Dorsey Does an About-Face From 2-6 in ’84

Going 2-6, as the Dorsey football team did last season, doesn’t do much for good sleeping habits. But as the Dons’ co-coaches, Paul Knox and Eugene McAdoo, discovered this weekend, neither does winning.

“I guess by the time we talked to the kids, got all the gear put away and went out with the rest of the coaches to celebrate with a late dinner, it must have been about 3 in the morning,” Knox said. “I imagine I finally got to bed about 3:30 or 4.”

The cause for celebration was a 12-7 win over then-No. 5 Gardena in a key Pacific League game Friday night that kept Dorsey undefeated (6-0, 2-0 in league). What made it especially satisfying was that Gardena beat the Dons, 34-13, last season.

Dorsey was an an inexperienced, junior-filled team in 1984, and that was a problem. The Dons of ‘85, The Times’ fourth-ranked team in the City, are mostly seniors, and that’s one of the biggest assets.

“I’m sure there are some coaches who are surprised,” said Knox, who handles the offense. “Some preseason picks had us at fifth or sixth in the league. I don’t think too many people figured we would start as good as we did.

“We knew we had some experienced skill people--receivers, running backs, defensive backs--coming back from last year. The question was whether we could match up on the offensive and defensive lines. And that has been part of the success, that they (the linemen) have come through just like everyone else.”

Friday was a prime example. Greg Little, Desi Jones, Kevin Smith, Steve Simms and Paul Marsden, the only junior, blocked for Tommy Jackson’s 172 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. Those 12 points were good enough for the win.

But credit McAdoo’s defense--led by linebacker Robert Nowbles, linemen Antoine Mitchell and Sheldon Brown and backs Terry Tramble and Michael Nichols--with the save. It was not until they stopped Gardena on a fourth-down play late in the game at the Dorsey four-yard line that there was reason to celebrate.

The coaches waited until later that night to celebrate, but the players ran on to the field right after the play and were flagged for delay of game.

Still to come in the final three weeks of the regular season: No. 1 Carson and No. 3 Banning.

Forward Trevor Wilson of Cleveland, one of the top basketball players in California, has given a verbal commitment to UCLA.

“He was very impressed with the home visit and the trip (to the campus) this weekend,” Cleveland Coach Bob Braswell said of Wilson. “He liked Arizona a lot, too. That would have been his second choice. He was going to visit Syracuse and New Mexico, so he’s going to cancel those now. He was very impressed with Coach (Walt) Hazzard and the entire program.”

As the Nov. 13 signing date for basketball nears, Crenshaw guard Stevie Thompson visited Duke this weekend after canceling his “official visit” to USC last week. Instead, he watched the Trojan football game against Stanford at the Coliseum Oct. 19, but has not rescheduled a campus visit.

Just past the midway point of the the season, Huntington Beach Edison Coach Bill Workman has received a turnout of “above 90%” from varsity football players on his voluntary drug-testing plan. And, the freshman team is starting a similar program. His feeling, though, is that’s not good enough.

“I’m surprised it’s not 100%,” he said. “I can’t imagine a disadvantage to doing so (being tested). I can’t imagine anyone being so philosophical or so dumb that they can’t see that something like this can only benefit them.”

The NCAA Council has recommended easing the guidelines of Proposition 48, which is supposed to toughen college-entrance standards.

Instead of needing a 2.0 grade-point average on specific core classes and a 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the council propsed allowing an SAT score as low as 660 if the GPA is 2.2 or better or a 1.8 if the student scores a 740. The granting of the more flexible system is a victory for college officials who claim that standardized exams contain built-in cultural biases and therefore discriminate against blacks.

The proposal can be refined again before being voted on by the entire NCAA membership at the annual convention in January.

Prep Notes

Running back Ray Pallares of Placentia Valencia rushed for 282 yards Thursday night against Anaheim Magnolia, his best ever, to pass Ryan Knight (Riverside Rubidoux) and move into the No. 5 spot all-time in Southern Section career rushing with 4,611 yards. Next up is Knight’s current teammate at USC, Aaron Emanuel, who graduated from Quartz Hill last year with 4,807. Pallares needs 603 yards to take the No. 1 spot from Craig Johnson, who played at Whittier Christian from 1973-75. Valencia, the top-ranked team in the Central Conference, could play seven more games if it reaches the final. . . . Undefeated Fullerton Sunny Hills retained its top ranking in 4-A Division water polo this weekend by winning the California State Tournament at Stanford, which, despite the name, is not an end-of-the-season championship. Long Beach Wilson, which lost to the Lancers in the semifinals, held on to the No. 2 ranking despite losing to fourth-rated Corona del Mar. Newport Harbor is No. 3. In the 3-A, El Toro unseated Placentia El Dorado for the top spot, with Santa Ynez remaining No. 1 in the 2-A.