By Fred J. Robledo
Duarte High School athletic director Robyn Garcia confirmed on Monday that four varsity football players from the 2008 football season have left school, including highly touted senior-to-be running back Jordan Canada, a first-team Montview League selection as a junior. Canada, a 5-foot-10, 160-pounder, rushed for 1,956 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging 195 yards for the Falcons during an injury-plagued junior season in which he missed three games. Canada began taking classes at South Hills High School last week along with his younger brother Jamie Canada, a talented running back/wide receiver and defensive back who made the Falcons’ varsity team as a freshman. Sophomore linebacker Wardell Crutchfield Jr., the son of former Falcons coach Wardell Crutchfield, and sophomore quarterback Demetrius Jackson left earlier this year for Baldwin Park, Braves athletic director Mike Zimmerman confirmed.
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Garcia doesn’t know if there are more football players making plans to leave the school, but it appears the departing players were unhappy with the firing of Crutchfield, who was removed as coach by principal Eric Barba in January but remains there as a teacher.
Former Pasadena Star-News coach of the year Tip Sanders, who revived programs at Marshall and Blair high schools, has been hired to take over at Duarte.
There have been rumors that Wardell Crutchfield will become an assistant coach at Baldwin Park, but Zimmerman said he is not on staff at the moment.
“It hasn’t reached that point,” Zimmerman said of Crutchfield joining coach James Heggins’ staff.
The four players are enrolled in new schools, but It will be up to the CIF-Southern Section approval process to determine whether the departing players become eligible to play football this fall. Scout.Com, a popular recruiting Web site, already lists Jordan Canada as a player from South Hills.
“It’s very concerning,” Garcia said. “I understand when a new coach comes in there are issues, but I don’t think they (players leaving) are making a good decision.
“They don’t understand what they’re getting themselves into. There is no guarantee they will be able to play.” Not only are the Canada brothers at South Hills, but former South El Monte junior running back/defensive back Neiko Padilla also is taking classes at South Hills.
Padilla left after longtime Eagles coach Erick Escamilla resigned. Former La Puente coach Ray Hernandez now is coaching at South El Monte. For the players to become eligible, they will have to either apply for a hardship or prove they have a valid change of address.
Duarte could opt to challenge the transfers through CIF by citing the players left for “athletically motivated” reasons, but Garcia said that decision hasn’t been made yet.
Zimmerman said Crutchfield and Jackson had 4.0 grade-point averages on their transcripts and is working toward their athletic eligibility. “We’re dealing with CIF and Duarte,” Zimmerman said. “We want to make sure all the paperwork is handled properly.”