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L.A. stars face tough test

by RON GUILD, Sports Editor

Story Published: Jul 8, 2009 at 2:49 PM PDT




For the second time this summer, an all-star football team from Los Angeles County will test itself against the power of the Inland Empire.

L.A. has to hope for a better result this time in the Southern California Fiesta Bowl, set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Whittier College.

Though, largely rosters of different players than the Gridiron War in Long Beach, won by the Inland Empire, 36-3 over a combined L.A.-Orange County squad, it doesn’t mean the squad of San Bernardino and Riverside area players will be any less formidable.

“They say the Inland Empire is a hot bed of high school football, so we know we have our hands full,” L.A. coach Javier Cid of Roosevelt High School said. “We’re definitely concerned. We want to try and make this an even game and to do it we have to minimize mental mistakes and stop the run.”

Some of the Inland players to watch include quarterback/wide receiver Jamar Calhoun of Riverside J.W. North, running back Corey Rozier of Fontana, running back Christian Bobo of Canyon Springs and wide receiver GeShun Harris of Corona Centennial. Harris caught a scoring pass in the Gridiron War.

L.A. has its share of talent, starting with the quarterback spot.

Roosevelt’s Jesse Diaz, Locke’s Lamonta Green and Palmdale’s Brandon Mims have all done well in practice. Mims, who has signed with Iowa State, has been the most impressive of the trio, according to Cid.

“He stands above the other two,” Cid said. “He can do everything. He throws really well and runs really well. It’s almost like having another receiver on the field.”

As for Diaz, he said, “Jesse has done pretty good, plus he’s familiar with our (spread) offense. He still has to adjust to the speed of these receivers. They have a little more than what we have at Roosevelt, so sometimes he underthrows them.”

He also likes what the left-handed Green brings to the table.

“He’s very coachable and what he lacks in mechanics, he makes up for in athleticism,” Cid said. “He’s 6-4 and throws a good ball.”

A number of other players have caught his eye, in particular L.A. Wilson wide receiver Anthony Denham and Downey running back Keith Holland.

“They’ve both looked pretty good,” he said.

Denham had a spectacular senior year, catching 46 passes for 960 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn All-City honors. He also recorded 71 tackles and five interceptions from his spot in the secondary.

The versatile Holland caught 61 passes for 732 yards and four TDs and rushed 95 times for 419 yards and six scores.

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Manual Arts wide receiver Dayvon Ross, who caught 67 passes for 928 yards and five TDs to lead the Coliseum League, was a bit under the radar last fall because the Toilers were 0-10. He’s a threat catching the ball and returning kicks (he had 498 yards on kick returns).

El Rancho running back Marcus Galan, who ran for 1,038 yards and five TDs, and Franklin running back William Hernandez, who rushed for 908 yards and 17 TDs and caught 57 balls for 1,071 yards and eight scores, are other key players for L.A.

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With Roosevelt’s Rafael Ortega, Garfield’s Gabriel Soto and Huntington Park’s Ricardo Ramirez on hand, linebacker should be a solid position for L.A.

Garfield All-City defensive back Lanny Delgado heads the secondary. He had 51 tackles and four interceptions last fall and was considered one of the premier cover corners in the section.

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Anchoring the offensive line will be Cesar Estrada of Bell Gardens, Miguel Delarosa of Bell, Otilio Castillo of South East and Trevize Strickland of Dorsey.

El Rancho supplies the kicking game with the duo of punter Carlos Roldan and placekicker Doug Soriano.