Four locals on South roster

Barry Faulkner

Costa Mesa High senior Keola Asuega and Newport Harbor High senior

Dartangan Johnson, two players known best for their offensive

contributions, will be counted upon to get defensive in the Orange

County All-Star Football Game, scheduled July 11 at Orange Coast

College.

Asuega and Johnson, star running backs last fall, are among four

Newport-Mesa standouts on the 36-player South roster, chosen by

sportswriters. Corona del Mar High senior Matt Cooper and Costa Mesa

senior Borotha Pov have also been selected to play for Los Amigos

Coach Roger Takahashi, who will guide the South against the top

players from schools located north of the Garden Grove Freeway.

Asuega, named Newport-Mesa MVP, All-CIF Southern Section Division

VII and MVP of the Golden West League, is expected to contribute

primarily at free safety for the South. The 6-foot, 210-pounder is

expected to play safety at Idaho State, where he will continue his

career next fall.

Asuega played only sparingly on defense last season for the

Mustangs, whom he helped lead to an unbeaten Golden West League

season and an 8-3 record. Instead, he alternated between fullback and

tailback, rushing for 2,023 yards and 21 touchdowns on 253 carries,

despite missing one game with a sore hamstring. Asuega’s career

numbers include a Newport-Mesa record 49 touchdowns, four more than

Newport Harbor standout Steve Brazas amassed in 1982-83. Asuega’s

3,932 career rushing yards rank No. 2 in Newport-Mesa annals behind

Costa Mesa’s Binh “Runaway” Tran, who collected 4,333 yards from

1991-93.

Asuega, who rushed for at least 100 yards in his final nine games

last fall, posted 19 such single-game outputs in three seasons, also

a Newport-Mesa record. He scored at least one touchdown in 24 of his

28 varsity games and had 13 multiple-TD games for the Mustangs.

Johnson, the Sailors’ all-time leading rusher, is expected to fit

into the South secondary as a cornerback. He started at safety and

tailback in 2002, amassing 1,392 rushing yards and 19 TDs in the

latter role. An All-CIF honoree as a junior, when he helped the

Sailors advance to the CIF Southern Section Division VI semifinals,

he earned Newport-Mesa Offensive Player of the Year laurels for the

second straight season as a senior. A 6-0, 195-pounder who plans to

compete for time at tailback next season at Santa Ana College,

Johnson finished with 3,397 yards on 560 carries and 35 of his 37

career TDs came on rushing attempts. His 18 career 100-yard-plus

games are also a school record.

Both Johnson and Asuega could fill in offensively for the South,

which plans on using Foothill High standout Mike Liti and Santa Ana

Valley’s Cliff Mason as its primary ball carriers.

Whoever has the ball in the South running game, figures to benefit

from the work of Cooper, a 6-2, 225-pound fullback known for his

devastating lead blocking. Bound for Georgetown, Cooper also started

at inside linebacker for the Sea Kings, developing a reputation as an

extremely physical player in his three-year varsity career. Cooper

was an All-Newport-Mesa fullback last fall, after earning

All-Newport-Mesa honors on defense as a junior. He carried just 23

times for 58 yards as a senior.

Pov, a 5-11, 315-pound noseguard, earned Golden West League

Defensive Player of the Year laurels and was named All-CIF as a

senior. Emerging as a dominant force in the middle of the Mustangs

defense last fall, he made 47 tackles, 16 for losses, including eight

quarterback sacks. He also recorded 11 quarterback hurries and Mesa

Coach Dave Perkins credited Pov with drawing consistent double- and

triple-team blocking, which helped free up Mustang linebackers to

make plays.

Selections were made from nominations made by coaches of 41 South

schools.

Local nominees also included: K.C. Rawlins, Kris Cooper and John

Daley from CdM; Andrew Carich, Nate Hunter and Tyler Waldron from

Costa Mesa; Lewis Bradshaw from Estancia; Michael McDonald, A.J.

Slater, Fernando Castorena, Chris Badorek, Michael Toole and Ben Soza

from Newport Harbor; as well as Zach Friedrichs, Scott Cho, Erik

Williams and Cliff Swanson from Sage Hill.