Lineman Who Is Boycotting Razors Gives Pacifica an Edge

GARDEN GROVE —  An astounding revelation from this high school football season:

Matt Langenfeld’s Face Responsible for Pacifica Victories!

That’s the way Langenfeld, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior offensive guard and defensive end, figures it.

“I haven’t shaved since we won,” Langenfeld said of whiskers that are rapidly shaping into a beard. “I’ll keep it going until we lose or if it gets out of hand.”

Langenfeld hopes there is some validity to the notion, a little edge that could help the Mariners (2-1) beat Rancho Alamitos (2-0-1) in tonight’s Garden Grove League opener for both teams.

But Langenfeld, a three-year varsity starter, knows that simply boycotting a Victor Kiam product--the one with sharp blades, not dull football players--won’t cut it against the Vaqueros unless he and his teammates execute.

“Our defense has been doing real good the last couple of weeks,” Langenfeld said. “We’ve got to get our offense moving. We need to get our blocks up front and score some points . . . We need to keep their running down to a minimum and hopefully force them to pass. Maybe we can get some interceptions.”

Pacifica Coach Bill Craven wouldn’t mind. He also could use a few more versatile players such as Langenfeld, who moved from defensive tackle to end two weeks ago to replace the injured Donnie Gath. The transition, Craven said, has been smooth.

“He’s done a good job at end,” said Craven, now in his 16th year at Pacifica, where his 122 victories put him 10th on the all-time list of county coaches. “For his size, he’s got real good body balance and speed. He’s got a lot of natural strength, too.”

Langenfeld has expanded on that with work in the weight room, where a few pushes here and a few pulls there have made him capable of hoisting 400 pounds in the squat and 275 pounds in the power lift. And that’s despite what Craven said is a lax approach.

“He could do much better if he applied himself,” Craven said.

But Craven doesn’t have to prod Langenfeld on game nights. That’s when a generally mild-mannered Langenfeld, who likes to camp and fish in his spare time, unleashes otherwise dormant aggressiveness. The combative spirit makes him a valuable commodity, although it sometimes causes what former U.S. Olympic hockey Coach Herb Brooks used to call “errors of commission rather than omission.”

“In some games I get overaggressive and make some dumb mistakes,” Langenfeld said.

When that happens, Craven just shrugs. “We can live with that (Langenfeld’s over-aggressiveness),” he said. “I always tell him, ‘If you hit the wrong guy, make sure you get him good.’ ”

Langenfeld joined the Pacifica football program in his freshman year--even though he had never played organized football--because “I was pretty big for my age (6-0, 205 pounds), so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

By the next season, Langenfeld was on the varsity at offensive and defensive tackle. He has been an all-league lineman the past two seasons and still is among the league’s elite despite the recent shift in defensive positions.

He hopes to return to defensive tackle when Gath gets back into the lineup, but like the good camper he is, Langenfeld is willing to do whatever is necessary to help Pacifica win a league championship.

“Coach knows what he’s doing, so I pretty much do what he says,” Langenfeld said. “I prefer playing tackle, but I’m getting used to playing end. I like the responsibility of containing the tight end and the quarterback.”

Against Rancho Alamitos, Langenfeld will have plenty of opportunities. Vaquero quarterback Marshall Brown, a 10.8 sprinter in the 100 meters, directs the Rancho Alamitos option.

If Brown--or Vaquero running backs Jeff Byrd and Leon Vickers--turn loose, the result could mean one thing for Langenfeld--a close shave Saturday morning.