Tyrone Youngblood

For a couple years after high school, Tyrone Youngblood stood by and watched his friends play football. He had been a standout on the 1985 Marina High School team that reached the Southern Section semifinal round. After graduation, though, he was tired of football and frustrated by his failure to receive any scholarship offers. So he sat out the 1986 season. He stayed away in 1987, too, but started to miss playing. Finally, he began a comeback last fall at Orange Coast College at age 20.

For a couple years after high school, Tyrone Youngblood stood by and watched his friends play football. He had been a standout on the 1985 Marina High School team that reached the Southern Section semifinal round. After graduation, though, he was tired of football and frustrated by his failure to receive any scholarship offers. So he sat out the 1986 season. He stayed away in 1987, too, but started to miss playing. Finally, he began a comeback last fall at Orange Coast College at age 20.

Three players from Orange County were named most valuable players, but Riverside College dominated the rest of the Mission Conference Central Division football honors, which were voted on by conference coaches Tuesday. Running backs Estrus Crayton of Rancho Santiago and Daryl McChristian of Riverside were voted the most valuable offensive players. Linebackers Fred Soares of Rancho Santiago and Mahe Liavaa of Fullerton were the most valuable defensive players.

School: Marina Sport: Football Position: Defensive tackle Class: Senior Northcott is such a strong defender that Marina coaches often tell him to practice at less-than-full speed to give others on the defense a chance to practice making tackles. "He's really, really aggressive, and he's very quick," Marina defensive coordinator Larry Doyle said. "For two years now we've had a real tough time blocking him in practice even with our best blockers."

Edison High School quarterback Mike Angelovic, who guided the Chargers to an 8-2 regularseason record and a share of the Sunset League championship, was named the league's Most Valuable Player in a vote of the league's coaches. Angelovic completed 100 of 164 passes for 1,658 yards and 18 touchdowns during the regular season and had only four passes intecepted. Rick Justice, Angelovic's leading receiver, was named the league's back of the year.

Chapman quarterback Curtis Robinson's pass was intercepted at the goal line with 50 seconds remaining as La Verne held on for a 36-33 nonconference victory over the Panthers Saturday at Chapman. The way things were going, few would have figured this game would come down to a defensive play. With five second-half lead changes, one would expect the last team with the ball to win. And with Robinson leading a drive from the Chapman 34 to the La Verne 17, the Panthers appeared to be in good shape.

After boxing's Melville Himmelfarb started going by Harry Kabakoff, sportswriters invariably marveled over the unorthodox trading of one unwieldy name for another. Why not "Tyrone Youngblood" or something with "Lancelot" in it?, The Times' Jim Murray wrote in 1979. The re-christened Kabakoff, once known as the premier handler of Mexican fighters in the U.S., always said he took the name of his uncle to honor his relative, a successful boxer. Kabakoff, who had cancer, died Tuesday of cardiac arrest at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, said Jesse Pimentel, who considered Kabakoff his grandfather.

Even Marina High School football Coach Dave Thompson conceded that Friday night's CIF Big Five Conference game against Long Beach Poly was a thrilling event to watch. But Thompson would have liked to see a lot more progress on the part of his offense, and a lot less of the fearsome Poly defense and its time-consuming offense. Poly's defense held the Vikings (8-4-1) to a total of 56 yards rushing, and emerged with a 7-6 victory, its second one-point win in as many games.

PREPS Bishop Amat will play for the Southern Section Division I football championship Saturday night when the Lancers meet Mater Dei at Anaheim Stadium. The game will be televised live by Channel 13 starting at 7:40 p.m. Bishop Amat advanced to the final with a 49-22 victory over Trabuco Hills last week. Mater Dei beat Los Alamitos, 28-24, ending the Griffins' Southern Section record 47-game unbeaten streak.

The records--Marina (8-3), Long Beach Poly (10-1). The site--Cerritos College The conference--Big Five Marina update--The Sunset League co-champions upset top-seeded Bishop Amat last week, 33-12. They will have their work cut out for them again versus Poly, considered one of the best teams in the state. Tailback Sean Magula has been the catalyst in the Vikings' veer offense, which scored 60 points in two playoff games.