This Year, the Choice Is Unanimous : Overwhelming Favorite is Defending-Champion La Quinta

It’s a simple request, asking high school football coaches what school they project as their league’s champion.

As time honored a preseason tradition as wind sprints.

Last season, however, coaches of the Garden Grove League grappled with the question as if it had been put to them by a Zen master.

‘ The sound of one hand high-fiving? Hmmm. ‘

Six coaches struggled and came up with six different answers.

This season the same coaches handled the same question with the speed and uniformity of a close-order drill.

La Quinta High School will win the league title.

Case dismissed.

The defending-champion Aztecs return much of Orange County’s top-rated defense. But what makes them especially tough is the addition of Eric Zeno, son of head coach Joe Zeno.

Zeno, who transfered from Fountain Valley is a proven quarterback and is expected to improve what was a rather predictable, though effective, offense.

Even Zeno, the coach, is confident.

“We have a very good chance this season,” he said. “We do have some very good players. I think it’s within our reach.”

So who’s second?

Abbott and Costello could give a clearer picture than the league’s coaches.

Though they all agree about No. 1, coaches gave a few dozen scenarios when asked who comes next.

Most don’t even mention second place, just a playoff spot.

“I think after La Quinta you’re looking at five teams fighting for two playoff spots,” Los Amigos Coach Art Michalik said. “There’s really no telling who’s going to end up where.”

Most think Los Amigos has the best chance at second place. It’s where the Lobos ended last season.

They’ll return starting quarterback Billy Thompson, and have a number of newcomers from a junior varsity team that lost only one game.Of course, that defeat was against the Aztecs.

While La Quinta and Los Amigos were clearly the class of the league last season, the other four teams pretty well reached parity.

Or sank to it.

Garden Grove, with a grand total of two (count ‘em, two) wins, finished third and went to the playoffs.

Was that parity or parody?

“We weren’t very good last season,” Argonaut Coach Jim Rawls said. “We took a lot of kidding about going to the playoffs with just the two wins. I don’t think it made the league look good.”

But it did allow some league coaches, who normally wouldn’t, to think their teams have a realistic shot at the playoffs.

“La Quinta and Los Amigos have the most talent,” Rawls said. “The rest of us will have to use all the angles. Win the ones we have to.”

A new angle for Santiago Coach Fred DiPalma is that enough people came out this summer to finally field a junior varsity team.

A football factory Santiago is not. Yet, in the league’s present state, DiPalma thinks everyone has a chance.

“People didn’t think we’d have a chance last season,” he said. “But we were right there until the end.”

That’s right, the Cavaliers finished just a game behind Garden Grove. Of course that means Santiago won just one league game.

But in this league just one win sometimes is enough to dream on.

Here’s a closer look at the prospects:

BOLSA GRANDE: Key Personnel--Craig Wille (6-1, 230), OL; Mike Mitchell (6-0, 220), OL; Danny Moore (5-9, 165), LB/RB; Kenny Torres (5-9, 165), LB/RB; Mike Valdez (6-0, 160), QB/DB; Andy Funder (5-10, 170), TE; David Lannon (6-2, 245), OL; Chris Matney (5-9, 170), LB/RB; David Jenkins (6-3, 205), OL and Larry Adair (6-0, 205), OL.

Top Newcomers--Andy Dierking (5-8, 150), WR; Alex Galvan (6-0, 200), OL; Rob Grimsley (5-11, 170); John McCullough (5-10, 170), QB; Mike Ramirez (5-9, 200), OL and Damon Fisher (5-10, 165), QB.

Outlook--The bad news for the Matadors is that they finished last (0-5) and managed to score a paltry 36 points last season. The good news is that they return several key starters, including quarterback Valdez. The Matadors also have decent size on the offensive line with Wille, Mitchell, Lannon and Jenkins. Still, Coach Greg Shadid, in his third year, is lacking depth and size at the other spots.

GARDEN GROVE: Key Personnel--Jerry Canada (6-2, 190), TE/DL; Mike Morales (6-2, 190), OL/DL; Mike Clarke (6-2, 185), RB; Mike Gregore (6-4, 225), OL and Henry Fournier (6-3, 200), DB.

Top Newcomers--Gary Brown (5-10, 170), LB; Joey Fletcher (6-1, 205), RB/LB; Darren Nolan (6-1, 200), OL; John Huh (5-8, 160), DB; Marco Millan (6-2, 185), OL/DL; Nick Huerie (5-5, 155), RB and Curtis Deroeher (6-0, 180), R/DB.

Outlook--OK, so they only won two games last season. The fact is the Argonauts did go to the playoffs and return 11 starters. However, after those 11 there aren’t many players with varsity experience. Canada, a big target at 6-2, figures to be play a key role in an offense that Rawls would like to see move more through the air. Playing in his first varsity season, Fletcher is a big addition.

LA QUINTA: Key Personnel--Darrel Crain (5-6, 175), TB; Bart Recktenwald (6-0, 180), DB; Kevin Rice (5-9, 160) DB; Rick Wilson (5-10, 190), LB and Mike Carlevato (6-0, 190), LB.

Top Newcomers--Eric Zeno (6-4, 200), QB and Jim Ryberg (6-1, 210), OT.

Outlook--The biggest addition for the Aztecs is Zeno, who threw for 1,020 yards and eight touchdowns for Fountain Valley last season. Zeno did that primarily against much tougher Sunset League competition. In this league, he’ll look even better. And so will the Aztecs, who are far and away the class of the league. La Quinta won the league with a 5-0 record. More impressive was its 7-2 overall record, the only Garden Grove team to post a winning record.

LOS AMIGOS: Key Personnel--Bill Thompson (6-0, 160), QB; Vince Bonham (6-1, 250), DL; Lito Soifua (5-10, 160), RB; John Kuzmic (6-0, 150), RB; Kevin McMasters (6-0, 170), RB; Joe Pati (6-0, 175), DE and Larey Tajo (6-0, 185), DL.

Top Newcomers--Chris Bonham (5-11, 160), RB; Joe Simpson (5-11, 170), RB; Joe McGinley (5-10, 190), DL; Mike Larsen (6-2, 160), DB; Paul Hoefnajlas (6-1, 175) DB; Philip Cordova (6-0, 170), RB; Peter Strickland (5-10, 180), DL; Jeff Greeny (5-11, 160), RB and Brian Mackey (6-0, 150) DB.

Outlook--The Lobos were second last season with a 4-1 record, but were 6-6 overall. Michalik has only nine returning starters, four on offense and five on defense. Like the rest of the teams in this league, the Lobos are small. They only have one key player over 200 pounds. Still, the league’s coaches think the Lobos are the likely candidates to take second place.

RANCHO ALAMITOS: Key Personnel--Randy Gonzalez (6-0, 265), OL/DL; Mike Blasko (6-2, 210), OL/DL; Luis Ramirez (5-8, 155), RB/DB; Ron Flores (5-8, 160), WR/DB and Mark Flores (6-0, 180), WR/DE.

Top Newcomers--Don Wagner (6-0, 180), QB/DB; Greg Vollendorff (6-0, 190), OL/LB and Sean Cheatham (5-10, 180), RB/DB.

Outlook--Although the Vaqueros finished in fourth place last season, they were just one victory away from a playoff spot. Rancho will be hard-pressed to repeat that feat however. It lost quarterback Tom Tryon to graduation and returns just one offensive and five defensive starters from a year ago. Tryon passed for 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wagner, a junior varsity player last season, will take Tryon’s place at quarterback. Coach Paul Shane thinks his defense will be OK, but the offense concerns him. In 1984, the Vaqueros were outscored, 142-86.

SANTIAGO: Key Personnel--Rick Burns (6-3, 175), QB; Joe Marquez (5-10, 185), RB/LB; John Pope (5-9, 220), OL; Gabe Garcia (5-8, 175), RB/DB and How Dinh (5-7, 150), RB/DB.

Top Newcomers--Kris O’Bannon (6-0, 180), RB/LB; David Petrutis (5-8, 150), R/DB and Anthony Candelas (5-9, 170), OL/DL.

Outlook--Durability may be a problem for the Cavaliers (1-2-2, 3-5-2). A quick look at Santiago’s key personnel shows that they lack size. Of the five players DiPalma thinks will contribute most, only Pope, is over 190 pounds. DiPalma expects to carry about 35 players, which means several will have to go both ways. In such a situation, injuries and exhaustion as the season progresses is always a concern. Burns, a senior, will start at quarterback for the third consecutive season. Dinh, smallest of the small at 150 pounds, gained more than 600 yards last season and will be expected to balance the offense.