Cathedral Freshman Is on Fast Track in Two Sports

A smorgasbord of notes, quotes and opinions from across the Southland:

Remember the name Randall Carroll. He’s a 15-year-old freshman at Los Angeles Cathedral whose speed figures to make him a top track and football athlete.

He ran 10.4 seconds (hand timed) for 100 meters against Gardena Serra. He won the 100 in 10.86 at the Russell Cup in Carpinteria two weeks ago. Last week, he won the 100 in 10.93 at the Los Angeles County championships and finished second in the 200 in 22.14.

He’s a 5-foot-9, 175-pound free safety for Cathedral’s football team. His cousin, Jonathan Franklin, is expected to replace Stafon Johnson as the next elite running back at Los Angeles Dorsey this fall.

Last summer, Carroll won the 100 and 200 at the Junior Olympics in Indianapolis.

“It was exciting,� he said. “There were a lot of people, and the crowd was screaming.�

Cathedral competes in Southern Section Division III, which means Randall will have to face Rodney Glass of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the state runner-up in the 100. Sooner than later, though, Carroll is going to be the one getting chased.

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The hype surrounding quarterback Jimmy Clausen of Westlake Village Oaks Christian is out of control, and there’s no sign of it lessening now that he has committed to Notre Dame.

Clausen made the announcement at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., dressed in a suit and tie while showing off his three Southern Section Division XI championship rings.

Clausen intends to graduate from Oaks Christian in January and immediately enroll at Notre Dame so he can compete for the starting quarterback job during spring practice.

He’s being called the most highly regarded quarterback to come out of California since John Elway. Considering that Tom Brady, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Kyle Boller, J.P. Losman, Todd Marinovich and Chris Lewis are only a few of the elite high school quarterbacks to come out of California since Elway in 1979, it might be wise to hold back on the proclamations for a little bit.

One recruiting service said that Clausen “reminds us of John Elway at the high school level.�

Clausen is an 18-year-old junior with a strong arm and terrific football instincts, but until he proves himself against top competition on a weekly basis, no one should mention him in the same sentence as Elway.

Elway was a two-sport standout at Granada Hills who could run, throw and lead like no one before or since.

Is Clausen the best high school quarterback in the nation? Absolutely.

But those comparing Clausen to Elway need a reality check.

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Chace Stanback of Los Angeles Fairfax, a 6-8 junior basketball standout, wasted little time in making his college choice by committing to UCLA.

Stanback decided he didn’t want to mislead anyone by taking recruiting trips to Washington or Gonzaga. He also didn’t call a news conference; instead, he simply relied on his coach, Harvey Kitani, to make the announcement.

“It really doesn’t matter to me if the media is around,� Stanback said. “Playing against top players motivates me.�

Stanback doesn’t turn 17 until June, and he’s already looking stronger because his mother, a personal trainer, has him sweating in the weight room.

He scored 36 points in his first spring league game two weeks ago and is set to play on Monday at 6 p.m. at Fairfax in what should be an entertaining spring league game against Woodland Hills Taft and point guard Larry Drew Jr.

For relaxation this spring, Stanback is playing on the Lions’ golf team. He has learned that dunking is easier than sinking a 20-foot putt.

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Ben Longshore, a 6-3 junior quarterback at Canyon Country Canyon and the younger brother of California quarterback Nate Longshore, couldn’t wait to take over the starting position this fall and share the experience with his father, Todd.

But the Longshore family was struck by tragedy Tuesday when Todd died. He was 49. With the help of family, friends and teammates, Ben has been dealing with his grief. His father was his biggest supporter. Now all Ben can do to honor him is to do his best. And he will. That’s what Longshores do.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].