West Torrance Lions Club All-Star Football Game : ’81 Game Only a Bad Memory for East Coach

Ten years ago, a scrappy little Mary Star offensive guard finished his high school career with an appearance in the West Torrance Lions Club all-star football game.

This evening at 7:30 at El Camino College, Mike Marinkovich returns as coach of the East squad.

Marinkovich, who this fall begins his fourth season as Mary Star coach, also has a couple of experienced assistants on his staff. Bob Marquez represented Mary Star in the 1978 game and Nick Uruburu played in ’84.

Being selected to participate in the ’81 game was an honor, according to Marinkovich. However, that’s the last of his fond memories.

“We lost, that’s what I remember about the game,” Marinkovich said. “It was the same format. We had all these guys from Carson, Banning, Serra, which even then were powerhouses. Because we were loaded, people thought it would be blowout.

“But we lost the game. That’s all I remember.”

Marinkovich said in recent seasons he has had difficulty filling out the Mary Star roster because fewer than 24 candidates have come out for the team.

There is no such dearth on this year’s East squad.

“I’m not used to seeing this kind of talent,” Marinkovich said. “I’m amazed at the quality of kids out there.”

Marinkovich is particularly impressed with his running backs, led by Morningside’s Danny Katoa, San Pedro’s Melvin Taylor and Gardena’s Demetrius Boykins.

“Actually, we have eight good ones,” Marinkovich said. “As the game goes on, we’ll decide who plays most by their performances.”

Banning’s Tony Nicholson and Alex Marcelin of Serra will share the quarterbacking duties.

Art Donnell, a 6-foot-1, 300-pound Banning tackle, anchors the offensive line. Serra cornerback Jerald Henry, who will play at USC in the fall, provides quickness in the defensive backfield.

Redondo Coach Chris Hyduke, who also has Lions game experience, will coach the West squad. He served as defensive coordinator in ’85 and ’87.

Hyduke said his three quarterbacks--Redondo’s Danny Sanchez, Hawthorne’s Jamil Williams and Brad Freeman of Westchester--each possess a different style that could give the East defense fits.

Halfbacks LaShawn Earnest of St. Bernard and Robert Coulter of Rolling Hills will run behind a quick offensive line anchored by Josh Gormley and Scott Werner of West Torrance.

Williams, Hitoshi Ono of Palos Verdes and Derek Gonzalez of Redondo form the nucleus of the pass-catching corps.

Hyduke is also impressed with the quality of athlete he is coaching this week.

“I see my kids in the morning then come over and coach these kids in the evening and what a difference that is,” said Hyduke, who graduated from Mira Costa in 1968. “If you coach long enough, you begin to realize that a good percentage of your kids have difficult attitudes. Not these guys. Every one of them knows what it takes to win. They’re all really coachable.”

The players and coaches were honored at a kickoff luncheon two weeks ago and began practicing that afternoon. The coaches agreed that the defenses should have the upper hand, but also promise plenty of offensive.

Hyduke said that unlike the regular season, all-star players really come together during practice sessions.

“A lot of the fun is getting there,” he said. “The camaraderie is very exciting. Most of the kids don’t know each other at first and seeing them start to bond and start playing together is a lot of fun to watch.”