Playing Football Good Sign for Newcomer

Al Lira had never played football before this year, but now he can’t stop signing about it.

Lira, an 18-year-old senior at Chula Vista High, is deaf and partially mute.

“Everything is hand signals,” Spartan Coach George Ohnesorgen said. “But you can tell he’s having a great time out there, and he’s fun to have around.

“I try to explain to him and to his mom and sister just how important it is for him to be around because he’s really opening doors for a lot of other kids like him that might also want to play.”

So far, Lira (5-feet-11, 190 pounds) has been limited to a few plays at nose guard, but Ohnesorgen said Lira has improved immensely.

“We’re asking him to learn in three or four months what some of these kids have learned over three or four or more years,” Ohnesorgen said. “The difficult part is having a translator around to tell him these things.”

Add Lira: A week ago, Ohnesorgen asked each Spartan whether they believed they were committed to the program.

Said Ohnesorgen, who is learning sign language: “I learned the signs for, ‘Are you committed?’ And he came back with, ‘Hell yes!’

“At least, I think that’s what he said.”

Can’t Buy a Win: In weeks 1 and 2, El Capitan lost to Kearny, 35-28, and tied Helix, 7-7. Finally, in Week 3, the Vaqueros thought they had one in the bag.

El Capitan led Grossmont, 21-0, with 5:33 left. Grossmont, however, needed only 4:41 to pull out an improbable 22-21 victory.

After Vinny Curran scored with 5:32 left, Grossmont recovered an onside kick and Tom Karlo hit Jason Eskridge on a 24-yard scoring pass with 3:26 left.

Grossmont then recovered another onside kick. Seven plays later, Eskridge scored on a five-yard run to make it 21-20 with 52 seconds left.

Eskridge’s two-point conversion run capped what El Capitan Coach Dave Waasted termed “A miracle.”

Start ‘Em Young: Morse running back Gary Taylor has apparently picked up some tips from the professionals on how to deal with the media. Friday night, after Morse’s 21-7 upset loss to Vista, a reporter approached Taylor and his brother Cary, the Tigers’ regular quarterback who missed the game because of an arm injury.

Once Gary saw the pad of paper and pen, however, he immediately began repeating, “No comment. I have no comment.”

What’s next, Pop Warner players refusing to talk to the press?

Qs on Top?: Granted, it’s early and league play doesn’t begin for another three weeks, but there are some oddities in the city football standings.

The Serra High Conquistadors, who finished 1-8-1 a year ago, are the only undefeated team in the City Eastern League, which includes perennial powers Morse (3-1), Point Loma (2-1) and Mira Mesa (2-1).

There are four undefeated teams in the City Western League--USDHS (3-0), La Jolla (3-0), Kearny (3-0) and University City (2-0). Mission Bay is 1-1.

In the City Central League, San Diego (2-8 last year) has not allowed a point and is 3-0 for the first time since 1964. The last time the Cavers opened with four shutouts was 1958.

And then there’s Christian (3-0) in the City Harbor League. The Patriots (4-6 last year) continue to lead the county in scoring, averaging 49 points per game.

Bring on the Russians: In successive weeks, Rancho Bernardo’s football team has played teams from the United States (Mission Viejo Santa Margarita), Canada (British Columbia Terry Fox) and Mexico (Tijuana CETYS).

The Broncos (2-1) play their first San Diego County opponent (Ramona) this Friday.

No Substitute for Speed: Few know the value of speed better than Lincoln High, but normally it’s the Hornets with all the quickness.

In Southwest’s 17-6 victory over Lincoln, Riley Washington’s 97-yard touchdown run was the longest run in the county since 1981 and the fifth longest in section history.

Washington, one of the fastest sprinters in the state, also made a rare appearance at defensive back. Burned badly on one deep pass play, Washington managed to catch Lincoln’s Shaun Green from behind at the 18-yard line, saving what would have been an 85-yard touchdown. Lincoln failed to score on the drive.