Clip and save ... or not

BARRY FAULKNER

High school football coaches commonly refer to the opening of league

play as the second season. For those charged with handicapping league

races, it’s the second-guessing season.

So, at the risk of providing some advance bulletin-board material,

as well as some alleged foresight that history may render folly by

mid-November, here’s one take on the upcoming races in the Sea View

and Pacific Coast leagues.

For a third straight season, those seeking the Pacific Coast

League crown must somehow find a way around the big bad Timberwolves

of Northwood High.

Northwood, the two-time defending champion, has won its last 10

league games and gone 23-2 in the regular season, since an 0-5 PCL

debut in 2000.

Coach Rick Curtis, harvesting talent from the neighborhoods that

used to feed the Irvine High juggernaut, appears to have another

title contender this fall. Northwood (4-1), ranked No. 5 in CIF

Southern Section Division IX, suffered its only loss to Los Amigos.

The Lobos, No. 2 in Division IX, join No. 3 La Habra, PCL contender

University, ranked No. 4, as well as unranked Western as my foremost

CIF Division IX title contenders.

Both Northwood and Uni have allowed 76 points this season, fewest

among PCL teams.

University (4-1) posted the most impressive preleague campaign of

any PCL squad. Coach Mark Cunningham’s Trojans, rolled up a PCL-best

158 points and lost only to intracity rival Irvine. Uni thumped

Northview, ranked No. 2 in Division IX at the time, 48-13, last week

and, led by quarterback A.J. Moskus, a senior who is also a star

basketball player, could have the horses to match the 2000 unit as

the school’s only league champions.

The Northwood-Uni argument, by the way, will be settled when the

two square off Friday at Irvine High.

Corona del Mar and Tesoro occupy the second tier and figure to

battle one another for the league’s third guaranteed playoff berth.

CdM (3-2), when healthy, has skill-position talent to burn and may

have the league’s best athlete in junior receiver Kevin Welch. The

Sea Kings, however, have been weakened by injuries in the trenches --

the one area their lack of depth was most precarious -- and if junior

quarterback Tom Welch misses any significant time with the shoulder

ding he sustained in Friday’s 45-0 loss to La Habra, CdM may wind up

5-5, in fourth place, and hoping for an at-large playoff bid.

Then again, the Sea Kings’ rugged schedule, including Newport

Harbor, Troy and Golden West League title contender Costa Mesa, as

well as a scheduling break of beginning league with Laguna Beach and

Calvary Chapel, could help Coach Dick Freeman’s squad gather itself

for a run at matching last year’s second-place finish.

CdM faithful should circle Nov. 7 on the calendar, when the Sea

Kings visit Tesoro. The Titans, playing their first varsity season

last year, took exception to what they deemed unsportsmanlike play

calling in a 48-28 CdM victory.

Tesoro owns, perhaps, the league’s most impressive 2003 victory,

having stunned Irvine, 25-22, in Week 3. The school’s first senior

class is backed by talented juniors Nick Nelson (773 yards and seven

touchdowns passing), Erik Hamren (22 receptions for 273 yards) and

Evan Handa (363 rushing yards and three TDs).

Laguna Beach (3-2) earned an at-large playoff berth last season.

But, despite talented quarterback Alex Wilson (1,094 yards and 13 TDs

passing) and gifted two-way performer Jake Wheeler (35 catches for

632 yards and 10 total TDs this season), Coach Dave Holland’s

Breakers, appear destined for fifth place.

Calvary Chapel (1-2-2), led by first-year head man Lyle Lansdell,

a former offensive coordinator under Freeman at CdM, will have

trouble winning a league game.

*

Now the Sea View, where Foothill ran the table last fall in its

first season after coming over from the Century League and all four

of this year’s title contenders have spots in the CIF Division VI top

10.

The Knights (4-1), ranked a disparagingly low No. 8 after falling,

44-21, to San Clemente Friday, have, once again, earned the right to

be called the favorite, despite unbeaten preleague runs by Newport

Harbor and Laguna Hills and an impressive 4-1 mark posted by Irvine

thus far.

Foothill’s 1,924 offensive yards are at least 400 more than any

other Sea View rival, thus far, and its 172 points are 26 more than

runner-up Irvine. Mike Alba (519 rushing yards and eight TDs), Casey

Daniels (955 yards and 10 TDs passing) and Brad Walker (25 catches

for 420 yards and five TDs) seem to have stepped in nicely for 2003

graduates Mike Liti, Don Poole and Quincy Lever, respectively.

The loss to San Clemente, No. 6 in Division II, should not be

taken too seriously, since Foothill fell to the Tritons, 30-20, last

season, before winning seven in a row to reach the Division VI

semifinals.

Laguna Hills may be as impressive defensively as Foothill is

offensively. The Hawks lead Orange County, as well as Division VI, in

scoring defense, having allowed just 35 points this season.

Quarterback Chris Lamkin keys the offense with 777 yards and eight

TDs passing, while 6-foot-1, 220-pound running back Siaosi

Makakaufaki is producing 4.2 yards per carry.

The Hawks defeated Trabuco Hills, 27-9. Newport Harbor boasts a

35-8 win over the Mustangs, who also fell to Aliso Niguel, 21-0.

Newport, which has split its 1,408 offensive yards nearly evenly

between the run and the pass, has the most balanced offense in the

league. And, the Tars are tied for third in the county in scoring

defense with 44 points allowed.

But after beating up on teams with a combined 8-17 record,

questions remain as to how they’ll stack up in league. Some answers

may be provided in Friday’s home clash with Foothill, but the Sailors

are 3-5 in their last eight league openers and two of the wins were

by a combined seven points.

Junior receiver Spencer Link (nine TDs and a 21-yard average on 21

receptions) will need to keep making big plays if the Sailors are to

contend.

Irvine, usually as tough as Coach Terry Henigan’s sideline scowl,

had a turnover-marred loss to Tesoro, but boasts wins over solid

programs Western, Valencia and University. But whether the Vaqueros

have enough to find the consistently high level needed to earn a

top-three finish in this circuit, remains to be seen. At least they

will never be outcoached.

The Vaqs can announce their presence in Thursday’s league opener

on the road against Laguna Hills.

Aliso Niguel’s 89 points are the fewest among Sea View schools,

which renders the Wolverines (3-2) an unlikely playoff contender. But

comparative scores, such as the aforementioned Trabuco Hills win and

a 21-7 triumph over a Capistrano Valley team that Laguna Hills

handled, 34-10, make it difficult to dismiss Coach Joe Wood’s

contingent.

Alas, Woodbridge (1-4) has lost seven straight league games. And

there appears to be little relief in sight for Coach Rick Gibson and

his Warriors, who have been outscored, 154-98, this fall.