PREP FOOTBALL : Yes, Woodbridge Does Play Football : And Those Surprising Warriors Are Playing It Well, Too

How ‘bout them Warriors?

Yes, Woodbridge High, that nice but unassuming school in the middle of a fashionable subdivision in Irvine, does have a football team.

You won’t find any Warriors listed among the weekly statistical leaders--they really do believe in team play. But, if you look at the Sea View League standings, you’ll find the surprising Warriors tied for first place with Newport Harbor.

Without much fanfare, Woodbridge (3-0 in league, 5-1 overall) has won three games by shutout and has outscored its league foes, 48-7.

Tonight at Irvine Stadium, however, the Warriors will get their stiffest challenge of the season when they play host to Saddleback (2-1, 5-1), which has lost only to Newport Harbor.

Woodbridge has relied heavily on its defense containing opponents, forcing turnovers, and giving the Warrior offense good field position. Nothing flashy--just sort of like being South Orange County’s answer to Servite.

“We knew we’d have good players at certain positions,” Woodbridge Coach Gene Noji said, “but we entered the season using a lot of other green and untested players. What has happened is that they’ve all come around fast. After playing five or six games now, you can’t really say that they’re inexperienced anymore.”

The challenge for the Warriors will be stopping Saddleback’s offense. With the exception of the loss to Newport Harbor, the Roadrunners have dominated everybody they’ve played and nobody seems to be able to stop tailback Glenn Campbell.

And as if he’s not enough to worry about, Saddleback quarterback Myron Butler has been throwing the ball exceptionally well of late, giving the usually ground-oriented Roadrunners an added dimension.

“I don’t look at this game as putting any extra pressure on us,” Noji said. “There’s always a self-imposed pressure because you always want to play wall, but our backs aren’t against the wall going into this game by any means.”

True, but a victory tonight over an established power such as Saddleback would go a long way toward giving the unranked Warriors some of the respect that they would like.

In other Sea View League action:

University (0-3, 1-5) vs. Costa Mesa (1-2, 2-4) at Davidson Field--This is a game between two of the league’s have-nots. Nonetheless, it features a matchup between two of the better players around. Trojan tailback Craig Belle has emerged as one of the more exciting running backs and kick returners in the county while the Mustangs’ John Carlson is making the same impression at receiver. University made the playoffs last season but will be hard pressed to match that feat.

ANGELUS LEAGUE

Bishop Amat (1-0, 6-0) vs. Mater Dei (1-0, 4-2) at Santa Ana Stadium--The Monarchs’ Gary Coston has kicked field goals in the final minute of play to give Mater Dei victories in the last two weeks. Coston’s 39-yard field goal beat Westminster, 14-11, and his 47-yarder was the difference in a 17-14 win over St. Paul last week. Bishop Amat features junior tailback Eric Bieniemy, who has scored 14 touchdowns, including five last week in a 36-12 victory over Bishop Montgomery.

ORANGE LEAGUE

Magnolia (1-0, 5-1) vs. Valencia (1-0, 5-1) at Bradford Stadium--The Sentinels, who haven’t had a winning season since 1971, are off to their best start in 19 years under first-year Coach John Hangartner. Magnolia opened league play against Western with a 14-10 victory. In that game, Bryan Rosa threw one touchdown pass and caught another. But the Sentinels will face their toughest opponent of the season tonight.

Since opening with a 7-6 loss to Westminster, the Tigers have won five straight, outscoring their opponents, 191-10. Fullback Ray Pallares rushed for 238 yards against Savanna (a 63-0 win) last week to break Myron White’s Orange County career rushing record of 4,164 yards. Pallares has 4,329 career yards rushing.

Western (0-1, 3-2-1) vs. Anaheim (0-1, 2-4) at Glover Stadium--Both teams are coming off losses in their league-openers last week. Quarterback Rich Lodding played well for the Pioneers in their 14-10 loss to Magnolia last week while Robert Ferrington had a 99-yard kickoff return for Anaheim in its 21-16 loss to Brea-Olinda. Of the two, Western has appears to have the better shot at making the playoffs.

CENTURY LEAGUE

Villa Park (2-1, 4-2) vs. Canyon (2-1, 4-2) at Fred Kelly Stadium--Although the schools have identical records, the Comanches appear to be in better shape going into this one, coming off a 15-9 win over Santa Ana Valley. Villa Park was thrashed last week by El Modena, 41-10, and whether it can regroup in time to stop Canyon quarterback Todd French remains to be seen.

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Dana Hills (2-4, 0-2) vs. El Toro (3-0, 4-2) at Mission Viejo Stadium--After a rough start, the Chargers are on a roll and should have no big problems recording their fourth consecutive league win. Dana Hills has had the toughest schedule in the league, facing Mission Viejo, Capistrano Valley and El Toro in consecutive weeks. The Dolphins haven’t won since they beat Laguna Beach in their third game of the year.