Metro Football Preview : Chula Vista, Southwest Hope to Keep Sweetwater Down

During the 1980s, the Metro Conference has been through as many changes as the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Coronado was in, then out. Marian was in, then out. Coronado was back in, then back out again. The Metro went from 3-A to 2-A, back to 3-A, split into both and then went back to 3-A again.

Through it all, one thing has seemed to remain the same. Like the Sockers, Sweetwater always seemed to dominate, winning or sharing eight consecutive league titles, two section championships and setting a section record for 36 victories in a row.

But last year Chula Vista went undefeated in the conference. Southwest, which defeated Sweetwater, 9-7, in the last game of the season, came in second, and the Red Devils found themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 1980.

“Sweetwater has always been the pick until somebody knocked us off,” Sweetwater Coach Andy Sanchez said. “Chula Vista knocked us off, so now they’re the pick.”

THE RACE Top contenders: Chula Vista (8-4 in 1988), Southwest (9-3) and Sweetwater (5-5).

Surprise potential: Bonita Vista (5-5).

Hoping for improvement: Mar Vista (3-7), Hilltop (3-7), Castle Park (2-8) and Montgomery (1-9).

Game of the year: Sweetwater at Chula Vista, Sept. 29. The longest continuous rivalry in the county (more than 40 years) could determine the championship again.

THE PLAYERS The man: Chula Vista’s Derek Chapman has the talent, the experience and, perhaps most important, the support.

He is one of the county’s top returning quarterbacks, having passed for 145 yards per game last season, completing 55% (93 of 168).

Chapman, senior running backs Trennell Hicks and Daniel Johnson and junior receivers Brandon Gregg and Neviette Richardson should excel behind a big line featuring returning senior starters Enrique Paniagua (5-11, 205), Scooter Fulton (6-1, 235), Louie Zumstein (6-4, 250) and junior Daniel Alonzo (5-9, 260).

Who will fill Larry Anderson’s shoes? Anderson (6-4, 240), last season’s defensive player of the year, has left a big hole in Chula Vista’s line.

But big enough for three guys? That is what it might take according to George Ohnesorgen, the Spartan coach. “He was just a force, a man among boys on the field.”

Juniors Jesus Magallanes (6-3, 260), Leslie Shaw (6-1, 170) and Dwain Washington (6-2, 190) will attempt to fill the void.

In order to truly replace Anderson, Ohnesorgen said, “We’re going to have to play some illegal formations there.”

Others to watch on offense: Southwest’s quarterback Andy Quinn, running back Jason Silva and receiver Dion Walker will try to make up for the loss of impact players Joe Delano (quarterback), Hubert Phillips (running back) and Will Tate (wide receiver).

At Bonita Vista, Jason Garcia replaces graduated John Funke, who was second in the county with 172 yards rushing per game.

Sweetwater not only has a formidable backfield but one that will be easy to recognize. Brothers Tana and Ty Lepule will split time at fullback, and brothers Willie and Danny Branch will do the same at tailback.

Four Garcias--none of them brothers--are kicking for Metro schools; Jason at Bonita Vista, Jorge at Mar Vista, Jose at Southwest and Javier at Sweetwater.

At Castle Park, Carlos Aragon, a 5-11, 260-pound transfer guard from Santa Barbara, will be leading the “student body right” for the Trojans.

If healthy, Hilltop’s John Barone can post some big numbers. He was the county’s second-leading receiver with 59 receptions, but underwent exploratory knee surgery three weeks ago. Teammate Chris White caught 28 passes as a sophomore.

Others to watch on defense: Southwest led the county in 1987, allowing just 7.6 points per game. Senior cornerbacks Laurence Estes (six interceptions) and Detrick Stanford, senior linebacker Jermaine Brown and junior tackle Mike Johnson were the standouts.

Hilltop’s three-year starting linebacker, Paul Stojsavljevic, is as tough on the field as he is to pronounce. For the record, it’s Stoy-STALL-o-vitch.

Other standouts at linebacker include Chula Vista’s Bubba Phillips (6-0, 230), Bonita Vista’s Eric Von Sydow (5-11, 190) and Sweetwater’s Jason Tovar (6-0 185).

THE INTANGIBLES Two-a-days in mid-September: It could happen in National City. Sweetwater became the only year-round high school in the county July 17, thus eliminating the normal two-a-day practice weeks before the season. But the Red Devils will have a three-week break beginning the third week of the season.

“It might happen,” said Andy Sanchez, Sweetwater’s coach. “There’s nothing in the CIF rules that says we can’t have two-a-days in September.”

Under the nine-week on, three-week off format, Sweetwater students get another vacation following the 3-A final in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Wishful thinking or good planning?

And they’re off (way off): Metro teams went 0-8 in the first week of 1988 and combined for a 6-18 nonleague record, including an intra-league game between Hilltop and Castle Park.

Despite having the biggest section league (eight members), only two made the playoffs.

Remember our fight song: Coaches Jorge Mancillas of Castle Park, George Ohnesorgen of Chula Vista, Sam Coe of Mar Vista and Andy Sanchez of Sweetwater all graduated from Castle Park, and three of the four played on the Trojans’ 1968 county championship team. Coe graduated in 1967, Mancillas and Sanchez in ’70 and Ohnesorgen in ’71.

Assistant coaches Sam Boggs and Tim Glover of Castle Park and David Urbina, John Inumerable and Rusty Moore of Mar Vista also went to Castle Park.

All six of Montgomery’s assistant coaches attended Montgomery, but Steve Summers, the head coach, went to Hilltop, as did Southwest’s Carl Parrick.

You make the call: Want a tip on the Metro champion?

Here is a sure thing.

The champion will be a school whose telephone number begins with 691-5 . . . Of course, they all do, despite having addresses in four cities (San Diego, National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach). You can look it up.

MONDAY: The City Central League.