Taft High School Toreadors Football
The Toreadors Commitment to Excellence
William Howard Taft High School is a football powerhouse in Southern California. Historically, Taft has produced a number of figures whose names have become synonymous with the game of football. With roots that stretch throughout the college and NFL ranks, a number of former Toreadors have gone on to play at the NCAA and professional levels. New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl Champion Steve Smith, along with Seattle Seahawks signal caller Josh Portis, are both products of Taft High School.
Earlier in Taft's storied history, after being honored as an All-American wide receiver for the Toreadors, Jeff Fisher went on to play defensive back for the University of Southern California. Later, Fisher was named Head Coach of the Tennesee Titans, and remained the NFL’s longest tenured coach up until parting ways with the organization recently.
Welcoming the ‘Next Generation’ in the Taft lineage.
Years later, the tradition of Taft players to attend USC was reignited when the Trojans landed U.S. Army All-American D.J. Morgan. As a youth Morgan blazed trails on the track at the World Youth Championships, and in 2009 he ran a world’s best and personal best of 13.28 seconds in the 110M hurdles, taking home one of four Gold Medals for Team USA Track & Field.
Olympic Gold Medalist Quincy Watts, another Taft alum and former USC Trojan, like Morgan, was well known for his dominance on the track. However, Morgan knew his future was going to lie in between the tackles.
“Yeah I plan on running track. I’ll see how it works out for me. If it doesn’t work out I’ll probably stop, but I will run track. When I play football I’m going to go hard in that, and when I run track I’m going to go hard in that,” Morgan told CLA Sports in 2009. The USC sophomore is now healthy after making a full-recovery from a season-ending knee injury he suffered as a high school senior, and in 2012 Morgan’s dreams of running track and playing football are finally about to come true.
“I think that he’s going to do good, because he played a little bit last year and got some playing experience under his belt,” USC nose guard Antwaun Woods said of ex-high school teammate Morgan. “I think he’s going to be more comfortable and relaxed. Last year he was coming off of the knee injury and it seems like this year he hasn’t been worrying,” Woods said.
There’s never a shortage of ballers in the LA region.
As high school teammates at Taft, current Trojans D.J. Morgan and Antwaun Woods combined with Arizona State quarterback Michael Bercovici and Utah’s Lucky Radley to cast a spotlight on the Toreadors football team.
From the beginning it was clear that Morgan was the star of the bunch. Even though he had worldwide acclaim with Team USA Track & Field, after meeting Morgan for the first time he made it apparent that he’s not the type to hog the limelight. Morgan’s performances on the track and gridiron unquestionably helped increase the exposure to top college football programs for several of his teammates. Nonetheless, Bercovici, Woods and Radley balled out, respectively.
As a senior, Bercovici passed for over 3,700 yards with 37 touchdowns and only 9 picks. The young quarterback also proved he possessed excellent accuracy for a prep signal caller and completed over 60 percent of his throws. Looking to break into the lineup with the Sundevils in 2012, Bercovici has given the Arizona State faithful something to look forward to at the quarterback position.
As a high school senior, Lucky Radley was a multi-purpose threat for the Taft Toreadors. Radley caught the attention of Utah coaches after finishing the 2010 campaign with nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards (rushing – 664, receiving – 113, punt return – 215). The Utes have found a position for Radley, who redshirted in 2010, and he looks to contribute at running back in 2012.
Morgan provided inspiration for the younger Woods at Taft.
The younger Woods, who was named as a 2011 Under Armour All-American selection at defensive tackle, was was enamored by the amount of buzz a top recruit could generate at the prep level when he looked at teammate D.J. Morgan.
“All of the attention, and the phone calls and the mail. I saw D.J. (Morgan) getting it early, so I was kind of jealous. When I got a chance to get it, it was pretty cool,” said Woods when asked what he enjoyed most from the recruiting process.
Woods got the attention he deserved as a high school junior and senior. Although ‘Twaun, as friends and those close refer to him as, briefly questioned his commitment to the Trojans when wind broke of the NCAA sanctions, he’s been full-throttle for Ed Orgeron’s defense since arriving at Southern Cal’s campus.
Taft joins the ranks of several top Los Angeles area high school football programs.
As one of many high schools in the LA area that are responsible for producing much of the talent distributed throughout the Pac-12, college football top 25, and NFL, Taft High School football brings its weight, and some.
“When you’re playing high school ball in the City… you’re going against all your different high schools and they got all of their high-caliber guys. When you get all on one team, all the ballers you were playing with in high school are all on the same team now,” Woods happily when asked how he felt about being from Los Angeles.
USC has a familiar bond with the best prep talent in the LA region, and throughout the great State of California, for that matter. There were a total of 27 players on USC’s 2011 football roster from outside of Cali, and a large percentage of those who suited up for the Trojans were born and raised in Southern Cal’s backyard.
Now under the reigns of varsity football Head Coach Matt Kerstetter, the Taft Toreadors have continued a tradition of excellence on Friday nights. When you have a knack for producing high school All-Americans, in addition to an endless supply of Division I talent coming your way, its no surprise that the Taft tradition continues.