Thomas Was a Disappointment to Hopeful Athletes at Leuzinger

The arrest last week of Dorsey baseball Coach Derrel Thomas on suspicion of possessing drugs for sale was not the first time the former Dodger disappointed a group of prep athletes.

Thomas coached Leuzinger’s baseball team for two seasons in 1988-89. The arrival of an ex-major leaguer was met with enthusiasm at a school that was still reeling from the death of Dennis Bowman, who suffered a heart attack at age 41 in May, 1987, after coaching Leuzinger to a 142-86-2 record in nine seasons.

“After Coach Bowman died, I thought our team was going to have a letdown,� said Wayne Johnson, the team’s shortstop at the time. “I feel Derrel is going to give the team a lift.�

A year later most Leuzinger players felt differently.

The 1989 season ended in controversy when Thomas resigned after a walkout by nine players, all of whom turned in their uniforms to protest Thomas’ forfeiting of a game at Hawthorne. Thomas, upset that the players were late for the team bus, left for the game with only six players. When the others drove to the game, Thomas would not let them play.

After Thomas’ resignation, the players who quit were reinstated for the team’s final two games by Leuzinger.

Few were sorry to see Thomas go.

Centinela Valley school trustees said Tuesday night that they will investigate charges that Leuzinger violated Southern Section rules pertaining to athletic eligibility and recruiting last football season.

Chris White, who coached Leuzinger’s sophomore football team last season, reiterated his charges and called for an investigation at a public school board meeting in Lawndale. White alleges that former Leuzinger varsity coach Tom Jessee ordered him to recruit athletes who lived in Inglewood and that Athletic Director Steve Carnes was aware of ineligible athletes who played varsity football for Leuzinger.

White also alleges that a physical education teacher changed the grade of a sophomore to allow him to play football.

Jessee and Carnes have categorically denied the charges. Jessee fired White in December before being forced to resign himself after a season as coach.

St. Bernard baseball Coach Bob Yarnall hopes that the rest of his team can pick up on the recent play of Brian Richardson, Grant Hohman and Robert Cox.

Richardson, a senior center fielder who is drawing attention from college and pro scouts, had 11 hits in 16 at-bats entering Wednesday’s game at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks to improve his team-leading batting average to .438.

Hohman, a senior shortstop and four-year varsity starter, was five for six with two runs batted in and two stolen bases in his last two games before the Notre Dame game.

Cox, a junior right-handed pitcher, had given up only one earned run in 18 innings before Wednesday to improve his record to 5-2 and lower his earned-run average to 1.77 in 51 innings.

“Hopefully, these guys getting hot will help the rest of the team get hot and carry us through this week,� said Yarnall, whose team is tied for third in the Mission League with Crespi. “It’s a make-or-break week for us. We’re fighting for a playoff spot.�

After playing at league-leading Notre Dame, St. Bernard will play host to second-place Alemany on Saturday.

Coaches’ corner--Jim Nielsen, the former boys’ basketball coach at Mira Costa and North Torrance, has applied for the Redondo job and reportedly is the leading candidate to replace Cliff Warren.

Larry Reed, the former football coach at Hawthorne, and Steve Carroll, who resigned as Bishop Montgomery’s coach after last season, are among the candidates to replace Tom Jessee at Leuzinger.

Dan McGee and Kent Wyatt, the longtime boys’ basketball and wrestling coaches at West Torrance, have resigned. The school is searching for full-time replacements who can fill teaching positions.

Jim Carrico, in his seventh season as West Torrance softball coach, got his 100th career victory Saturday when the Warriors beat San Pedro, 5-4, in the semifinals of the El Segundo tournament.

West lost in the championship game to Cypress, 2-0.

Senior third baseman Beth Tapp and senior second baseman Stephanie Fryer were all-tournament selections for West (11-6), which is among the South Bay’s top teams and contending for the title in the competitive Pioneer League.

Tapp, whose sister Brigit is a starting outfielder for Cal State Long Beach, leads the Warriors in hitting and runs batted in.

Westchester’s baseball team extended its winning streak to 15 games Tuesday with a 9-7 Coastal Conference victory over visiting Palisades.

Tremayne Noles and Shannon Gadson had run-scoring singles in the sixth inning to break a 7-7 tie and help the Comets improve to 15-4 and 11-0 in conference play. Westchester plays at Palisades at 3 p.m. today.

South Bay’s Baseball Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters (Through Tuesday’s Games)

Rank School, League Record 1 El Segundo (San Fernando) 16-2 2 Westchester (Western) 15-4 3 West Torrance (Pioneer) 14-5 4 San Pedro (Pacific) 13-3 5 Redondo (Ocean) 13-6 6 Torrance (Pioneer) 11-7 7 Peninsula (Bay) 13-6 8 Banning (Pacific) 10-6 9 Mira Costa (Ocean) 12-6 10 Carson (Pacific) 12-6