As the Band Clears the Field, a Look at the Second Half

Once again, we felt the need to make a few judgment calls at the halfway point of the football season, marked this week by the start of competition in the Bay, Ocean and Pioneer leagues:

Bay League: We made the mistake last season of predicting that the outcome of the Hawthorne-Peninsula game would determine the Bay title. Hawthorne won handily, and then Leuzinger upset the Cougars to cause a three-way tie for the championship. Our point? Don’t forget about Leuzinger (3-2). Although not as deep as Hawthorne (4-1) or as physical as Peninsula (5-0), the Olympians will give everyone trouble.

Our picks: 1. Hawthorne; 2. Peninsula; 3. Leuzinger; 4. Santa Monica; 5. Inglewood.

Ocean League: Mira Costa (5-0) is the only Ocean team with a winning record, but the Mustangs might not breeze to the title as easily as some think. Culver City (2-3) has a good collection of athletes, plus the advantage of playing Mira Costa and Redondo (2-3) at home.

Our picks: 1. Mira Costa; 2. Culver City; 3. Redondo; 4. Beverly Hills; 5. Morningside.

Pioneer League: South Torrance (4-1) has been the most consistent Pioneer team during nonleague play and should be favored to win a fourth consecutive league title. After that, it looks like a dogfight for the remaining two playoff berths. Not a great league in terms of talent, but a competitive one from top to bottom.

Our picks: 1. South Torrance; 2. West Torrance; 3. Torrance; 4. North Torrance; 5. El Segundo; 6. Centennial.

Coach of the Year: Don Morrow of Mira Costa. At this point in the season, this choice is a no-brainer. The former Aviation High quarterback is proving what a lot of people have suspected for some time, that he is the best young coach in the area. Under Morrow, the Mustangs have gone from pretenders to contenders.

And let’s not forget the job veteran Gary Kimbrell is doing at Peninsula. The Panthers might be better than last season’s 9-3 team, despite returning only three starters, none on defense, and losing quarterback Brian Reed because of a broken ankle in the first game.

Back of the Year: Peninsula tailback James Durroh. There’s still a long way to go, but Durroh has to be considered the front-runner based on his three consecutive 200-plus-yard rushing games after returning from a sprained ankle. Other early candidates include running backs Eric Chaney of Hawthorne, Jeff Williams of San Pedro and Bob Cracknell of Redondo. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be a quarterback worthy of this award.

Lineman of the Year: Mira Costa defensive lineman Phil Fonua. We like this 6-2, 287-pound junior for two reasons--he’s a terror on defense and he plays a mean fullback. Another player with that rare combination of size and quickness is Banning defensive lineman John Toavalu, a 6-foot, 265-pound junior. A long list of quality offensive linemen is led by the right side of Peninsula’s line--tackle Matt Redman (6-7, 285) and guard John Welbourn (6-5, 275).

Biggest surprise: Mira Costa. The Mustangs look like a sure bet to surpass the number of victories (seven) they had in the past two seasons combined.

Biggest disappointment: Serra. The Cavaliers (1-4) have failed to live up to preseason expectations, and last week the school fired Coach Kevin Crawley for reportedly verbally abusing his players. Serra has won only two of its past 10 games. Before that, the Cavaliers were 38-5 over 3 1/2 seasons.

At least one coach thinks Serra will turn things around.

“They’re huge up front, they’re strong and they’re fast,” Cantwell Coach Joe Canales said Friday after his team beat the Cavaliers, 23-6. “I’m glad we don’t play them in two weeks when they have their act together.”

With an 0-2 Camino Real League record, Serra is running out of time.

Swiftest fall: Morningside. Two years ago, the Monarchs were one of the best teams in Southern California, winning the Division VIII title before it was stripped because of an ineligible player. In the post-Stais Boseman era, they are 0-4 and have been outscored, 152-20.

Lou Holtz Award: Leuzinger Coach Fred Boehm. He’s a good guy, but Boehm never met an opponent he didn’t like (a lot) and he never misses an opportunity to assume the underdog role, even though the Olympians rank among the best teams in the area.

Consider some of his recent comments. On last week’s 45-6 victory over woeful Morningside: “Because (several) starters were missing, I thought we were lucky to get out of the game.”

And on the upcoming Bay League race: “Peninsula and Hawthorne could be in a league of their own, with the rest of us battling it out.”

Coach, repeat after us: “I have a good team, I have a good team. . . .”

Little Big Man Award: Pound for pound, San Pedro’s Bryan Castaneda might be the best player in the area. The senior, who is listed at 5-8 and 155 pounds but looks smaller, leads area receivers with 28 catches and is a returning All-City Section defensive back. Despite his size, he doesn’t mind contact.

Golden Touch Award: Carson’s Kendrick Wallace has scored three touchdowns this season on pass receptions of 68 and 65 yards, and a 61-yard punt return. What’s so special about that? Those are the only times he has touched the ball.

Who Needs an Offense Award: Banning’s defense could have won the past two games without the offense scoring a point. The Pilots returned two interceptions for touchdowns and had a safety Oct. 1 in a 39-12 victory over Narbonne, and they scored on another interception return last week in a 17-0 shutout of San Pedro. Outside linebacker Ramiro Morales had two of the scoring returns.

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We get letters. One of the funniest came this week from a reader who questioned how Peninsula football Coach Gary Kimbrell, who is 5-foot-5, learned about the sport.

“Could you please tell us where the football coach at Peninsula High School obtained his football expertise? With his small size, it is obvious he never played in a football program at any level. Neither my high school, nor the university I attended would have ever issued him a uniform. He is really to be congratulated and applauded for having the determination to overcome the handicap of having no actual experience and learning such difficult concepts from films and books. How about a story about this unusual person?”

Looks can be deceiving. Despite his size, Kimbrell was an all-league running back at Hawthorne in the 1950s and later played football at Pepperdine.

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South Bay Lutheran in Inglewood doesn’t get a lot of publicity playing football in the Eight-Man Small Division, but Coach Greg Rathke thinks he has a player worthy of attention.

Ukeje Agu, a 6-3, 185-pound senior, has distinguished himself playing quarterback and middle linebacker for the Waves (3-1), who are ranked fifth in their division.

“He’s incredibly talented,” Rathke said. “He’s not getting much attention from (college) recruiters, but he’s going to be a player for somebody.”

The son of African immigrants,Agu has rushed for 400 yards and eight touchdowns and leads Lutheran in tackles. He demonstrated his athleticism last summer by recording a 33-inch vertical leap at the Reebok Preseason Combine at El Camino College. It was the best mark by a receiver, the position Agu will most likely play at the next level.

Agu put his jumping ability to good use as a junior. In his first year of playing basketball, he averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds for Lutheran and was runner-up for Heritage League most valuable player.

Notes

Vika Malu, a 6-foot middle blocker on the Torrance girls’ volleyball team, has verbally committed to attend Loyola Marymount. Malu will join two of her former teammates at Loyola, freshmen Suzanne Radcliffe and Kim Blankinship. . . . Bishop Montgomery point guard Kareem Mutrie has committed to attend UC San Diego, which competes in basketball with Loyola and Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference. . . . Former Banning baseball player John Gonzalez has been named the Pilots’ coach. He replaces Dan Evans, who resigned after being named coach in June.