Page 4 November 15, 2012 Joe’s Sports Up and Adam Morro Bay Runs Inglewood Brown and Out Out of Playoffs By Joe Snyder to win its little three-team Centinela Valley By Adam Serrao there are bigger and better out there. When Inglewood High’s football team had a very Unified School District League with one-point If you take Phil Jackson out of the equation, you go out in the offseason and spend as much good first half, but the strong rushing attack non-league victories over Hawthorne and the Lakers have had a hard time keeping a money as the Lakers have on the short-term of Morro Bay coupled with critical penalties Leuzinger, but all three of the district’s schools head coach over the last 13 years. As if the contracts of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, put an end to the Sentinels’ season in a 17-14 placed last in their leagues with 0-5 records. number 13 in itself isn’t unlucky enough, all of it is easy to understand why the Lakers have home loss in the first round of the CIF-Southern After winning three of five non-league games, the coaches of the purple and gold not named expected a bit more out of Brown than they Section Western Division playoffs last Friday including the two wins over the Cougars and Phil Jackson have suffered the same fate. have gotten. Perhaps the most telling sign at Coleman Field. The Sentinels, who ended Olympians, the Cardinals lost all five games Since Phil took over the team in 1999, four that Brown just didn’t fit in with the team their season at 7-4, started out well in grabbing in the highly competitive Pioneer that includes different coaches (five, with the hiring of Mike was the poor defensive play in the first five a 14-3 halftime lead. It began on the opening a highly regarded champion North Torrance- D’Antoni) besides the Zen Master have gotten games of the season. Brown prides himself on kickoff as Zaire Andre sprinted 99 yards for the -the number four seed that shut out Agoura their shot to take center stage in Hollywood. being a defensive coach. Once he was fired touchdown. Leading 7-3 after the first quarter, Hills Oak Park 27-0 in the first round of the Rudy Tomjanovich, Frank Hamblen, Mike and Bickerstaff took over, the Lakers not only Inglewood took a 14-3 second period lead on a CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division last Brown and now Bernie Bickerstaff have all got their second and third wins of the season 65-yard TD run by running back Eddie Reyes. Friday at North. attempted to take the team to a championship in back-to-back routs of the Golden State The second half, though, was a different story. Lawndale ended its season at 3-7 overall. level, but for the most part have all failed to Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, but they Using a strong running and ball control game, Hawthorne and Leuzinger each finished with succeed. That’s not even to mention Kurt also held their opponents to 77 and 90 points the Pirates, who are 8-3 overall after placing 1-9 records, although the Olympians won the Rambis, Bill Bertka and Del Harris who all respectively on offense. One was their best second (behind the playoffs’ top seed Lompoc) Mayor’s Cup with a 34-20 victory over the host came before Jackson. So maybe it’s unfair to defensive effort of the season and the other in the Los Padres League, came back behind Cougars on September 28. Hawthorne’s only put all of the blame on Brown. It doesn’t seem was a forceful showing in itself. a pair of touchdown runs of two and 14 yards victory came at home on September 7 when it to be necessarily easy to coach this team. But Brown’s firing came as an obvious shock to from quarterback Jordan Bray to win the game defeated Animo South Los Angeles High 31-14 when the team posted an 0-8 record in the other coaches and players around the league, and advance to the quarterfinals. Morro Bay at Hawthorne. The Cougars were last in the preseason and started the regular season off but there seems to be a lot less stress around the rushed for 311 yards in the game. Morro Bay’s Ocean League and Leuzinger was at the bottom at 1-4, can you really blame the Lakers for Staples Center since the time of his unfortunate defense held the Sentinels to just 81 total yards of the Bay for the third consecutive season. moving as swiftly as they did to remove him departure. A “We want Phil!” chant even broke on offense in the final 35 minutes of the game. Morningside just missed out on the CIF- from his head coaching position? The Laker out several times in the crowd at the Staples Inglewood was also plagued with a rash of Southern Section Western Division playoffs franchise is all about winning and winning Center during the game last Friday night. penalties. The Sents were flagged 14 times after falling to Inglewood 39-6 in their Ocean right now. With Kobe Bryant’s career nearing Unfortunately for those Lakers fans partaking for 119 yards, including two on big plays that finale on November 2 at Coleman Stadium. its end, the firing of Mike Brown is precisely in the chant, they didn’t get their wish, but could have led to scores that might have won The Monarchs finished fourth in league at 2-3 what needed to happen. with D’Antoni they get the next best thing. the contest for them. One was when Andre had and were 5-5 overall. According to the Lakers, they didn’t fire From a Laker point of view, D’Antoni came a 70-yard run to the Pirate 20 yard line and BASKETBALL LOOMING Brown because there were better candidates at a much cheaper price and will supposedly another came on a 33-yard pass completion Local prep basketball teams will begin their for their head coaching position available. be more faithful to the team. “Phil would from quarterback Rickie Calderon to Andre. 2012-13 season within the next few weeks. A source close to the Lakers explained that come back only to win and skipping games Both of those plays were called back due to Inglewood, which returns all five starters from the firing was done “more to stop what was doesn’t lead to winning,” a source close to holding penalties. last year’s CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA happening than to pursue anybody else.” the Lakers explained. The nature of Jackson’s Inglewood still had a good year. After losing squad in addition to receiving a key transfer When you’ve won only one game all year, in health would disallow him from traveling with its first two non-league games to quality teams from Playa del Rey St. Bernard in all-CIF addition to last season’s unceremonious finish, the team on certain road trips. D’Antoni, on in Mira Costa (second in the Bay League and player Brandon Randolph, begins in the Corona that decision becomes a little easier to make. the other hand, will be able to spend all of advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Northern Centennial Tournament on November 27. Its The theory presented by the source close to his time with the club. Obviously, choosing Division quarterfinals after a 35-21 home win first opponent is yet to be determined. The the Lakers is, of course, a politically correct D’Antoni over Jackson is a shock in itself, over Palmdale Highland last Friday) and CIF- Sentinels will be seeking their first California theory. The Lakers knew that Phil Jackson but as long as Kobe is okay with it, it should Central Section power Bakersfield Stockdale, State championship this season. wouldn’t be coming back to the team last year. slide. “I love PJ, but I’m very excited about the Sentinels won seven of their last eight Defending Bay League champion Leuzinger, He had already spent six years with the team D’Antoni,” Kobe related. Kobe’s apparently regular season games to place second behind which returns three starters from last season, in what was his second tenure and according not the only one. Nash, who has previously champion Santa Monica in the Ocean League. begins in the Rose City Classic at Pasadena to Jackson, his health was deteriorating. For played with D’Antoni, expressed his feelings The Ocean champion Vikings advanced with High against Sylmar on November 27 at 5 that reason, the Lakers had to go out and hire as well. “Obviously everyone knows how much a 44-0 home rout of Templeton last Friday p.m. Hawthorne will play in the Blue Pride a coach they thought could make the biggest I love Mike,” Nash said Sunday night prior and will visit Serra High in Gardena in the Tournament (location unknown) against new impact on the team as quickly as possible. to the hiring. “If D’Antoni were to coach, quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. The league’s CIF-Los Angeles City school Chavez from Mike Brown got the job. What many people it would be seamless and terrific for me, and third place representative, Culver City, also San Fernando on December 4 at 4 p.m. don’t understand about Brown is that even I think the team as well.” While D’Antoni made the quarterfinals by defeating host Dos Morningside will play in the Mira Costa Pacific though he has a lot of friends around the has never won a championship, he is a fun Pueblos 34-20 Friday in Goleta, located just Shores Tournament, starting against Carson league and is a genuinely good person, he and easy coach to play for and with a roster north of Santa Barbara. on November 28 at 6 p.m. Lawndale starts its has now failed to win with the two biggest like the one that the Lakers have created, it CENTINELA VALLEY GOES 0-15 season with a non-league game against Carson stars that this league has seen in the last 10 shouldn’t be hard to make a strong run with Lawndale High’s football team was able on November 26 at 3 p.m. • years (Kobe and LeBron James). a leader of his stature. Whenever there is a coach of Phil Jackson’s What it really came down to in Mike Brown’s Sales Associate Wanted do anything and everything to go out there despite carrying the league’s largest payrollcase is that the Lakers were off to the worststart in the Western Conference this yearstature available and willing to come back, itwould be in the best interest of any team to and get him. A source close to Jackson even at just over $100 million, which would also told ESPN last Saturday, “Phil’s health is trigger a luxury tax bill of more than $30 Herald Publications, Inc. needs: an He gets feisty when he’s ready to coach. He the table, winning became a must and Mikemillion. With all of that money out there onfine now. That’s no issue at all. Phil’s feisty. experienced Display Advertising Associate. likes this Lakers team.” Perhaps Jackson isn’t Brown just wasn’t doing it. With an offense the only one who has been feeling feisty. that wasn’t suited to its players’ talents and Territories include: El Segundo, Torrance, start the season, the Lakers may have just that a change needed to be made. That changea defense that just didn’t try, it was obviousHaving not experienced much success to Inglewood, Hawthorne and Lawndale making Brown expendable. Though Jackson quickly become apparent that the Lakers areis D’Antoni and with him at the helm, it willgotten their juices flowing as well, in essence ultimately didn’t get the hire, he may have in fact the team that they should have been • Full or part-time positions opened the Lakers’ eyes up to the fact that under Brown this entire time. • • 20% commission on all sales • Bonuses “The most beautiful experience we can If interested please email your resume to have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion management@heraldpublications.com which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” ~ Albert Einstein No phone calls please.
Lawndale 11_15_12
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