By Joe Snyder
Three years ago, Jimmy Butler began his prep football career at one of the premiere prep football programs at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower.
Due to the very stiff competition in even trying out to play for one of the top teams in the United States, where you virtually must be a four- or five-star Major Division I college recruit to even make the squad there.
After his freshman year, Butler transferred to Serra and, during the middle of the 2022 season, discovered himself as a starting quarterback.
Last season, Butler tallied more than 2,400 all-purpose yards, including more than 2,000 yards passing with a 63 percent completion (134-for-210). He was named to first-team all-CIF Southern Section Division II where he sparked the Cavaliers to the semifinals before falling to Anaheim Servite 28-20. He also rushed for approximately 400 yards and four TD’s.
Even in his sophomore season in 2022, Butler passed for 12 touchdowns and 1,208 yards. In both seasons, he helped Serra to a second-place finish behind champion Chatsworth Sierra Canyon.
This year he has more experience. He enjoyed a nice spring-summer workout where he passed Serra to two passing league tournament championships at the Los Angeles Chargers Costa Mesa Camp, since that time moved to the Bolt in El Segundo, and the prestigious St. John Bosco that included the Cavaliers’ stunning win over the Braves, who are currently ranked second (behind Trinity League rival Santa Ana Mater Dei) in California and the United States.
He already passed for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns just in the first three games, this year where Serra displays a 2-1 record, losing its season opener at home to Orange Lutheran 21-13 on Aug. 23, then in a half a game, due to ending due to scuffles in the stands, 36-0 win over Downey Warren on Aug. 30 and last Saturday with non-league rival Long Beach Poly where Serra won 27-21 in the Honor Bowl at Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego.
“He’s a guy, third-year starter with all kinds of experience,” Serra head coach Scott Altenberg said of Butler.
Butler played football since he was five years old in youth football with the Lynwood Knights, West Coast Dolphins, and the California Bears, based in Downey.
Butler’s goal is to lead Serra to the Mission League title and maybe even in the CIF-Southern Section Division I and CIF-State Open Division playoffs. The Cavaliers are still having problems with Sierra Canyon but would like to finally knock them off; already with the showdown set for the Mission finale on Nov. 1 at Serra.
“We want to win the league, Division II or maybe even Division I (that will include the likes of Mater Dei and St. John Bosco),” Butler said. “We would like to go to the State Open Division Bowl. We want to beat Sierra Canyon.”
Butler has spurred interests from Division I colleges, Idaho State, Jackson State in Mississippi, Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and UC Davis. He currently holds a 3.1 grade point average but hopes to even improve on that.
Butler also competes on Serra’s men’s track and field team where he has personal best marks of 19 feet, seven inches in the long jump and 43 in the triple jump.
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Serra tops Poly for Honor Bowl
Last season, Serra High’s football team saw its big home non-league game against rival Long Beach Poly end at halftime with a 28-14 loss due to a riot that happened in the parking lot and spreading into the stands.
This year, the two teams trekked down to San Diego where they resumed the rivalry and finished out the game played in the Honor Bowl at Cathedral Catholic High. The Cavaliers ended up holding off the Jackrabbits 27-21 as Serra improved to 2-1 while Poly fell to 0-3 in its rigorous preseason schedule.
Quarterback Jimmy Butler threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, while junior kicker Nathan Altenberg added a pair of field goals from 25 and 32 yards out.
Defensive back Skylar Robinson had one interception, two pass breakups and a blocked field goal.
The Cavaliers play their second of six consecutive away games at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village Friday at 7 p.m.
North Torrance High’s football team, which is 1-1, saw its non-league game at Linfield Christian High in Temecula canceled due to continued extreme heat last Friday night. The Saxons come home to face cross town rival West Torrance Friday at 7 p.m. The Warriors are 1-1 after an impressive 30-6 home victory over Santa Monica, one of the top contenders for the title in the balanced Pioneer League, last Friday.
Carson lost at home to Inglewood 34-21 last Friday.
Despite the loss, the Colts had two touchdowns by Chris Fields. Xavier Allea added 14 tackles on defense.
Carson hosts Paramount Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Torrance improved to 3-0 after an impressive 28-7 win over host St. Anthony High last Friday at Clark Field in Long Beach.
The Tartars used their depth with four different players each scoring one touchdown. Jake Silverman scored on a 2-yard run. Other Torrance TD’s included Connor Shearey (21-yard run), Vaughn Relnert (61-yard punt return) and Ejoch Papscope (15-yard pass from quarterback Gibson Turner). The Tartars visit El Segundo Friday at 7 p.m.
Bishop Montgomery enjoyed one of its best offensive shows ever with a 70-7 blowout of host Compton Early College last Friday at Compton College.
Quarterback Aidan Morales completed 15 of 17 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Cameron Brewer caught four passes for 128 yards and two TD’s. Jack Hall had seven receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown.
The Knights host CIF-L.A. City Section school Washington Friday at 7 p.m.
Narbonne lost at Culver City 43-26 last Friday.
The Gauchos had problems with quarterback Seth Shigg who passed for 241 yards and three TD’s.
Narbonne started its scoring in the second quarter on a 59-yard run from Derrick Jackson. Xavier Jackson added a 15-yard scoring run that cut the Centaurs’ lead to 36-20.
Culver, though, put the game out of reach on a touchdown run by Shigg.
Jaden O’ Neal’s 40-yard TD pass to Xavier Owen completed the scoring for the Gauchos, who fell to 1-2.
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GHS scores second win by shutout
Gardena High’s football team continues to be on a roll after recording a 66-0 blowout victory over host Centennial High last Friday in Compton.
In the last two games against Crenshaw and the Apaches, the Panthers outscored those two opponents by a combined total score of 118-0.
In the scoring, the Panthers totaled nine touchdowns and three safeties.
Senior running backs Xavier Grant and Myles Mason each had two TD’s. Grant rushed for 95 yards on just five carries. Mason ran for 50 yards.
Demay Longley added a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown and quarterback Isaiah Kim threw for 130 yards and one TD, that of 14 yards to Akah Brown.
Defensively, Gardena was led by David Frankling and Trey Marshall.
Gardena returns home to face Mervyn Dymally High from South Los Angeles Friday at 4 p.m. It will be a familiar opponent for the Panthers, who lost to Dymally in 2021 and 2022, the latter being at 30-14 in the first round of the CIF-L.A. City Section Division I playoffs.
“We’re looking forward to this game (against Dymally),” Gardena head coach Monty Gilbreath said. “We haven’t beat them before. It’s a good opportunity to play them.”
Currently, Dymally is off to a slow start at 0-3 bringing good hopes for the Panthers to get a win.
