Gershon’s Style Was a Winner

The coaching ranks were thrown for a loss this week with the resignation of Joel Gershon, a tender-hearted man in a competitive profession.

Gershon, 54, spent 23 seasons at Channel Islands, winning more games than he lost until the 1990s, when the school on the south side of Oxnard consistently brought up the rear of the Marmonte League.

Winning all along were Gershon’s players, who benefited from a coach who unfailingly treated them with respect and compassion. His nature is that of a counselor or psychologist, yet he reached young people through a rugged, macho sport.

“He cared about how the players were doing in the classroom, and how things were at home,” said Roger Nadeau, a Raider lineman and all-league selection. “Coach Gershon paid equal attention to everybody. He never put the best players ahead of anybody else.”

Maybe that’s why football remained popular at Channel Islands even when the team began losing. Gershon points out with pride that his smallest roster was 43 players. In addition, he never had more than a player or two quit during a season.

“I consider high school football to be a game of inclusion,” he said. “My real role was to get young men involved in something positive in their lives, regardless of their talent.”

Fair almost to a fault, Gershon gave every player a shot. This season, for example, Channel Islands had 15 players catch passes in an offense that completed only 68.

“The feelings and relationships with young people are what I’ll remember,” he said. “That was the sustaining factor. It made coaching such a joy and kept you going through the highs and lows. The kids at this school are great.”

Can a coach win using Gershon’s gentle approach? Channel Islands did for many years, winning five league championships and reaching a Southern Section final in 1987.

A scene after the Raiders lost to Thousand Oaks in the final that year typifies the spirit Gershon infused in his team. After politely shaking hands with the Lancers, the Raiders turned and walked in an orderly line, giving warm hugs to each teammate.

Gershon and a handful of loyal assistants who stayed with his program through good times and bad taught strong values along with X’s and O’s. And they did so with a sensitivity that will be remembered by generations of Channel Islands players.

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Tale of the tape: The steadfast refusal of Southern Section administrators and game officials to review video following player ejections needs examining.

CIF rules stipulate that a player ejected for fighting sit out the following game, a severe penalty. In the case of Simi Valley quarterback Dave Krewson, that meant the last game of his senior season.

Sometimes what appears to be a punch is something less. Krewson claims video shows that he shoved an Agoura player who was stepping on his leg in a pileup. Official Pat Neil ejected Krewson.

Even if he only shoved an opponent, Krewson was wrong and at least should have been assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But with a week to review 20 seconds of video that might have proven Krewson did not throw a punch, neither Neil’s supervisors nor Southern Section officials would consider an appeal.

“If they looked at [the video], I know they would have changed their mind,” Krewson said.

“What makes me mad is that the official could have looked at the tape, and he refused to. No single ref should have that much power.”

Video should not frighten officials. No one is suggesting that other types of calls be overturned. And video is only useful in a sport such as football where there is ample time between games to make a carefully considered decision.

If the video is inconclusive, the one-game suspension should stand. But if the video clearly demonstrates the official was in error, the player should be allowed to participate in the next game. After all, he already was punished by being ejected following the incident.

“There’s got to be some kind of exception, because I got robbed,” Krewson said.

A review of video also might help in the case of a Maranatha player who punched Kilpatrick Coach James Jackson in the mouth following a play near the Kilpatrick sideline Nov. 9.

Jackson claimed that linebacker Terry Russo “tried to take me out,” causing the coach to retaliate by dragging the player by the helmet until Russo punched him.

Video made available by Maranatha Principal Steve Allen led to Kilpatrick officials suspending Jackson from his coaching duties.

Jackson is appealing and points to the video as supporting his contention that he was dragging the player toward an official.

Regardless of the ruling, the video is an important tool that is giving all parties a chance to view the incident calmly, and if need be, repeatedly.

Southern Section and game officials take note: In the interest of fairness, open your eyes and look at video.