Once Again, Competition Should Be Close : Newport Harbor Is Favored, but Five Others Have Playoff Possiblilities

It is hardly a surprise that the Sea View League football coaches favor Newport Harbor High School to repeat as champion, but what is surprising is that five other teams are also expected to challenge for the three playoff spots.

Defending co-champion Saddleback, University, Estancia, Corona del Mar and Woodbridge are all strong enough to contend for postseason play. Only Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach are considered to be out of the running.

“The league should be pretty close to what it was last year,” Corona del Mar Coach Dave Holland said. “Except that many of the teams have improved. Newport Harbor will be the team to beat, but Estancia has improved and we could be in there, too.”

Last season, Newport Harbor and Saddleback tied for the championship with 6-0-1 records, but this season it’s conceivable that the champion or champions will have as many as two losses.

Newport Harbor emerges as the early favorite on the strength of the right arm of quarterback Shane Foley, already touted as one of the best passers in the county.

“Having a quarterback isn’t enough,” Newport Harbor Coach Mike Giddings said. “The big question for us is whether we can protect him or not. Last year’s line could really pass block.”

That line featured 6-foot 7-inch, 260-pound Mike Beech, now at UCLA, and while his absence will be felt, the Sailors aren’t short of big linemen. Jason Nedelman and Scott Craig will attempt to fill that void.

Assuming the Sailors keep their quarterback from getting crunched and establish a reasonable running attack with their one-back offense, winning it all is well within their grasp.

Over at Saddleback, the Roadrunners have several more questions to answer than their counterparts at Newport Harbor.

First and foremost is replacing quarterback John Cook, and toward that end Coach Jerry Witte has converted wide receiver Myron Butler to that position.

“He’s doing real well,” Witte said of his best athlete. “He’s not a deep throwing threat, but he’s very good at running the option.”

After Newport Harbor and Saddleback, the most practical contenders for the crown would be University or Corona del Mar. Estancia, with returning lettermen at the skill positions, and Woodbridge, with decent size, should also vie for a playoff spot.

Here’s a closer look at the Sea View League:

CORONA DEL MAR: Key Personnel--Kevin McLauglin (5-11, 165), WR; Chris Warner (6-0, 185), RB; Sean Turner (6-2, 205), RB; Dan Stefano (6-2, 205), LB; Chris Kilpatrick (6-0, 180), G; Matt DuBow (6-1, 225), RB and, Tod Bearbower (5-10, 160), QB.

Top Newcomers--John Wachter (6-3, 225), T; Sean Steele (5-11, 160), WR and Craig Nixon (5-11, 170), WR.

Outlook--Just missed the playoffs last season, finishing in fourth place with a respectable overall record of 6-4, and 4-3 in league play. The Sea Kings’ Holland is playing it rather low key. “We’re a better team than we were last year,” he conceded, “but it’s still early to tell (about the playoffs).” For the past two seasons, the Sea King offense was built around quarterback Bobby Hatfield. This season, Corona del Mar will be looking for more balance between the passing of quarterback Bearbower and the running of Warner and Turner. The defense, as always, should be good.

COSTA MESA: Key Personnel--John Carlson (6-3, 235), TE; Mike Szyperski (6-0, 200), LB; Scott Anderson (5-10, 180), RB; Paul Rodriguez (6-0, 190), QB; Kevin Sinibaldi (6-1, 180), DB and Taun Pham (5-6, 145), DB.

Top Newcomers--Mike Richey (6-0, 170), WR; James Cagle (6-0, 210); OL; Tim McDowell (6-0, 170), DB and Jim Weisinger (6-3, 210), OL.

Outlook--Although the Mustangs didn’t win a game last season (0-9-1), there is cause for hope on Fairview Road. As Tom Baldwin said of 1984, his first year at the school, “We didn’t have a single player who’d caught a pass or ran the ball in a varsity game. It was an all-senior team the year before, so we spent most of last season just getting game experience.” The Mustangs return with several legitimate all-league candidates, including Carlson and Anderson, who led the team in rushing with 784 yards last season. Richey was the league champion in the high jump (6-4) last spring. While a winning record might be a bit much to ask, the Mustangs should win a couple of games. They shouldn’t be a pushover.

ESTANCIA: Key Personnel--Adam Walburger (6-5, 210), TE; Casey Swanson (5-11, 190), G; Curt Crandall (6-1, 207), C; Eric Dorn (6-4, 180), WR; Mike Roselline (6-2, 180), QB and Ryne Scharrard (6-0, 170), FB.

Top Newcomers--Mike Chretin (6-1, 205), G; Ian MacDonald (5-8, 155), TB; Shane Charley (6-0, 170), NG and Steve Melvin (6-0, 160), DB.

Outlook--If Ed Blanton thought he could sneak up on the rest of the league this season, forget it. All of the league’s coaches mentioned the Eagles when asked who the dark horse might be. The Eagles have excellent players returning to the skill positions, particularly Roselline, Walburger and Dorn, but depth is the overriding concern. “Our troubles are with numbers (of players),” Blanton said. “If we don’t get injured, we’ll have a pretty good team.” With only 28 players on the varsity roster, versus 48 to 50 for many of the other league powers, the Eagles could suffer later on in the season if injuries take their toll. Playoffs are a good possibility, though. The Eagles open with El Toro, so they’ll find out just how good they are real quick.

LAGUNA BEACH: Key Personnel--Kent Chesley (6-1, 195), LB; John Kimball (6-2, 185), QB; Matt Hobbs (5-11, 190), G; Jon Todd (6-1, 190), LB; Nelson Griffin (6-1, 210), OL and Jeff Cummings (6-3, 180), WR.

Top Newcomers--Dylan Candelaria (5-11, 265), OT; Scott McDonald (6-1, 180), OT and Ian Vickers (6-1, 150), K.

Outlook--Drawing from the smallest public school enrollment in the county (1,060), the Artists, nonetheless, are looking as good as they can be, given all of the turmoil in the school’s athletic department last season. First-year Coach Cedrick Hardman has taken a realistic approach to the situation. “Our program is still in the rejuvenating stage,” he said. “Right now, all we’re concerned about is playing mistake-free football. We’re not going to base our success strictly on the won-loss record, at least in the early part of the season.” Hardman has 45 players on the roster, a respectable number, but his biggest challenge will be establishing a winning atmosphere off the field as well as on.

NEWPORT HARBOR: Key Personnel--Shane Foley (6-2, 195), QB; Jason Nedelman (6-2, 211), G-LB; Scott Craig (6-4, 241), G-LB; Kevin McClelland (6-3, 226), RB; Joe Johnson (6-0, 202), LB; Marcus Kelso (6-0, 247), T and Peter Howser (5-10, 165), LB.

Top Newcomers--Gus Hurst (6-1, 212), C; Chris Sylvis (6-4, 290), NG; Chuck Warwick (6-3, 237), T and Mark Craig (6-6, 195), WR.

Outlook--It is not enough for the Sailors to have a great quarterback; they must also come up with people who can catch Foley’s passes. Giddings notes that only flanker McClelland has caught a pass in a varsity game. Another available target should be Mark Craig, the Most Valuable Player on the sophomore team last season. Size never seems to be a problem for the Sailors. This year, Sylvis and Scott Craig will be mainstays on defense. Kicker Sterling Coberly, who had 11 field goals last season, gives the Sailors another offensive weapon. Brian Wildman should help establish the running game, taking pressure off of Foley.

SADDLEBACK: Key Personnel--Glenn Campbell (6-0, 195), RB; Myron Butler (5-10, 160), QB; Peter Pesak (5-11, 225), T; Don Warnick (5-11, 185), LB; Mike Gonzales (6-2, 245), T; Joe Deal (6-4, 197), WR and Art Carranza (5-6, 155), G.

Top Newcomers--Danny Ontiveros (5-10, 150), WR; Chris Romoser (5-11, 190), T-LB; Hector Santa Cruz (5-9, 150) WR-DB and Nate Primous (5-8, 155), TB.

Outlook--Although he has a line anchored by Pesak and Gonzales, Witte still laments his team’s overall lack of size. “All of the midgets in the county go to Saddleback,” he cracked. Other coaches in the league would like to have some of those midgets, who went 10-1-1 last year. The Roadrunner offense will rely heavily on Campbell for inside yardage. “He’s not going to break the big ones, but he’s a good, hard-hitting power runner,” Witte said. The defense, with all newcomers to the secondary, will be a big question mark.

UNIVERSITY: Key Personnel--Jeff Liao (5-8, 165), DB; Jeff Baker (6-1, 185), QB; Bart Silberman (6-1, 165), QB; Scott Tompkins (6-0, 185), DT and Jeff McGovern (6-0, 180), WR.

Top Newcomers--Craig Belle (5-11, 185), RB; Brett Howard (5-11, 185), RB-LB; Scott Pearlman (5-11, 205), LB and John Baick (6-0, 200), G.

Outlook--The Trojans grabbed the third and final playoff spot last season and there is no reason to believe that they won’t be in the hunt again. Rick Curtis has 48 players on the squad and is happy with his team’s progress. “The kids’ work ethic is just super,” Curtis said. “We’re still making a lot of mistakes, but at least we’re making them at full speed.” The biggest problem for Curtis will be replacing Greg Benjamin, who rushed for 1,350 yards last year. Belle should be up to the task, but also look for the Trojans to pass more than they did last season.

WOODBRIDGE: Key Personnel--John Evers (5-11, 175), WR; David Townsend (5-11, 185), RB; John Yurkovich (6-0, 175), QB; Cory Christie (5-11, 190), G and Dan O’Connell (6-3, 220), T.

Top Newcomers--John Addington (6-2, 220), T; Keith Radovcich (6-4, 205), LB; Paul Rodriguez (5-8, 160), DB and Jeff Pene (5-10, 160), WR.

Outlook--While the Warriors may never beat Newport Harbor in a meat-eating contest, such as the Pacific 10 and Big Ten representatives do before the Rose Bowl every year, they do have the biggest team in the school’s history with six players weighing more than 200 pounds. This comes as a great comfort to Coach Gene Noji, who said, “There have been years when we didn’t have a single 200-pounder. Year in and year out, we’ve had to beat other teams with pursuit on defense; we’re usually not big enough to make solo tackles.” On offense, the Warriors plan to open their passing attack by letting Yurkovich throw the ball more often. How successful he is will probably determine whether the Warriors make the playoffs or not.