’s got cousins playing high school football. If there’s a family reunion, the Sirmons could put together their own football team.

There was no lack of top sophomore quarterbacks. Cameron Rising of Newbury Park and Matt Corral of Westlake Village Oaks Christian are future stars. Rising passed for 3,213 yards and 40 touchdowns. He had just one interception in 319 attempts. Corral passed for 3,283 yards and 36 touchdowns. Steven Comstock of Covina Northview had 31 TD passes.

Quarterback Matthew Robinson of San Juan Capistrano JSerra made first-team all-Trinity League. That says plenty. Quarterback Re-al Mitchell of Bellflower St. John Bosco gave a hint of his ability to run and pass in the Pac-5 Division final, rushing for 128 yards and throwing for 185. Good luck catching him on option plays next season.

There’s also Brevin White of Mission Hills Alemany, Jalen Chatman of Harbor City Narbonne and Tanner McKee of Corona Centennial, all of whom will be turned loose in 2016.

In the year of the receiver, sophomores showed they could hold their own against the seniors. Remember the names Brian Hightower (Calabasas), Austin Osborne (Mission Viejo), Rayshawn Williams (Crenshaw), Jalen Hall (Hawkins), Marquis Spiker (Murrieta Valley), Camren McDonald (Long Beach Poly), Michael Wilson (West Hills Chaminade), Daniel Kamulali (Chatsworth), Khalil Shakir (Vista Murrieta) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (Santa Ana Mater Dei) as well as freshman Darren Jones (Upland).

If you want size and power, Tommy Brown of Mater Dei and Aaron Maldonado of La Puente Bishop Amat were sophomore linemen who stamped themselves as future dominant players.

×

<p>Oaks Christian sophomore to be gives view of QB spot</p>

At running back, T.J. Pledger of Chaminade will be on everyone’s must-get recruiting list, and don’t forget about his sophomore classmate, Andrew Van Buren. At defensive end, Sal Spina of St. John Bosco is an A student who disrupts offenses with his toughness and intelligence.

At linebacker, Raymond Scott of Narbonne and Merlin Robertson of Gardena Serra can meet in the South Bay and exchange notes on how many tackles they get. And don’t forget about versatile James Townsend of Encino Crespi. He’s also a long snapper. Tyjai Fulford of Woodland Hills El Camino Real had eight interceptions playing defensive back.

The season has ended but the future is bright. Who knows how many sophomores who didn’t play varsity will suddenly have their growth spurt and pass others by next year? It’s an exciting time.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer