Football: Birmingham to rely on Tonga connection
Birmingham Coach Jim Rose can’t wait until he uses a 3-4 defense this season, with all three defensive linemen from Tonga.
“We will be in a 3-4 sometimes just so we can call it, ‘The Island,’” he said.
The biggest and best of the linemen is senior Alex Manu, 6 feet 2, 285 pounds. He’s also a starter at offensive guard.
Birmingham figures to be the best City Section Division I team from the San Fernando Valley, but whether the Patriots will be good enough to make the final four in Division I remains to be decided.
Rose likes his team’s speed, with sophomore tailback Sterling Salguero, senior quarterback Emanuel Castro, a 400-meter runner, and receiver London Bell.
Bell and his twin brother, Paris, a defensive back, have first names that certainly draw attention.
Asked what his parents were thinking, London said, “They said the names were unique.”
Castro might have the longest hair by a Birmingham quarterback in school history. Rose joked that Castro might only get a haircut if a defensive end decides to pull him down via his hair.
Also on the team is sophomore safety Reggie Keyes, the nephew of former Birmingham and UCLA star Dennis Keyes.
Birmingham opens against Banning on Aug. 29 and has nonleague games against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Newhall Hart.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
