When we traveled to Compton to talk to coach Calvin Bryant about this season we parked on the opposite side of campus. So walking up on the Tarbabes afternoon session from afar, the first thing we noticed was the size of the group–or rather, the lack thereof. With only thirty or so guys in pads, we honestly thought it might be junior varsity.
Those thoughts were quickly dispelled when the hitting drills began. No Moore League team— let alone a JV team— hits like Bryant’s squad does during two-a-days. Keep in mind, this high-intensity physicality is all with less than 40 kids ready to dress out on a Friday night.
“We feel like the outcasts sometimes,” says Bryant, who is starting his sixth season at Compton. “I took over this program and half the team was ineligible… now we’re trying to go to our sixth straight playoffs. Everyone talks about those other teams…and that’s just fine with us.”
One of the biggest reasons Bryant has been so successful is the use of the Wing-T on offense. The former football star makes his football players run in the Spring, and the off-season training has helped produce some very talented backs. The Wing-T gives three capable runners time and carries, and the misdirection imbedded in the offensive set helps hard runners with breakaway speed get going sooner. Just like a good 400m runner.
While the Compton defense will remain a question mark until Moore League play, the coaching staff knows exactly what they have with running back James McConico. And with four returning starters on the offensive line, Bryant hinted at some “spice it up” plays added to the old playbook. As the Bryant always says, “Sometimes a fake is as good as a block.”
A healthy Compton team will be tough to handle, but despite consistent performance in the regular season, a truly healthy Compton team hasn’t made it all the way to the playoffs since the victory over Esperanza in 2004.
Compton Tarbabes 2009 Schedule (Games at 7pm unless noted)
Week Zero: September 4th
Bye
Week One: September 11th
Vs. Centennial
Week Two: September 18th
Vs. Dominguez
Week Three: September 25th
Vs. Dorsey
Week Four: October 2nd
@ Lakewood
Week Five: October 9th
Vs. Cabrillo
Week Six: October 16th
Vs. Wilson
Week Seven: October 23th
Bye
Week Eight: October 30th
@ Jordan
Week Nine: November 6th
@ Millikan
Week Ten: November 13th
Vs. Poly
Schedule Analysis
The Dominguez game is a huge deal on the North Side, but more importantly, it’s going to prove as a warm-up for the biggest matchup on Moore League opening night; @Lakewood. The Tarbabes also got lucky with their bye in the middle of the year, and having Poly on the last night of the regular season. If you were at the Poly/Compton tilt two years ago, you know why we have this game circled. Compton has put it all out on the field the last few years against Poly, and now with it being the last game of the year, who knows what could happen?
Players To Watch:
James McConico, RB/DB, senior #12
We got a chance to see this amazing athlete at the CIF Track & Field Championships in May, and it was easy to see why McConico is so intimidating. That first step is so explosive for such a big guy that it’s amazing how fast he can move down the sideline. The “spice it up” plays Bryant was talking about will almost undoubtedly involve this highly-touted senior.
Jerell Gordon, OL/DL , senior #54
As mentioned above, the offensive and defensive lines will be the most experienced units at Compton, and that couldn’t be more exciting for Tarbabe fans. In the Wing-T it’s the perfection on a few plays and not knowledge of a bunch of plays that makes the engine go. Every lineman needs to move as one and cut off of each other’s movements, like scissors. Gordon and the three other returning starters in the trenches can now take that expert knowledge and build on it. Keep in mind, this O-line helped McConico average nearly 30 yards-per-carry in the pre-season last season. That’s a real statistic.