Pomona High Leads Valley as a Mecca for College Grid Scouts

Every year about this time, like sun worshipers flocking to the beach or religious zealots heading to the Holy Land, college football recruiters travel in bunches to Pomona High School.

And with good reason.

Even when his team has an off year, Pomona Coach Oliver Lucas still seems to produce more than his share of blue-chip college prospects.

In 1983, Pomona’s record of 2-8 was nothing to boast about. Just the same, Lucas managed to land NCAA Division I scholarships for four of his players.

Wide receiver JoJo Collins signed with the University of Colorado, defensive back Dennis King with the University of Arizona, slotback George Gaines with Oregon State and running back Chad McCloud with Oregon.

This certainly will not be classified as a bad year for the Red Devils, who finished with a 6-5 record and reached the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

7 Players Recruited

With no fewer than seven of his players being recruited by Division I colleges, it is safe to say that Pomona has the most college prospects in the San Gabriel Valley area, maybe even Southern California.

Heading the list are defensive lineman Reggie Gaddis, offensive linemen Kevin May and Steve Brayton and tight end Aaron Prisock, all considered blue-chippers.

In addition, offensive lineman Lamont Hall, quarterback Ray Artry and nose guard William McMillan figure to receive Division I scholarships sometime around Feb. 13, the first day high school seniors may sign national letters of intent to attend NCAA colleges.

How does Lucas always manage to place so many players in Division I programs?

He says it has a lot to do with his priorities as a coach. “I’m a little bit different from most coaches,� he said. “Most coaches look at the won-loss column to measure how good their program is.

“But we’re interested in what happens (to the players) after they leave high school. We work at getting the kids a higher education. That’s one of the things we like to stress.�

‘We’re Not Hypocrites’

Lucas says he is not disturbed by the fact that even with the excess of talent Pomona has only won eight of 21 games the last two years.

“It all depends on how you look at things,� he said. “We’re not hypocrites. We don’t stress education just so we can keep the kids eligible. We think of an education as a way of life, something that should stay with them for a long time.�

Gaddis and May could be the top prospects from the Red Devils and have narrowed their list of colleges to the same five schools: Houston, Arizona State, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Both had excellent senior seasons. The 6-4, 260-pound Gaddis, a second team All-CIF selection and the Times San Gabriel Valley Lineman of the Year, was his team’s top defensive lineman with 17 quarterback sacks. He has good speed for a lineman with 4.8 in the 40-yard dash.

May, 6-3 and 275 pounds, was the leader of one of the biggest offensive lines in Southern California. With 4.9 second speed, he was a first-team All-CIF selection.

Pomona’s Brayton and Prisock have been lured by many of the top football schools. Brayton (6-3, 260), an all-league center, has narrowed his list to Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon State and Nevada-Las Vegas. Prisock (6-4, 230), who caught five touchdown passes as a tight end last season, has pared his choices to Houston, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State.

Pomona lineman Hall (6-5, 220) has narrowed his list to New Mexico, Nevada-Las Vegas, Oregon, Utah and San Jose State; nose guard McMillan (6-1, 225), who can dead lift 655 pounds, is considering New Mexico, Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton, and quarterback Artry (6-0, 175), who passed for 1,400 yards last season, will attend Oregon State or New Mexico.

A look at the top prospects and what colleges they are leaning toward:

Michael Johnson (Baldwin Park)--Some scouts consider Johnson the best quarterback prospect in Southern California, and it is easy to see why. The 6-3, 175-pound left-handed passer completed 174 of 332 passes for 3,078 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior and was named the CIF Division III Player of the Year. Johnson, who has a quick release and changes speed on his passes well, has visited Arizona State and Nevada-Las Vegas and has trips remaining to Washington State and Arizona and either Hawaii or Kansas.

Richard Bell (Muir)--Bell demonstrated his versatility as a quarterback, completing 96 of 171 passes for 1,551 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushing for 1,335 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also has run the quarter-mile in a blistering 47 seconds. So it is not surprising that Bell (6-1, 195) has been recruited at five positions. He is being recruited by Washington State as a quarterback, Nebraska as a slotback, Nevada-Las Vegas as a wide receiver, Oregon as a tailback and USC as a defensive back.

John Jackson (Bishop Amat)--At 5-11 and 163 pounds, Jackson is not a big wide receiver, but scouts say he has speed, runs excellent patterns and has good hands. As a senior, Jackson caught 46 passes for 677 yards and eight touchdowns. Also an outstanding baseball player and a good student, Jackson’s top four choices are Northwestern, Boston College, Purdue and USC, and Coach Jim Patricio said Jackson may visit one other school before the signing date.

Derek Nicholson (Damien)--Coach Dick Larson admits that Nicholson did not have an outstanding senior season, but that has not stopped recruiters. The 6-4, 215-pound linebacker, who has outstanding speed and leaping ability, is among the top linebacker recruits in Southern California. Also a solid student, his top five choices are Stanford, UCLA, Nevada-Las Vegas, Northwestern and Army.

Cleo Bates (Pasadena)--Bates was originally being recruited as a wide receiver instead of running back because he is 5-11 and 152, small for the backfield. But Bates, who runs the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds and has great moves, changed the minds of recruiters after rushing for 1,608 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. His top choices are Washington State, Colorado, Utah and Long Beach State.

Jon Bell (Rowland)--An outstanding all-around athlete with excellent speed, Bell (6-0, 183) is being recruited at several positions, including defensive back and running back. As a defensive back, he made the All-Sierra League squad the last two years and as a running back he ran for 1,250 yards in only 121 carries. He has narrowed his schools to Arizona and Cal State Fullerton.

Andre Washington (Pasadena)--Washington was not being recruited until Washington State scouts saw him in a film they were watching to appraise Bates. The Cougar coaching staff thinks Washington (6-0, 205) has the strength and speed to play linebacker, although he was an all-Pacific League tight end for two seasons. He has made a verbal commitment to attend Washington State.

Robert Graff (Claremont)--Graff played on the defensive line in high school, but scouts believe that he has the speed and size (6-4, 210) to play outside linebacker. He has narrowed his list to Nevada-Las Vegas, Oregon State, New Mexico, Wyoming and San Diego State.