TORRANCE TRIBUNE February 25, 2016 Page 5 Up and Adam Torrance Tumbles in First Round How Rams Can Make a Splash in L.A. By Adam Serrao The offseason is finally here for every team in the National Football League. While the Denver Broncos have gone home as champions of the league, celebrating at every turn they take, other teams are trying to figure how to get better so that they, too, can one day hoist the Lombardi Trophy high above their heads. While the Rams haven’t won a championship since 1999, owner Stan Kroenke and company may feel like they have hit the jackpot after being awarded a move to the land of dreams; Los Angeles. While the dust is settled on all of that decision making and it is clear that the Rams will be in Los Angeles to play the 2016 season, it now becomes pertinent for the team to decide on how they will spend their money to rise to a championship level of greatness. So, who are the St. Louis Rams? And further, what do they need to become an even better football team? It goes without saying that almost every member on the Rams team has to be thrilled about the move to come to Los Angeles. Sure, packing your bags and moving the kids to a different part of the country can always be stressful, but there’s a tendency to make just a little more haste when it’s to come to a place like L.A. Things won’t simply fall into place once the team arrives, though. The Rams have a lot of offseason question marks to think about and address. Some of that work has already been done when it was announced last Friday that the team had released defensive end Chris Long, linebacker James Laurinaitis, and tight end Jared Cook. All three players played major roles on the team last season, but the moves save the West Coast-bound Rams a combined $24.375 million in cap space for the upcoming 2016 season. “This is the time of year when all NFL teams are faced with difficult decisions regarding their veteran players,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said of the moves. “Chris and James are the epitome of what it means to be a pro in this league and it’s been an honor to coach them both.” So now that room on the roster has been created, where do the Rams turn next? Well the team certainly has a great need at quarterback. The combination of Nick Foles and Case Keenum certainly did them no favors last season. The rumor is that the team will go after Robert Griffin III in free agency. Griffin is going to want to start, so the Rams would be a perfect fit, at least as far as Griffin is concerned. People quickly forget, however, about the ex-Washington quarterbacks inability to stay healthy, about the concerns with his character in the locker room, and about his failure to be anything near a capable starting quarterback during his final years in Washington. Maybe that was a product of the head coach at the time, Mike Shanahan, but there’s no denying the fact that Griffin, himself, would be a highrisk (and possibly high-reward) play for the Rams to make this offseason. If not Griffin, then who? The team seems to be high on Sean Mannion, who they drafted with the 98th overall pick (3rd round) in the 2015 draft. Hearing the name Mannion certainly doesn’t strike confidence into the hearts of Rams fans across the country, but the quarterback out of Oregon State has only played a total of seven snaps, all in week 12 of last season, and is still largely unproven at the professional level. He might be worth a flier, especially with Todd Gurley and the team’s elite offensive line in place. That being said, don’t be surprised to see Keenum back under center with Mannion as the team’s No. 2 as they attempt to work magic in the draft once again. Now that Cook is gone, the Rams need someone to step in and make a difference at tight end. Lance Kendricks and Justice Cunningham are on the roster, but going out and signing a free agent like Ladarius Green might be more splashy. Rather than going out to get people, the Rams also need to re-sign their players. Namely, cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, defensive ends Eugene Sims and William Hayes, and finally safeties Mark Barron and Rodney McLeod. It also couldn’t hurt to use the draft to take in more wide receivers to put around Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin. Britt is what everyone thought he would be and while Austin is certainly explosive, a deep-threat could do a lot to bolster his game and the Rams passing attack in general. The players on this L.A. Rams roster, as it currently stands, may seem a bit foreign to everyone outside of the St. Louis area, where the team, of course, formerly played. Now that they are here in sunny California, however, it may be smart to get a bit more comfortable with the names on the back of the jerseys. It won’t be long before the players march on to the Coliseum field to play their first season in their new home. Los Angeles finally has football back and with just a few tweaks to the roster, the Rams could be looking to bring a championship back to the city for the first time since 1983. • By Adam Serrao After what was a record breaking season for the Torrance Tartars, everything came crashing down in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. It wasn’t without much drama and suspense, though. Last Wednesday night at Torrance High, the Pioneer League champion Tartars entered their first round playoff game against the Lawndale Cardinals with confidence on their side. Torrance not only won their division, but also won their last two games of the season. Lawndale, on the other hand, finished in third place in the Ocean League and some would say were relieved to just be in the playoffs. That relief turned into jubilation and the Tartars confidence turned into sorrow. A thrilling 74-72 overtime game ended with Torrance on the losing side of the CIF Southern Section Division 2A first round game, giving head coach Paul Nitake and his team a much earlier exit from the tournament than what was originally expected. The nerves could be felt on the basketball court from the opening tip, but especially on Torrance’s sideline. Sloppy play, followed by turnover after turnover led to an unimpressive first quarter and ultimately first half that saw the Tartars down early and trailing by one point at 23-22 come halftime. Giovanni Jackson sparked Torrance to begin the second half as he led the team to a 10-1 run to open the third quarter. The burst in play not only gave the Tartars an eight point lead, but also put them in control of the game for the first time all night long. The Tartars momentum was short-lived. As soon as their run ended, Lawndale began one of their own, outscoring Torrance 11-2 to retake the lead. The back-and-forth second half was highlighted by an ending for the record books. The Cardinals looked to be in control and led by as many as six points with under four minutes remaining in the game. With just seconds left, the Tartars were able to cut the lead to four before Jackson pulled up and hit a clutch 3-pointer to bring his team to within just one point. Torrance commited a foul to stop the clock and Bryant Perkinson was only able to convert one of his two inherited free throws. With under five seconds remaining in regulation, Jackson again went the length of the court, drew a foul and hit both of his free throws to send the hometown fans into a craze and the game into overtime. Unfortunately for the excited fans, Torrance went cold in the OT. The team scored their first points from the field in the extra period as the final buzzer sounded. Meanwhile, the Cardinals hit all of their free throws and were able to knock down a clutch shot to start the period that swung momentum their way. “We played hard on defense and never gave up,” Lawndale center Erick Willis explained. “In the fourth quarter and overtime we never gave up.” Willis led the way on the night for the Cardinals, who absolutely dominated the Tartars inside the paint. He finished with 18 points and 21 rebounds. For the Tartars, Jackson led the way as usual, compiling 26 points. Fellow teammates Justin Hino, Evan Mejia, and Oscar Parada scored 16, 10 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing effort. Torrance’s season ends after having won their first league title in 13 years. Jackson, a senior this year, averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and 2.5 steals per game in the regular season for the Tartars in a role that featured him as the team’s most talented player. After a five game winning streak earlier in the season, Torrance began league play on a 6-0 streak. They finished the season with a 17-10 record, going 8-2 in league play under coach Nitake. North High The North High Saxons entered this year’s playoffs in the Division 3AA bracket and in second place in the Pioneer League standings, right behind the Torrance Tartars. Unfortunately for North, however, they wound up suffering a similar fate as the Tartars. A first round match-up on the road against San Marcos ultimately proved to be too much for head Gary Duperron and his team. San Marcos jumped all over North at the outset of the game, getting out to a big lead and See Up and Adam, page 7 Douglass MORTU A R Y “Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954” B U R I A L - C REMA T I O N -WOR L D W I D E T R A N S F E R P E T MEMOR I A L P R O D U C T S 500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245 Telephone (310) 640-9325 • Fax (310) 640-0778 • FD658 “Thank You to the El Segundo Community for Voting Us Best of the Best 2015!” Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization
Torrance_022516_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above