Normans On Summer Roller Coaster Ride

Every year, Beverly Hills High School puts together a talented football team. But after posting a disappointing 4-6 record in 2009, can the Normans turn it around this coming fall?

Coach Donald Paysinger and his staff already have a good foundation in place, beginning with returning starting quarterback Josh Newman, a speedy group of outside receivers and one of the top college prospects in the country, senior defensive end Greg Townsend Jr.

The team played well during the spring and summer passing leagues, moving the ball with a swiftness on offense and playing solid defense. Coach Paysinger gave Patch an update on the team.

Beverly Hills Patch: How do you feel about the team's performance in the passing league?

Donald Paysinger: It's started off pretty good. We made the semifinals in our own tournament, but it's been like a roller-coaster ride. We've had some good days and some bad days, but you're going to get that in June and July. We've got a lot of young guys, so we're seeing what they can do.

Patch: Your quarterback is senior Josh Newman. How has he progressed and have you seen a lot of improvement in his game during the summer? What are you expecting from him this year? What does the team need from him?

Paysinger: I've seen a lot of improvement from last year. Josh is a three-year varsity player. He started last year and started half of the season his sophomore year. He has been around a while and he is constantly improving. He's becoming a true leader. I'm expecting him to run the team because this is his team. Between a couple of seniors on the team, Josh Newman, Greg Townsend and A.J. Fortier, it's their team. I'm hoping that they will take charge and be leaders.

Patch: What do you think is going to be your strength this year, defense or offense?

Paysinger: I think offense is a strength right now. We're going to be able to throw the ball. We've got four or five very good receivers and two good tight ends. Cameron Countryman, who is going to be a junior this year, was a part of the 4 x 100 relay team that went to the state finals. He's a 10.7 or 10.8 100-meter guy, so he's going to be able to stretch the field. Henry Evans is a three-year varsity player and he's going to be a great possession receiver for us.

Patch: Townsend is your most sought after player and the anchor of your defense. Who else stands out on that side of the ball?

Paysinger: I think our defense is going to dictate most games. We have seven or eight guys returning who either started or played quality minutes last year. Greg Townsend, Julian Jackson and Matt Yashar are all returning starters. And our linebacking core could be the fastest in the league. We're going to be able to get after some folks.

Patch: Townsend also plays tight end. How would you rate him offensively?

Paysinger: He can catch the ball. He's 6 feet, 4 inches and 260 pounds. A lot of high school kids don't want to tackle somebody like that.

Patch: Are there any other names besides Townsend who could possibly have a breakout season?

Paysinger: A.J. Fortier will be a senior, but he's a four-year starter. He started for us as a freshman. He's probably being overshadowed by Greg Townsend, but he's just as good.

Patch: In reference to the Ocean League, your team has been competitive these last few years. But Culver City High School has been on top for the last four seasons. What do you guys need to do to change that?

Paysinger: We have a lot of guys who are returning. We have 21 or 22 returning guys that played last year and who competed last year. We lost three league games [Santa Monica, Culver City and Inglewood] in the last minute of regulation. We've got those guys coming back. I know Culver City and Santa Monica are losing a lot of key guys, so that's going to help.

Patch: Earlier in the passing league season, there was a scuffle between your team and Culver City. Can you talk about that rivalry and this unfortunate incident?

Paysinger: I was definitely disappointed. I expect my kids to be fiery because it's a rival. But the kids who were involved grew up together, so it was more of a brotherly [incident]. Everyone was calling it a brawl, but no one hit each other. Those guys grew up together and it's typical of our rivalry between Beverly Hills and Culver City.

Was I proud of it? No. You're never proud to see kids deal with a situation like that. This past Tuesday we went out to a passing league tournament at Harvard-Westlake. Harvard-Westlake was playing its rival Thousand Oaks. But there was no fighting or talking going on and our kids needed to see that. There is a good way of having a rivalry and that was good for them to see.

Patch: When Culver City and Beverly Hills play this season, considering both teams are near the top, there is a chance everything might come down to that game. What do you think the atmosphere will be like when you play each other?

Paysinger: We hope it does come down to that game. We're playing at Culver City and it's going to be fun. I don't care if both teams are 10-0 or both teams are 0-10, it's going to be fun. Our defense will probably be one of the fastest defenses in the conference, if not the fastest. We'll be able to run with those guys.