It Won’t Be Easy Establishing Winning Program at Trabuco Hills

The area’s newest high school makes its varsity football debut Saturday, but don’t look for Trabuco Hills High School to have an easy time in its first year.

But Jim Barnett, Mustang coach, is not conceding anything.

“We’re not into moral victories,” Barnett said. “We’re here to win.”

Obviously though, there are, and will continue to be, many problems to overcome in establishing a winning program at the Mission Viejo school.

On the positive side, expectations probably won’t be that high for the first several seasons and the Mustangs, who will wear blue-and-silver uniforms similar to those of the Dallas Cowboys, already have a booster club to support the team.

On the other hand, the Mustangs don’t have their own field to practice on. The Mustangs must walk a half mile or so everyday to a nearby elementary school and practice on a field there.

“It’s not an ideal situation,” Barnett said, “but we’re adjusting to it.”

Barnett left perennial Southern Section power Long Beach Poly to take the Trabuco Hills job and one of the biggest differences will be in the size of the respective student bodies that the football team draws from.

At Long Beach Poly, there were 2,600 students. At Trabuco Hills, the school projects a first-year attendance of about 750.

“I still haven’t figured out the boundaries yet,” Barnett said. “There are (potential student-athletes) living about a mile from Trabuco Hills, yet they go to Capistrano Valley, eight miles away.”

Most of the Trabuco Hills students would’ve otherwise attended El Toro or Laguna Hills.

The Mustangs’ first game is against Southern California Christian in Glover Stadium Saturday night at 7:30.

SCC, formerly known as Melodyland, got a new name and some new uniforms to go along with it. Dave DeWoody’s Flames, coming off a 3-4-1 season, figure to have the edge over Trabuco Hills, considering that the Flames compete in the Olympic League, considered among the best in Southern Section’s Inland Conference.

Capistrano Valley Christian has a new coach in Keith McKinney, while the strongest Olympic League Orange County school figures to be Orange Lutheran, which finished last season at 6-4 and just missed the playoffs.

Here’s a closer look at the county’s small schools:

TRABUCO HILLS: Key Personnel--Brett Miller (6-0, 150), QB; Brian Gadbury (6-0, 210), RB-FB; Ray Walters (5-9, 160), RB; Shawn Naylor (6-1, 180), WR; Jeff Dooley (6-0, 160), WR; Jeff Harmon (5-9, 170), C-LB; Dennis Chadwick (5-8, 165), G; Bart Magner (5-8, 175), LB-G; Danny Bradley (5-8, 150), DB; and Jason Harwood (6-1, 175), S.

Outlook--Size, particularly a lack of it, looks to be as much of a problem for the Mustangs as inexperience. For example, fullback Gadbury is bigger than most of the players that will be blocking for him. Quarterback Miller is tall enough to see over the line, but at 150 pounds he could take a pounding considering that the Mustangs play a schedule that includes Big Bear, Azusa, Rim of the World, and Paramount. With 40 players on the varsity roster, at least the Mustangs have the luxury of depth for a school its size.

ORANGE LUTHERAN: Key Personnel--Lmanyo Scott (6-1, 175), QB; Alex Lehrer (5-9, 160), RB-K; Jon Hadley (6-2, 225), DT; Leon Neben (5-10, 170), RB; Matt Zaun (6-1, 175), LB; and Mike Amling (5-9, 160), LB.

Top Newcomers--Brian Tufts (5-10, 238), G; Daron Toll (5-10, 160), NG; Brant Walter (6-2, 195), DE; and David Slazyk (5-8, 170), FB.

Outlook--Bob Dowding’s Lancers will contend for a playoff berth this season, but that will depend in large part on the performance of quarterback Scott. Returning from a broken collarbone at midseason, Scott played in the Lancers’ last four games and the team won three of them. Scott threw for five touchdowns and ran for five more in that stretch and the Lancers will be looking for similar production this season. The defense is solid at linebacker and defensive back, but the line is inexperienced. The Lancers have the luxury of having their three biggest games of the season--with rival Capistrano Valley Christian, league champion Whittier Christian, and Valley Christian--at home.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY CHRISTIAN: Key Personnel--Tod Rodarnel (6-0, 185), SS; Jamie Helmuth (5-11, 165), QB; Todd Riopelle (6-1, 225), OT; Myles Van Pelt (5-11, 190), LB; and Keith Patefield (6-1, 185), TE.

Top Newcomers--Rod Hoover (5-7, 145), FB; Mark Swanson (6-1, 170), SE; and Robbie Wagner (6-0, 200), L.

Outlook--Numbers look to be a problem for the Eagles. With only 25 players on the varsity roster, many have to play both ways, increasing the chance for injuries. “If we lose a couple of key individuals,” McKinney admits, “we could be in trouble. But the kids are working hard and enjoy playing the game. They’re a pretty intense group. We’re ahead of where we were last year.” The Eagles are coming off a 1-9 season, so there is much room for improvement. Quarterback Helmuth should have a good target in tight end Patefield. But the defense will be a big question mark.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHRISTIAN: Key Personnel--Louie Simon (5-10, 170), RB; Bobby Breen (5-9, 170), G; Greg Cadmas (5-10, 188), LB; Chad Lambi (6-1, 170), SE-DB; and Todd Ludeman (6-2, 170), TE-LB.

Top Newcomers--Edmund DeAvila (6-2, 215), T; and Shawn Crawford (6-0, 170), QB.

Outlook--DeWoody is pleased with the progress of his team, but it’s tough to compete in a league that has defending Inland Conference champion Whittier Christian, which draws from a student body of 1,000, while SCC has only 350. “They have more boys than we have students,” DeWoody said. Nonetheless, the Flames figure to be competitive this season and a winning season is not out of the question. Halfback Simon will lead the running game while linebacker Cadmas will lead the defense.