HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Region’s Football Teams Have Seen High Turnover

The coaching turnover trend continues at a high rate in Southeast/Long Beach-area high schools this fall. One-third of the area’s 39 head coaching positions have been vacated since last year. In the past six years, 69 jobs have changed hands.

Some of the more interesting changes for 1989:

* Bellflower High will not have a head coach.

* Artesia’s Norm Flowers has the head job after sharing it last season.

* Three head coaches in other sports have been given extra duties as football coaches.

* Wayne Manzo jumps from Cerritos to La Serna.

Bellflower thought it had solved its vacancy when it hired Jim Wright from a high school in Arizona. But Wright had second thoughts. Football practice opened without a coach, and school officials now say the Bucs will be handled by three assistants.

Tom Tereschuk (baseball) of California, Mark Rose (track) of Lakewood and Harold Eggers (boys volleyball) of Cerritos have all been appointed to additional roles as head football coaches.

The naming of Flowers at Artesia is the third coaching change in three seasons for the Pioneers.

Manzo joins former Cerritos baseball coach Vern Brock at La Serna. Brock is the school’s athletic director and baseball coach.

Two trends remain fairly constant: St. Anthony has a new coach (Ralph Godfrey) for the seventh time this decade. Ken Davis, dean of area coaches, begins his 18th season at Schurr.

The number of coaching changes in the Southeast/Long Beach area is higher than in other areas of Southern California. Orange County, which has 28 schools, loses five to seven coaches a season, most from firings, according to figures compiled by The Times. This fall eight new coaches debut in the San Fernando Valley, which has about 50 schools. In other areas the turnover rate averages about 10%.

Coaches in the Long Beach/Southeast area often cite burnout, the desire to move on to more prestigious positions, long hours and substandard pay as reasons for leaving.

COACHING CHANGES

High School: New Coach

Lakewood: Mark Rose

Cerritos: Harold Eggers

Downey: Phil Dunaway

Artesia: * Norm Flowers

Bellflower: ** None

Norwalk: Ken Mardis

California: Tom Tereschuk

La Serna: Wayne Manzo

Leffingwell Chr: John Shepperd

Pioneer Bapt: Manuel Cortez

St John Bosco: Gabe Soumakian

Pius X: Mike Gallegoes

St Anthony: Ralph Godfrey

* Co-head coach in l988

** Hired Jim Wright, who resigned late last month. Team to be run by three assistants.