Mission Quarterbacks Hold Sizable Advantage : Led by Crespi’s Smith, Several Passers Boast Vital Numbers Greater Than Those of Linemen

Headlines readers aren’t likely to see during the forthcoming football season in the Mission League, where quarterbacks are living large and loving it. . . .

Signal-Caller Sidelined by Puny Pituitary . . . Mighty Mite Wings Way to Win . . . Drive-Through Windows Ruled Off Limits.

Beyond the headlines is the results page, chock-full of strange statistics. There is the takeaway-giveaway ratio, hang time and net-return yardage on punts, time of possession and quarterback ratings so complicated that a microcomputer is needed to crunch the numbers.

In the Mission League, some of the biggest statistics aren’t as much numerical as vital. In short, it would take a macro computer to fathom the heights and weights of several quarterbacks, and a construction crane to remove their damage-resistant frames from the lineup.

“It’s the year of the lineman-sized quarterback,” Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson said.

If anyone is tempted to call the Mission League a quarterback derby, the Clydesdales are there to back it up. Four of the seven starters stand 6-foot-2 or taller and three weigh 220 pounds or more. Another weighs 190 pounds and is 6-3; a fifth is 6-1, 180.

“Most of them would be respectable as linemen,” Lawson said.

The following is a rundown of the league’s buck-sized quarterbacks, a meaty bunch who mete out punishment as well as absorb it:

* Crespi quarterback Cody Smith (6-2, 220) passed for 1,905 yards and 18 touchdowns last year as a junior and was as durable as vulcanized rubber. In fact, when a midseason rib injury threatened to sideline Smith, he was fitted for a flak jacket that made him look like the Michelin Man.

Where’s the beef? Look no further.

“I thought he was about 205 or 210 (pounds) until August,” Crespi Coach Tim Lins said. “Then we weighed him and it was, ‘Holy cow.’ ”

Steer clear of Smith, who bench-presses 290 pounds.

“That’s more than most of our linemen can do,” Lins said. “They didn’t like him for a while, but they’re blocking for him now.”

Notable characteristics: A solid arm and great touch make Smith the best NCAA Division I quarterback prospect in the league.

* Chaminade’s starter at quarterback is senior Travis Hall, who at 6-3, 210 is heavier than all but one of the Eagles’ offensive linemen and taller than all five.

Characteristics: Good speed and mobility, played as a backup last year. Will have no trouble seeing the entire field from the passing pocket.

The biggest of them all is Chris Keldorf of St. Bernard, a big pup who makes Smith and Hall look like Chihuahuas. Keldorf, a three-year starter, is 6-6, 230.

Characteristics: Definitely a pocket passer who is anything but pocket-sized. Was inconsistent last season after showing great potential as a sophomore.

* Defending league champion St. Paul counters with Matt Lenzen, who at 6-3, 190 is only 15 pounds lighter than Pittsburgh Steeler Carnell Lake was as a senior linebacker at UCLA. What’s more, Lenzen isn’t much lighter than the average weight (210 pounds) of his offensive line.

Characteristics: Lenzen saw time at quarterback last season, but did not start. A pocket passer with a strong arm but little in the way of crunch-time experience. Coaches like his field smarts and instinctive style.

* Even Notre Dame, fielding one of its smallest teams in years, has an armful in senior Darrin Firestone (6-1, 180), one of the team’s tallest players.

Characteristics: A solid quarterback with all the right tools, but Firestone is a first-year starter.

Actually, Notre Dame missed the boat by a season--last year’s starting quarterback, Steve Colella, was 6-5.

* Alemany’s Adam Romandi is the second-smallest of the lot, but his numbers from a year ago stand tall. Romandi (5-10, 170) passed for 1,361 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Characteristics: Romandi has been through the battles before and probably is the best roll-out passer in the group. Has the league’s most explosive offensive weapons in wide receiver Richard Dice and tailback Terry Barnum (1,158 yards rushing).

* Neil Tinoco (5-9, 160) of Bishop Montgomery, who was promoted from the junior varsity, is the smallest of the seven quarterbacks.

Characteristics: A roll-out style player who starts behind the biggest line in the league, Tinoco is the league’s least experienced quarterback.

For some quarterbacks in the league, standing too tall in the backfield saddle presents defenders with a great target. At Crespi, Bishop Montgomery and Alemany, however, the offensive lines are gargantuan enough to hide any quarterback effectively.

To nobody’s surprise, those three teams have been picked by coaches as contenders for the league title.

Smith’s protectors at Crespi include Eryk Simmons (6-2, 265) and man-mountain Jeff Flohr (6-5, 265). The runts of the grunts, so to speak, are Josh Lopez and Ray Gerena, who each weigh 220 pounds.

Bishop Montgomery’s line might be the largest in the Southland. Led by highly regarded Matte Zovich (6-3, 265 pounds), the Knights average 250 pounds.

Alemany’s line is only a shade lighter, averaging 240 pounds. It features Jose Ontiveros (6-1, 235), Paul Sauter (6-2, 245) and the biggest hoss of all, Dewey Reed (6-1, 275).

Dewey’s combined total in the bench press (345 pounds), incline bench press (315), leg squat (480) and clean and jerk (265) is a school-record 1,405 pounds.

Romandi had better be careful. Playing in the Mission, Reed wouldn’t be out of his league as a quarterback.

MISSION LEAGUE

FINAL 1990 STANDINGS PROJECTED FINISH St. Paul 8-4-2, 5-0-1 Alemany Crespi 8-3, 5-1 Crespi Notre Dame 6-4-1, 4-1-1 St. Paul Alemany 4-5, 3-3 Bishop Montgomery St. Bernard 4-6, 2-4 St. Bernard Bishop Montgomery 3-7, 1-5 Notre Dame Chaminade 1-8-1, 0-6 Chaminade

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Yr Terry Barnum Alemany RB 5-10 180 Sr. Ted Corcoran Chaminade TE/LB 6-3 220 Sr. Richard Dice Alemany WR/DB 6-3 205 Sr. Travis Hall Chaminade QB/DB 6-3 210 Sr. Chris Keldorf St. Bernard QB 6-6 230 Sr. Alex Pupich Crespi TE/DL 6-4 190 Sr. Adam Romandi Alemany QB 5-10 170 Sr. Eryk Simmons Crespi OL/DL 6-2 265 Sr. Cody Smith Crespi QB 6-2 220 Sr. Matte Zovich Bishop Mont. OL 6-3 265 Sr.