PREPS : Banning and Carson Show They’re Grid Powers Again

The annual football showdown between Banning and Carson isn’t until Nov. 9, but the South Bay rivals got an early look at each other Saturday in the Pepsi Grid-Hoops Festival at El Camino College.

The teams played three times, with Banning winning twice, including a 21-14 victory in the finals of the 7-on-7 passing tournament.

“We hadn’t thrown the ball against each other all spring,” Banning Coach Joe Dominguez said. “But we made up for it.”

Carson, which had to come back from the losers bracket in the 32-team, double-elimination tournament, played six games Saturday. Coach Gene Vollnogle felt it was too many.

“Needless to say, we were tired,” he said. “There wasn’t an hour rest in between (each game).”

Vollnogle hinted that fatigue may have caught up with the Colts in the finals. After posting hard-fought victories over West Torrance and Banning, Carson moved out to a 14-0 lead before Banning rallied for three straight touchdowns to take the title.

Quarterback John Ma’ae, the tournament MVP, had a hand in all of the Pilot scores, including the game-winner on a seven-yard pass to Travis Davis on the last play. Ma’ae also returned an interception for a TD.

Said Dominguez: “He’s quite a talent.”

Carson forced a second game for the title after edging previously unbeaten Banning, 42-35, behind four touchdown catches by senior Tydus Winans.

Sidelined most of last season with injuries, Winans performed impressively in the tournament and took fifth in the festival’s 40-yard dash competition.

“We expected that of him last year, but he never seemed to get healthy,” Vollnogle said. “He was the guy we needed. We’ve always had one receiver who was extremely fast. The guys we had (last season) were fast, but not compared to this guy.”

Vollnogle compares Winans’ speed to Brian Treggs, now at UC Berkeley, and Wesley Walker of the New York Jets, two of Carson’s all-time receivers.

The veteran coach said it was an oversight that Winans was not selected to the all-tournament team. Another Colt wide receiver, returning starter Michael Ross, was named to the squad.

“Michael was deserving, but Tydus was even more deserving,” Vollnogle said. “He’s going to give people some problems this season.”

In addition to Ross, senior quarterback Armin Youngblood and junior cornerback Clayvand Thomas of Carson earned all-tournament honors.

Banning players joining Ma’ae on the team were senior cornerback Nizam Walter and junior wide receiver Michael James.

Carson junior Fred Sims was the surprise winner of the festival’s 40-yard dash, upsetting defending champion Andre Green of Long Beach Poly in the finals.

Sims, who is projected to play wide receiver or running back this season, won with a time of 4.45 seconds running into the wind. Green was second and Kevin Copeland of Dorsey was third.

Bishop Montgomery lineman Chris Maumalanga, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound senior, set festival records on all three of his lifts to capture the individual weightlifting title.

Maumalanga lifted 390 pounds on the bench press, 870 on the hip sled and cleaned 300 to finish with a winning total of 1,560 pounds.

“Powerful isn’t the word for Chris,” said Bishop Montgomery Coach Steve Carroll, who added that Maumalanga has been selected a preseason All-American by Blue Chip magazine.

Banning won the team weightlifting title and the punting competition. The Pilots totaled 5,770 pounds on their top five lifts, beating Mater Dei by 20 pounds. Mater Dei finished second to Carson last year.

West Torrance’s football team, coming off two poor seasons, appears to be on its way back. The Warriors reached the semifinals of the Grid-Hoops Festival and two players--junior quarterback John Walsh and senior running back Josh Moore--made the all-tournament team.

“We should be very competitive for the next two years,” West co-Coach John Black said. “It’s nice because we’ve been on the bottom of it the last few years. It’s time to pay back some people.”

West, which last reached the CIF playoffs in 1986, was 4-6 last season and 1-8-1 the previous year. That’s a far cry from what the Warriors accomplished earlier in the decade when they won the CIF Coastal Conference title in 1982 and reached the semifinals in ’83 under former Coach Fred Petersen.

West’s renewed hopes revolve around a talented group of juniors who were 10-0 last season on the sophomore team and have suffered only one loss in two years. The group is headed by the strong-armed Walsh, who was good enough to replace returning quarterback Paul Myro, and receiver-safety Ryan Berry, the younger brother of former West All-CIF receiver Sean Berry.

The junior class also boasts a pair of hefty linemen: 6-3, 265-pound Scott Werner and 6-7, 270-pound John Subers.

“It’s just a cycle,” Black said. “It’s coming back in our favor.”

One of the keys to West’s fine showing last weekend was the play of its “Korean Connection.”

That’s the nickname the Warriors have given to senior wide receiver James Kim, senior inside linebacker Jae Kim and junior David Kim, none of whom are related.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the boys basketball tournament in the Grid-Hoops Festival was the second-place finish by Narbonne.

The Gauchos, who were 3-18 last season, reeled off victories over Burroughs of Burbank, Verbum Dei, Torrance and Banning before losing to Compton, 55-41, in the finals.

Narbonne’s Gabe Maciel and Major Goulsey were named to the all-tournament team along with Torrance guard Rick Robison and Banning’s Daniel Johnson and Jabari Anderson. Curtis Thomas of Compton was chosen MVP.

Palos Verdes was festival runner-up in the girls basketball tournament and defending state Division I champion Morningside, playing without its two best players, finished third.

Palmdale defeated Palos Verdes, 30-18, in the finals.

Monique Morehouse and Susan Willhite of Palos Verdes were named to the all-tournament squad, as were Denisha Carnell and Sherielle Young of Morningside.

The Lady Monarchs played without state Player of the Year Lisa Leslie and All-CIF sophomore Janet Davis. Both had other commitments.

PREP NOTES--Doug Mitchell, basketball coach at South Torrance High for the last two years, has been named to the same position at Bishop Montgomery. Mitchell replaces Tony Carter, who resigned after one season . . . Quarterback Perry Klein, who helped Carson to the L.A. City 4-A football title last year, has been added to the South team for the Shrine All-Star Classic on July 29 at the Rose Bowl. The move gives the South four quarterbacks: Klein, Curtis Conway of Hawthorne, David Henigan of Fountain Valley and Ron Redell of Crespi . . . Conway, the state 100-meter champion, will compete in the high school 100 at the Jack in the Box Invitational track meet Aug. 6 at UCLA. Also entered in the 100 is Hawthorne senior Chris Alexander, who placed fifth in the state meet.