Football: How to quiet Servite fans

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You have to feel a little sympathy for Anaheim Servite Coach Troy Thomas. His team is 3-0, ranked No. 2 by The Times, has beaten three quality teams in Long Beach Poly, Clovis West and Encino Crespi and faces a tough opponent Friday in unbeaten Huntington Beach Edison (3-0).

But what’s on the mind of Servite fans? For many, all they care about is the Oct. 23 game against Santa Ana Mater Dei.

‘I hear it all the time,’ Thomas said. ‘It never ends. I walk down the street, ‘Are you from Servite? Are we going to beat Mater Dei.’ ‘

Servite is 0-19-1 against Mater Dei since 1988. The players are approaching each game one at a time, which helps explain why this might be Thomas’ best team in his five years as coach.

They can run, they can pass, they hit hard and they’re resilient.

Very important to which team wins the Edison-Servite game is the availability of standout Edison linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who broke his hand in practice last week. The Stanford-bound senior will try to get doctor’s clearance on Wednesday, probably getting fitted with a special cast. Edison is hopeful he’ll be available.

-- Eric Sondheimer