Serra’s Scott Altenberg, a UCLA die-hard, coaches up his stars, who often end up at USC

Irony, not love, makes the world go ‘round.

The latest evidence: Gardena Serra High football coach Scott Altenberg, who bleeds UCLA blue, has built a beleaguered little program into a prep football powerhouse, only to see most of his prodigies go on to play for USC.

Like swallows to a church bell, they flock to USC at signing time. Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, George Farmer, Adoree’ Jackson. You could build a Super Bowl contender around the skill players Altenberg has mentored. Even the Bolshoi hasn’t developed this many breath-taking leapers.

In this week of weeks, consider Altenberg’s plight. Working his tail off late into the night at a diverse little Catholic school on the scrappy side of town, he’s developed a feeder program to his ultra-wealthy nemesis.

There are eight Serra grads on the USC football roster, including four who committed in February. UCLA, gets a smattering of Serra talent too — Dwight Williams and Jordan Lasley. But the overall score remains too lopsided for many UCLA fans.

“If people only understood,” says Altenberg of the razzing he takes from Bruins fans. “I am a giant UCLA fan ... since birth.”

Irony, like ketchup, goes with everything.

More evidence: Altenberg’s father, Kurt, a receiver for the Bruins, made a famous game-winning catch against the Trojans in 1965.

Thirty years later, as he prepared for a heart transplant, Kurt Altenberg was told the new heart came via the USC medical establishment.

“It’s my only chance to live,” he joked before the surgery. “I’m still not sure it’s worth it.”

Perhaps there are bigger college rivalries, but none with the backyard overlap of USC-UCLA. And even if you’re going to push Stanford vs. California on me, I’d say they are too geographically removed to compare.

Besides, no matter how well Stanford does in football, it will always be best known for its astounding academics. Not sure how they’ll ever overcome that. Get back to me when they get their priorities straight.

No, I’ll take the rich backyard battlefield of USC-UCLA any time. What lore, what magic. I hear the Bruins now “own this town,” but that just makes the situation ripe for reversal. Over the years, the upsets and the drama affirm what makes this rivalry so breathtaking.

In 2006, it was a Serra product, UCLA linebacker Eric McNeal, who picked off a late USC pass to preserve the upset and knock the Trojans out of contention for the Bowl Championship Series title game. Before that, USC had beaten UCLA seven straight times.

More recently, after three straight UCLA wins, the recruiting imbalance drags on.

“A lot of the players grew up watching Reggie Bush,” Altenberg explains. “To them, it was Camelot.”

He says the Bruins still struggle to recruit against USC’s tradition of high hopes and Heismans.

The tide is turning, he says, and believes UCLA Coach Jim Mora may be on the way to a dynastic run of his own.

“I think Mora is amazing,” he says.

Yet, for Altenberg, 45, the pressure from fans and coaches never stops. He’s good natured about it — what else can he do? And his instincts are in the right place. After all, he knows his players have to do what’s right for themselves when picking schools.

“I can separate it, the recruitment and my loyalties,” he says. “It’s for the kids ... it’s their lives.”

His reward for 17 years of hard work at Serra, and a players-first philosophy, has been to see his teeny school be able to compete with the behemoths at high school football’s highest level. Working with only 291 boys in grades 9-12, he’s boosted the program from Division 13 to Division 1. In a quarterfinal last week, his Cavaliers nearly knocked off Mater Dei.

Before the game, Mater Dei sent over its football operations people to look at Serra’s field, Altenberg recalls. “I’m like: I’m our field ops guy. I’m also the coordinator and the equipment guy... it’s a little different world.’”

In the playoff game, Serra had the lead and the ball with two minutes to play, before a couple of late blunders cost it the game.

But that’s football, blunderful and gut-wrenching, with “can-you-believe-that?” story lines that just get better with time.

Soothing Altenberg’s playoff pain is the fact that two of this year’s prize players, wide receiver Brandon Burton and defensive end Oluwole Betiku, are seriously considering UCLA. He’ll cross his fingers till they’re blue, Altenberg says.

In part, their decision will be based on how well the Bruins perform against the Trojans on Saturday, an important face-off for recruits struggling to make up their minds.

Normally, when David faces Goliath, Altenberg’s inclination is to take David and the points. It’s just his nature.

Ironically, the Trojans are 3 1/2-point favorites.

chris.erskine@latimes.com

Twitter: @erskinetimes