January 2009 Archives

The Daily Breeze has officially moved, and that means new call-in numbers as we make our transition back to business as usual.

For now, coaches or scorekeepers need to call 310-540-5511. Then press 1, then there are three options to use for extensions: the general sports line (6385#), Tony Ciniglio (6486#) or Dave Thorpe (6349#).

Hopefully a more direct line will be established sometime next week. Thanks for your continued patience.

The Daily Breeze is in the process of switching buildings, and somehow, the phone service to the Breeze was cut off a day before the move when there are 70 prep events on the schedule.

Our meager staff will try to track down as many scores as possible tonight via our cell phones, but there are many coaches for whom we do not have contact numbers.

So for tonight only, we are asking coaches or scorekeepers to email a contact number to the following emails:

tony.ciniglio@dailybreeze.com
dave.thorpe@dailybreeze.com
sports@dailybreeze.com

We will try to call back as many people as possible, so please bear with us in our transition period.

The Banning football team is holding their end-of-the-season football banquet on Thursday , Jan. 29, and the Pilots will have a special guest speaker.

Jackie Salter, an All-Pro tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, will be the guest speaker at the Carson Community Civic Center with festivities starting at 5 p.m.

Vince Ferragamo will be the Master of Ceremonies, and tickets can be purchased at the door for $18.

Banning went 4-7 and finished fourth in the rugged Marine League this past season, losing in the first round of the L.A. City Section Championships to Crenshaw, 42-6. It also marked the end of running back Josh Limosnero's high school career. Limosnero was a four-year starter for Banning.

PICTURED: Liz Torrez, Tiana Tuinei and Heather Ward each played large roles in helping Harbor win its first softball game.

Harbor was not about to hang its head, not in its softball opener.

Despite losing three players this week and despite giving up a daunting three runs in the fifth inning Wednesday, Harbor remained resilient.

The Seahawks rallied for a 4-3 nonconference win over visiting Pierce to break in their new program.

Tiana Tuinei hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to score Patricia Galvan with the winning run.

Harbor fell behind, 3-1, in the fifth inning, but tied it in the bottom half of the inning with two-out RBI singles by Christine Barba and Nikki Uranga.

"The girls clutched up," Harbor co-coach Jesse Espinoza said. "They gave up those three runs in the fifth, but they showed a lot of heart to come back like they did."

Harbor learned this week it will have to play without expected stars Irma Espinoza and Dovie Tuli because they did not have enough units to qualify. Roxy Terrazas also got a job and will not be with Harbor this season.

Espinoza moved Liz Torrez to catcher, April Garcia to first base and tried to make the best of the situation.

"This is nothing new to me. This kind of stuff happens to me all the time at Banning," Espinoza said. "So I made a catcher in two days, I made a first baseman in two days and moved some other people around. I've been there, done that."

Pitcher Heather Ward kept Harbor within striking distance, allowing three runs with seven hits, five strikeouts and four walks.

"I had no idea what to expect going in," Espinoza said. "The girls have worked hard. This was nine months in the making. I kicked their butt for nine months, and it worked out.

"Our side was definitely packed. We had people standing along the fence down the lnies. We even had some of our people on their side."

Culver City decided to stay within the family to hire its next football coach.

Jahmal Wright, a former Culver City standout who served the last eight seasons on Coach Tom Salter's staff, has been hired to replace Salter, the Breeze learned from assistant coach Greg Goodyear on Wednesday.

Wright was a three-year all-league defensive back at Culver City, helping the Centaurs win Ocean League titles in 1992, 1993 and 1994 before going to the University of Kansas on scholarship.

Wright served as the offensive coordinator last season for an offense that totaled over 4,000 yards last season. He was the defensive coordinator for the four previous years and was Salter's right-hand man.

"He's a lot like Coach Salter in some ways," Goodyear said. "He's a Culver guy, and he's put out a ton of DBs to Division I football. The kids really respect him."

Wright has been a P.E. Teacher at Culver City for the past three years and has been the school's track coach the last two years. He was theOcean League 400-meter champion and holds the school record in 48.12.

"I'm happy he's gotten the opportunity," said returning receiver Cruz Cueva, the son of West Torrance baseball coach Juan Cueva. "He's worked hard and really pushed us. He's always been there for us and has been a great inspiration. He's done a great job to make us better. I know he's going to do an incredible job."

Redondo's 55-52 boys basketball victory over West Torrance Tueday at Redondo was important for the Sea Hawks on many levels.   Redondo's win snapped a 13-game winning streak for West (16-5, 4-1) and pushed the Sea Hawks (10-10, 4-1) into a three-way tie for first place at the halfway point of Bay League play with West and Leuzinger.   But the win had a little added significance for Redondo coach Tom Maier; it was the 600th victory of his 35-year coaching career.   "600 wins? It's a nice mark, but I'll tell you that I've lost almost half as many," Maier said. "It means I've been around for a long time, but it's something that I'm very proud of."   Maier is in his eighth season at Redondo after spending 27 years coaching at Chadwick.   Junior guard Jamar Cannon led Redondo Tueday with 19 points and 13 rebounds and said he was proud to help Maier secure the coaching milestone.   "This is how we wanted to do it, in our gym and on our home floor," Cannon said. "It's a great achievement for coach."

For those anxious to see the Mira Costa girls basketball team take on Inglewood, the wait is going to be prolonged.

The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31, has been pushed back two weeks to Friday, Feb. 13, the Mira Costa coaching staff confirmed to  the Breeze.

Apparently the Inglewood High gym was already in use, so now the teams are playing one day after their final nonleague seasons as a jumpstart into the playoffs.

The El Segundo girls water polo team had its 30-game Ocean League winning streak snapped when it fell to Santa Monica, 5-4, at the El Segundo Plunge on Tuesday.

El Segundo (10-12, 4-1) led, 3-2, going into the fourth quarter, but could not hold onto the lead.

The Eagles also had won 29 consecutive league games at home before falling to Santa Monica (10-7, 5-0), which is ranked seventh in CIF Division V and sits in first place, one game ahead of El Segundo, in league play.

"Streaks are made to be broken, now we just have to start over," El Segundo assistant coach George Harris said.

Julianne Allison had three goals and Colette Gulick added a goal for El Segundo. Haley Cox made eight saves for El Segundo.

"It was a defensive game all the way," Harris said. "We just need to be able to finish."

Former Chadwick girls soccer star Christen Press has been recalled by the United States Under-23 Women's National Team for its next tournament.

Press will be part of an 18-member contingency that will travel to La Manga, Spain for a one-week tournament beginning on Saturday. The U.S. will face Norway on Feb. 4 and England on Feb. 6.

This is being touted as the first U.S. Under-23 team featuring a majority of professional players with 11 of the 18 having been drafted by clubs in the new WPS.  Press is one of the few collegiate players.

Press is a two-time Daily Breeze Player of the Year, was chosen by Coach Bill Irwin after a January training camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

As a sophomore at Stanford this past season, Press established herself as one of the nation's most explosive collegiate scorer with 16 goals and 11 assists to lead the Cardinal (22-2-1).

Press separated herself in the NCAA Tournament, scoring the game-winner and an assist in the first round against UC Santa Barbara, scored the lone goal to eliminate powerhouse Portland and added another goal in a third-round loss to Rutgers.

Press was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and a first team All-Freshman All-American.

Narbonne receiver and defensive back Byron Moore has de-committed from USC and is exploring out-of-state options, the All-American confirmed to the Daily Breeze on Saturday.

Moore said he plans to make his decision on Signing Day on Feb. 4, less than two weeks away.

"I just wanted to find another place to go," Moore said. "I think it's just me wanting to go out of state a little more right now.

"I've been thinking about doing this throughout the whole recruiting process."

Moore is the second highly touted recruit from the South Bay to decommit from USC.

Carson tight end Morrell Presley decided to back off on his initial commitment to USC for UCLA and has already enrolled in classes in Westwood.

Moore mentioned Notre Dame and LSU as possible destinations. He took a trip to Notre Dame on Nov. 21 and has a trip to LSU planned for next weekend.

"I think I'll make my decision on Signing Day. I don't think it will be before that," Moore said.

Notre Dame might be an interesting choice because Inglewood All-American receiver Shaquelle Evans has made a verbal commitment there.

Moore had initially tried to recruit Evans to USC when their high school teams met in the season opener. Now it appears that Evans is trying to bring Moore there.

"We talk a little," Moore said. "He's been trying to recruit me there."

Moore had a memorable senior season for Narbonne. The first team Daily Breeze All-Area pick had 936 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 53 catches, added 744 return yards and four more touchdowns and had 83 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

He was the Marine League's Offensive Player of the Year , a first team All-L.A. City Section selection and helped Narbonne win its first upper-division City title after Narbonne tied San Pedro, 21-21, in the City final at the Coliseum.

It took 15 years, but Carson finally brought down Narbonne in girls basketball.

The Colts held on for a 44-43 Marine League victory over Narbonne for the Colts' first victory over Narbonne in over 15 years, Coach Marcel Sanders said.

"We finally got that monkey off our backs," Sanders said. "Narbonne has been a thorn in our side for a long time and we finally got over the hump and beat them."

 

Just like their counterparts at San Pedro, the Narbonne football team is looking to raise funds to buy championship rings after winning the school's first upper-division L.A. City Section title in school history.

Narbonne tied Marine League rival San Pedro, 21-21, on Dec. 13 at the Coliseum in  the L.A. City Section final, and Coach Manuel Douglas is asking for help in raising money to buy championship rings, patches for the letterman jackets and to host a celebratory banquet for his team.

Below is a copy of the letter Douglas sent out to Narbonne boosters:

Dear Friends of Narbonne High School Gauchos Football Team,

Miracles do happen.  For the first time in Narbonne High School's 83 -year history, they are now the 2008 Los Angeles City Section CIF Football Champions!  This was achieved by overcoming insurmountable odds.  Wow!  This team has the heart of a lion.

Our goal with the Narbonne High School Football program is to develop players with character, integrity and academic excellence, while providing our youth with an alternative to gangs and drugs.  This formula will provide a foundation for future success in life.  Our team academic grade point average is above a 3.00. and our graduates have gone on to the finest academic universities in the world.

It is with pleasure that I am pleased to announce that I will lead the effort to reward the players with one of the ultimate prizes in football, Championship Rings. In addition we hope to award championship Patches together with a nice football banquet.  This will not be possible without the generous tax-deductible donations from our community.

Let us all come together as we attempt to accumulate $30,000 in tax-deductible donations to make this once in a lifetime dream come true for these fine young men.  We have already received commitments for over $3,700 towards this dream.  GO GAUCHOS!!



Sincerely,      
Manuel Douglas
Head Coach
www.narbonnegauchofootball.com

Make Checks Payable to: 
Narbonne High School Booster Club
Attention:  Melissa Miller, Athletic Director

The South Bay certainly enjoyed a memorable season in football this season with Narbonne and San Pedro sharing the City title and with Serra and Mira Costa also making CIF finals.

One of Morningside's most famous graduates will be returning to the school.

Billionaire John Arrillaga, the MVP of Morningside's first CIF championship team in 1955, will return to his alma mater on Friday for a full day of activities.

Not only will there be a 2 p.m. school assembly in his honor, Arrillaga will have his uniform number retired at halftime of Morningside's Ocean League game against Beverly Hills. He will be presented with a glass-encased uniform as well.

Principal James Lofton also said that eight of Arrillaga's teammates are scheduled to celebrate Arrillaga's return to Morningside.

"This is a big-time event," Lofton said.

After graduating from Morningside, Arrillaga played basketball for Stanford and eventually became one of America's wealthiest men -- No. 281 on Forbes' 2008 list -- as the largest property owner in the Silicon Valley.

It serves as the perfect backdrop for a Morningside team that is unbeaten in Ocean League play and is enjoying a sort of basketball renaissance.

Morningside has had some high-powered basketball graduates -- Byron Scott, Elton Campbell, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson -- to name a few.

Yet Arrillaga has been one of Stanford's main benefactors. Who knows, maybe Morningside is next.

Either way, Friday will be a triumphant day for Morningside.

Samantha Heyman might be known more for her softball abilities at El Segundo, but she reached an impressive milestone in girls basketball on Wednesday night.

Heyman scored 11 points to surpass the 1,000-point plateau in her career in El Segundo's 54-34 loss to two-time defending Pioneer League champion South Torrance.

Heyman, a four-year starter for the El Segundo basketball team, entered the game with 995 career points. Now she has 1,006 and can set her sights on the all-time scoring mark held by Kelly Geis.

"It's a big deal," El Segundo basketball coach Mark Doering said. "She's a phenomenal softball player, but she's a four-year starter for us and is a tremendous shooter and a great competitor.

"She's crossed over between the two sports and has done a great job for both teams."

Heyman helped El Segundo's softball team reach  the CIF Division V final in 2007 and the Division V semifinals last season.

Palos Verdes' boys soccer team turned a big second half into a 2-0 Bay League victory over rival Peninsula and stayed close to first-place Leuzinger in the league standings in the process.

Zach Petow scored in the 52nd minute on a free kick from 20 yards out to give Palos Verdes (9-4-2, 2-1) a 1-0 lead.

"Petow hit a brilliant shot that I don't think any goalkeeper is going to save," Palos Verdes coach Bruce Myhre said. "Then we were just chasing, scrapping and giving it our all."

Conor Burke added an insurance goal in the 70th minute from 25 yards out. Matthew McNab made eight saves to record the shutout for Palos Verdes.

"Peninsula kept possession of the ball better than we did, but we just hung in there," Myhre said.

Second-place Palos Verdes will try to stay close to Leuzinger (3-0 in league) when it plays at defending league champion West Torrance on Friday. Peninsula (0-1-1 in league) will try to regroup when it hosts Mira Costa on Friday.

No, it's not a misprint.

Pacific Lutheran blanked Summit Valley View, 40-0, in a Mulholland League girls basketball game at Northridge Park.

Coach Phil Avalos explained that it was indeed not a forfeit and sounded almost apologetic.

"We played the whole game. They just couldn't make a basket," Avalos said. "We did everything we could to let them shoot. We pulled back, we passed the ball around a lot.

"We only have seven girls; it wasn't like I tried to keep the starters in."

It was the second time that Summit Valley View, a team that had 12 girls on the roster, had been shut out this season.

Tayler Pattillo had 15 points and 13 steals to lead Pacific Lutheran (6-6, 4-2). Tiana Wightman added 10 points and 16 rebounds for Pacific Lutheran.

Summit Valley View fell to 0-5 in league.

Today's boys and girls Bay League basketball games between Palos Verdes and Peninsula have been moved to Redondo High to accomodate the large expected crowd. 

Palos Verdes athletic director Mike Boyd said the girls game will be played at 6:30 p.m. and the boys will tip off at 8 p.m. when Peninsula sophomore star Reese Morgan (pictured) faces off against his rivals.

Both games should have a festive atmosphere with the Peninsula Zoo and the Palos Verdes Red Tide facing off in a battle of student sections.

But the boys basketball game to watch tonight will be between Bay League favorite Leuzinger host West Torrance, which is riding an 11-game winning streak.

West Torrance lineman Mark Clampitt has made an oral commitment to Idaho State after a recruiting visit this past weekend, the two-time Daily Breeze All-Area lineman said Monday.

Clampitt, pictured on the far right with former West quarterback Marc Oslund (No. 12) and running back Brian Baucham in 2006, was a major part of West's success the past three years.

Clampitt took his first official recruiting trip to Idaho State and instantly fell in love with the school and the program. He will likely be an offensive guard for the Bengals with a chance to play immediately.

"It was a pretty good fit," the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Clampitt said. "I like the facilities and where it was - it was a nice area. It was somewhere I really felt I could fit in."

Clampitt elected to skip the West Torrance Lions Club Senior All-Star Game on Saturday, but made it worth his while.

"It definitely worked out," he said.

Andrew Frisina of Rolling Hills Prep earned a major eight-man football award, winning CIF Eight-Man Division II Defensive Most Valuable Player honors.

Frisina leads a group of six players to earn eight-man distinctions.

Teammates Karim Kawarwia and Jacob Sereno were named to the All-CIF offensive team for Division II. Pacific Lutheran added three players to the mix, including Cordell Faatolo and Chris Flock on offense and Frankie Cota on defense.

It's time to start talking about McDonald's All-Americans.

The South Bay has seven nominees for the McDonald's All-American awards, including three boys players and four girls players.

Westchester's Dominique O'Connor, Leuzinger's Jerry Evans and Lawndale's Marquel Jones are among the boys nominees.

On the girls side, Inglewood's Tayler Champion, Mira Costa's Amanda Johnson, Narbonne's Tiffany Moorer and Marlborough's Stefanie Corgel (a Manhattan Beach resident).

The McDonald's All-American games will take place on April 1 at the University of Miami. The girls game begins at 5:30 p.m., and the boys game is at 8 p.m.

Running back Chris Loatman defended his home turf at the West Torrance Lions Senior All-Star game, scoring two first-quarter touchdowns to lead the White All-Stars to a 14-12 victory over the Blue All-Stars on Saturday at Mira Costa.

Loatman, pictured, scored on runs of 5 and 1 yards and finished with 69 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to give the White an early 14-0 lead.

"Of course it feels great. I can't explain it. It's a hell of a way to go out," Loatman, who is deaf, said through his American Sign Language translator. "This was my field, and I had to defend my field. I wasn't going to show any South Bay love.

"This is like the climax, the best of the best. There are big egos and a lot of pride. It wasn't just a regular game."

Torrance's Sterling Carter had two catches for 53 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown reception from Redondo quarterback Erik Wilson. Not normally a punter, he also had two booming punts.

But Carter had the potential game-winning touchdown slip through his hands on a pass from North Torrance quarterback B.J. Denker late in the game.

Carsons' Chris Hill, normally a lock-down defender, had three consecutive runs of 12, 28 and 33 yards, the last for a touchdown, to help the Blue close the gap.

Peninsula's Demetri Papadakis was selected as the Game's Defensive Player of  the Game in a game where defense shined.

Serra coach Scott Altenberg coached the White team to victory for his first Lions Club win. North Torrance coach Todd Croce helped his team battle hard and gave his team a shot to win.

All in all, a good way to officially end the South Bay football season.

In addition to Westchester's impressive victory at Fairfax, the big winners from Friday night's boys basketball games were Pioneer League rivals North Torrance and Lawndale.

Both teams posted double-overtime victories to remain unbeaten in league play.

Daren Hechanova, pictured from a file photo, scored 30 points and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the second overtime in a wild 107-103 victory at Centennial, the Saxons' first win at Centennial in Coach Gary Duperron's eight-year tenure. Danish Mansoor hit a 3-pointer to force the second overtime period, and football star B.J. Denker sank two free throws in the closing seconds of regulation to force OT.

Lawndale enjoyed a dramatic 52-49 win over South Torrance as Markeith Cungious hit a 3-pointer with one minute left in the second overtime. Cungious had 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Marquel Jones had a team-leading 26 points.

When North and Lawndale meet, it should be a battle. Don't be surprised if it even goes to overtime.

The Lions Senior All-Star game will take place on Saturday at Mira Costa High at 1 p.m.  So which senior is going to leave the biggest mark? The following is a breakdown of the rosters.

WHITE ALL-STARS
Photos of Mira Costa running back Chris Loatman (No. 21), El Segundo receiver Kevin Post (No. 1) and Serra quarterback Ted Landers (No. 15).

White All-Star Coaches -- Head Coach Scott Altenberg. Assistants: Ademole Turner, Joshua Dabbs, John Brennan, Chuck Kimbell, Mike Wagner, Lee Davis.

White All-Star Players --
Dolph Adomian, El Segundo, C
Derrell Allen, Serra, DT
Emmanuel Brumfield, Gardena, DT
Andre Buford, Westchester, WR
Carlton Callaway, Lawndale, RB
Kalan Collins, Westchester, SS
Tim Ehringer, West Torrance, DE
Olaoluwa Falemi, Banning, CB
Issac Foster, Leuzinger, LB
Mike Freeman, Mira Costa, OL
Jesse Hamilton, St. Bernard, OL
Andre Hill, Narbonne, WR
Justin Jackson, Narbonne, OT
Chris Jacobs, Westchester, DB
Chris Joe, Mira Costa, LB
Tyler Johnson, Lawndale, DT
Chandler Jones, Bishop Montgomery, WR
Ted Landers, Serra, QB
Josh Limosnero, Banning, RB
Chris Loatman, Mira Costa, RB
Alex Marsaw, West Torrance, LB
Dawan Marzett, Westchester, DE
Andrew Mestman, West Torrance, OL
Thomas Gray, Narbonne, WR
Mason Napoleon, Banning, QB
Joel Panteau, Banning, RB
Kevin Post, El Segundo, WR-K
Joey Schaffhauser, El Segundo, WR-P
Vincent Sullivan, St. Bernard, CB
Michael Tam, MIra Costa, FS
Charles Tua'au, Banning, OL
Raynard Westbrook, Leuzinger, RB
Keith Wimberly, Leuzinger, LB
Kyle Yatabe, El Segundo, LB
 

BLUE ALL-STARS

Photos of South Torrance running back John White (No. 30), San Pedro defensive end Alonzo Lefridge (No. 48) and North Torrance quarterback B.J. Denker (No. 7).

Blue All-Star Coaches -- Head Coach Todd Croce. Asistants: Matt Mishler, Don Wood, Jesse Gonzalez, Mark Velasco.
Blue All-Star players --
Stephen Boardley, San Pedro, WR/DB
Sterling Carter, Torrance, TE
Kelsey Cato, San Pedro, DE
Elliott Chase, South Torrance, OL-DL
Antonio Crews, Carson, DB-WR
B.J. Denker, North Torrance, QB
Ushali Ellison, Hawthorne, RB-DB
Alex Gonzales, Torrance, LB
Daniel Gonzalez, Hawthorne, OL-DL
Ezekial Graham, Carson, RB-WR
Daniel Grajeda, Torrance, DE
C.J. Harrington, North Torrance, LB
Chris Hill, Carson, DB
Khalid Jones, Morningside, DL
Tofua Lafitani, Morningside, DL
Kevin Lane, Carson, WR-DB
Alonzo Lefridge, San Pedro, DE
Ray Lemafa, Redondo, OL-DL
Mike McBride, Inglewood, LB
David Mulcahy, Peninsula, OL-DL
Keami Owens, Torrance, WR-DB
Demetri Papadakis, Peninsula, LB-RB
Ckye Penn, Redondo, WR-DB
A.J. Ropati, Carson, LB-TE
Vincent Samperio, San Pedro, OL-DL
Chandler Shipley, Redondo, WR-DB
Dylan Stone, Torrance, OL-DL
Lawrence Tuihalamaka, Hawthorne, RB-DE
Gabriel Umoh, Morningside, RB-WR
John White, South Torrance, RB-WR
Matt Willis, Palos Verdes, LB
Erik Wilson, Redondo, QB
Dylan Wood, South Torrance, OL-DL
Jason Yang, South Torrance, WR-DB

Alternates -- Joshua Smith, Morningside; Austin Dotson, Carson; William Portillo, Torrance

Palos Verdes will turn to a familiar face and a proven winner to lead its football program.

Guy Gardner, a longtime South Bay assistant coach who firmly established his head coaching credentials at Garden Grove Pacifica, was chosen as Palos Verdes' next football coach, Principal Chris Bowles confirmed Thursday.

Palos Verdes, one year removed from a Bay League title, endured a 2-8 campaign last season, but Gardner remains optimistic about a quick turnaround.

"The expectations are high here, and I think they should be," Gardner said. "I'm not thinking there's a lot of so-called 'things' to fix. We're going to work really hard and see what we can do."

Gardner, 43, will meet the team for the first time today and begin the transition process from Pat Fresch, a coach who started the program from scratch and with whom Gardner served as an assistant coach in Palos Verdes' return to varsity in 2003.

"We think Guy Gardner is the right guy to bring us to the next level, and we're excited to have him," Principal Chris Bowles said. "We have tremendous respect for Pat Fresch and where he brought the PV program.

"It is where it is today because of all the hard work and passion he had for football and our players. He's the greatest guy, and he'll always be a Sea King."

Bowles did not reveal the number of applicants the school received after Fresch was fired Dec. 15, but said Palos Verdes narrowed it down to two candidates for interviews.

Bowles said Palos Verdes was fortunate to get a coach like Gardner, who will also be a social studies teacher.

"Guy wants to build a quality program, and I think he's going to settle in at PV," Bowles said. "He's very organized and very disciplined, but at the same time, he will make it a very positive experience for our players. He's going to help the kids reach their full potential."

Gardner has won league championships in four of the past five seasons at Garden Grove Pacifica, leading the Mariners to the CIF Southern Section Southern Division title game in 2007.

Gardner left Palos Verdes in 2003 to take over Pacifica for Bill Craven, a 28-year veteran who was the second winningest coach in Orange County history. He was 39-21 in five seasons.

Yet the commute from his Redondo Beach home to Garden Grove became a challenge, especially with a daughter, 11, and son, 8, at home.

So when an opportunity to coach and teach closer to home presented itself, Gardner jumped at it.

"Location -- that's the main reason," Gardner said. "I'm a South Bay native, and in the back of my head, I always wanted to come home.

"I'm not regarding this as a temporary move. I can't foresee a move after this. A lot of thought went into it, and it's where I plan on being for a long time"

Gardner also was as an assistant coach at Mira Costa from 1989 to 1998, serving under Larry Petrel, Bill Lisle and the last six under Don Morrow. The Mustangs won two CIF titles in four appearances during that time.

"That's where I started," Gardner said. "I feel fortunate to have coached under all three of those guys. I learned a lot under all of them."

Gardner will still have to commute from Garden Grove to Palos Verdes when spring practice begins as he finishes the teaching year, but said he is excited about getting started.

Gardner said he plans to use a multiple offense at PV.

"I'll try to be pretty flexible based on the talent we have," Gardner said. "I know we're going to have to establish the run for the Bay League, but I strive for 50-50 run and pass.

"I've learned that any success we have is the result of the work we're putting in, and we are going to work as hard as we can."

Kei Kamara returned to Leuzinger bearing gifts Thursday afternoon.

The 2003 Daily Breeze Player of the Year donated new jerseys for the Leuzinger boys soccer team, surprising the Olympians before Friday's Bay League match at Palos Verdes.

"They were full set of jerseys for the varsity and JV teams," Kamara said. "I heard what was going in the school district. They're stopping some sports and making kids pay, and it's not something anyone could afford. Luckily Adidas gave me good help with it too."

The players certainly appreciated the gesture by Kamara, who they already hold in high regard.

"It means a lot," midfielder Jose Lezama said. "Right now the economy is really bad, and the school doesn't have much money, so it's cool he's helping us out. We need it more than ever."

Though Kamara went on to star at Cal State Dominguez Hills and has played for the Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes and now the Houston Dynamos, he has never lost touch with his roots.

"Every time I'm in town, I always show up to the school," Kamara said. "I assist with the coaching sometimes. I still know what's going on with Leuzinger and CSDH. They are my families."

Leuzinger beat Mira Costa, 3-2, in the Bay League opener and looks to build off last season's strong second-place finish.

Kemara takes pride in helping the Olympians and watching their team continue to devleop.

"Most of the players have my number," Kamara said. "They always ask me questions, like what college to go to, things like that. We have a good relationship."

Lezama said the players certainly appreciate Kamara.

"He's really cool, and he helps us out all the time," Lezama said. "Last year he trained with us a little and taught us some new plays. He really helps out Leuzinger."

The Carson girls basketball clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter and defeated Banning, 60-47, in a Marine League showdown on Wednesday at Banning High.

Carson (10-3, 2-0) outscored Banning, 19-6, in the fourth quarter, after the teams were tied through three quarters.

"Banning is right there, they are a good team, but I think we wore them down," Carson coach Marcel Sanders said.

Carson held Banning star Stephanie Lopez scoreless in the second half. Lopez finished with 14 points. Carla Barrera had 15 points for Banning (7-7, 0-3).

"We started playing defense (in the fourth quarter)," Sanders said.

Alisha Belt had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Chante Miles had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists and Daphne Rabot had 13 points for Carson. Janitah Iamaleava added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Carson, which hosts Washington in a key league game on Friday.

Add Shelbie Luna to the growing list of Division I girls soccer players from Bishop Montgomery this season.

Luna has committed to the University of New Mexico.

Luna joins Bishop Montgomery teammate McKenzie McGoldrick, who has committed to the University of Michigan.

When it became apparent that Narbonne's boys soccer team thought it had been disrespected by the organizers of the San Pedro Pirate Cup, tournament director Fred Quintana wanted to clear the air. Narbonne complained about only two lineup cards, and Quintana described it as a clerical error, not something that was intentionally done.

Here is Quintana's response:

I wanted to clear up anything that may cause people to think that any of the administration in the 2009 San Pedro Pirate Cup underestimated Narbonne's Varsity Boys Soccer Team. The comment that they only received two line up cards as a gesture for there teams inability to advance has been taken drastically out of context. No one in our tournament received line up cards beyond the initial two due to the fact that we ran out of them. Our tournament administration is happy with the accomplishment of Narbonne and many of the Marine League schools that competed so well in our tournament and we hope that they will all return next year for another great tournament.

  Sincerely,

  Fred Quintana
  2009 Pirate Cup Tournament Director

Here's hoping that the situation can be resolved without conflict. The last thing we need is another brouhaha between these two programs.

It's official. The long-awaited Daily Breeze All-Area football team is coming out Thursday morning. Here's a couple highlights:

Player of the Year -- Serra junior Robert Woods. The best player in the South Bay this season on BOTH sides of the ball and perhaps the most clutch (check out what he did in the playoffs).

Coach of the Year -- Well, since they couldn't decide it on the field, the Daily Breeze wasn't going to decide it either. The Coach of the Year will be shared by Narbonne's Manuel Douglas and San Pedro's Mike Walsh.

Both Douglas and Walsh had remarkable 12-1-1 seasons, both won the City Section title (albeit in a strange 21-21 tie) and both held off outstanding campaigns by Mira Costa's Don Morrow and El Segundo's Steve Shevlin.

The South Bay Athletic Club luncheon honoring the 48 All-Area players will be held Thursday at noon at the Torrance Doubletree. Tickets are $25 (includes lunch).

So check out the team in the morning paper. Did the Daily Breeze get it right? Who were the big winners? Who received the biggest snubs?