City Central League : The Coaches Change but Other Things Stay Same

In 1985 the best two teams in the City Central League met in the San Diego Section’s 2-A championship game and the league’s best team, Crawford, lost.

Lincoln, the Central League’s runner-up, avenged a late-season 23-15 loss to the Colts with a 28-0 victory in the title game. (It was Lincoln’s only loss on the field in 1985, after they had forfeited their first two games because of an ineligible player.)

The defending 2-A champions bring some bad news to the rest of the Central League and 2-A division in 1986. The Hornets return nearly all their team and have a proven winner in Coach Vic Player, a former Lincoln coach who returns after a three-year retirement. He replaces Skip Coons, who will stay on as an assistant.

Player isn’t the only new coach in the league. Crawford promoted Roger Engle from offensive coordinator for the past five years to replace Chris Miller, who moved to the San Diego State staff as a graduate assistant. And Joe Galindo will take over a promising St. Augustine team.

Despite the coaching changes, the league figures to stack up pretty much the same as last season, with a greatly improved Hoover team fighting to keep up with the title teams and the others scrambling to improve their standings. The league should again be one of the toughest in the county and should produce some all-county caliber players--the best being Patrick Rowe, Lincoln’s wide receiver.

Rowe, a second-team Times All-County performer as a junior, is the county’s 400-meter champion and 100-meter runner-up. He is being touted as possibly the best wide receiver in the state and is on the mailing list of every major college. Player says of Rowe: “He’s one of the most talented kids I’ve ever coached.”

Others drawing the attention of major colleges include Charlie Applegate and Tony Evenson (St. Augustine), Lawrence Misa and Marcus Hopkins (Lincoln), David Rex (San Diego) and Ivory Randle (Crawford).

Here’s a closer look at the teams in the City Central League:

CHRISTIAN

Last season’s record: 2-3, 7-3

Finish: Fourth

Coach: Marty Martin

Key Personnel: John Okken (6-2, 185), QB; Brian Weeks (5-10, 185), WR/DB; Ron Newquist (6-0, 187), LB/WR; Travis Wheeler (6-1, 210), LB; Rich Busino (6-1, 208), OT/NG; Mike Jensen (6-1 1/2, 222), OT/DT; Matt Hess (6-2, 225), FB/DT.

Top Newcomers: Rob Murphy (6-1, 198), FB; David Beezer (6-2 1/2, 185), DB/WR; David Jeremiah (6-2, 195), DB/WR; Jimmy Loucks (6-0, 180), WR, and Matt Brioultte (5-11, 195), C/LB.

Outlook: The Patriots will be a young team with only six returning starters. However, moving to the varsity level is a junior varsity that went undefeated in league and 8-1-1 overall in ’85. Martin is hoping his young players mature quickly. “It’s all depending on how the young kids come along,” he said. “We’re hoping they come along quick enough.” Second-team all-league quarterback Okken returns and he will have Weeks, Newquist and Breezer to throw to. Hess will return at fullback and defensive tackle. Two seniors who could help are Loucks (Oklahoma) and Brioulette (Valhalla), who both played for the Patriots as freshman before spending two years away.

CRAWFORD

Last season’s record: 5-0, 9-2-1

Finish: First (section 2-A runner-up)

Coach: Roger Engle

Key Personnel: Ivory Randle (6-1, 180), DB; Troy Batton (5-10, 155), S; Lou Coons (6-0, 160), TE/DB; Randy Johnson (5-11, 185), LB/RB; Dean Wolfe (6-1, 190), LB/C; Pat McGriff (6-1, 245), T; Dewey Brown (6-2, 190), WR; Chris Chang (5-7, 145), WR.

Top Newcomers: Keith Williams (5-9, 145), RB; David Edrozo (5-9, 170), QB; Curtis Spencer (5-10, 205), FB; Eugene Ethridge (5-7, 150), DB/RB, and James Solmon (6-2, 195), G.

Outlook: Although the Colts are defending league champions, the graduation of The Times’ all-county linebacker, Mark Hayes, to Arizona State will leave a 6-foot 6-inch, 235-pound gap in the defense. But Engle likes his defense despite the loss. “We think our secondary will be better than it was last year,” he said. “Randle is a legitimate Division I recruit.” Randle returns to the secondary after missing most of last year with a broken ankle. What that means is that the Colts will employ a blitzing defense. Heading the charge will be Johnson, Wolfe and 5-8, 185-pound James Hughes, a transfer from Gary, Ind. Offensively, all-league tackle McGriff returns to lead a good-sized line. Edrozo has the inside track for the quarterback spot, and Williams adds speed at running back. Receiver Brown has the ability to take over a game, as he did last year’s semifinal, and could emerge as one of the league’s best. Overall, the Colts lack depth and face a rugged nonleague schedule that includes road games at Mount Carmel, Kearny, Point Loma and Mira Mesa. Crawford could be the only team in the league with a losing record going into league play.

HOOVER

Last season’s record: 3-2, 6-3-1

Finish: Third

Coach: John Johnson

Key Personnel: Tommy Villegas (5-11, 185), DT; Chris Johnson (5-11, 180), LB/TE; Danny Carter (5-10, 190), LB; Michael Walker (5-9, 160), QB; Mike Culley (6-0 190), DE; Joe Gummerson (5-7, 165), WR, and Stacey Domaille (6-0, 175), CB.

Top Newcomers: Joe Odom (5-10, 170), RB and Jerome Gross (5-7, 150), RB.

Outlook: “We’ve got the best physical ability we’ve had in the six years I’ve been here,” said Johnson, whose crew has a good mix of underclassmen and three-year varsity seniors like Chris Johnson and Walker. Carter was a second-team all-league linebacker in ’85 as a sophomore. Speedy newcomers Odom and Gross, both sophomores, should end up behind Walker in the backfield by the time league play rolls around. Hoover will play Mission Bay in the Friendship Bowl to start the season, but only Clairemont may challenge the Cardinals before league starts. “We’ll be competitive,” said Johnson. And the general feeling around the league is that Hoover will be tough. Said Engle: “Last year, Hoover was better than some of the playoff teams.” Many think the Cardinals have the best shot at upending Lincoln; however, their season finale with Crawford will most likely be for second place. “We’re going to have the best team we’ve had,” Johnson said. “We’re certainly going to be a contender.”

LINCOLN

Last season’s record: 4-1, 9-3 (two losses by forfeit)

Finish: Second (section 2-A champions)

Coach: Vic Player

Key Personnel: Keith Mitchell (5-11, 185), QB; Patrick Rowe (6-2, 185), WR; Marcus Hopkins (6-0, 175), RB; Kevin Key (5-11, 210), FB; Lawrence Misa (6-5, 277), OT/DE; Ken Bass (5-11 185), LB; Charlton Lynch (5-9, 165), RB/DB.

Top Newcomers: Freddie Stokes (5-8 1/2, 155), QB and Freddie Porter (5-11, 185), C.

Outlook: Player, who inherits most of last year’s all-league team, said: “I’m optimistic for a repeat. We’re missing three guys from all of last year. The rest of the starters are all back.” Of the returnees, Rowe (24 catches, 567 yards, 8 touchdowns in ‘85) is the most prominant. All-league safety Mitchell will be the quarterback, but if he is needed on defense sophomore Stokes is expected to step in without a hitch. All-league fullback Key, Hopkins and the multidimensional Lynch should find wide holes running behind the massive Misa, who will throw his weight around on defense as well. Mitchell and Key each averaged nearly 10 yards per carry last year. With so many from the championship team returning, it would seem that life has been made easy for Player in his first year back as coach, but he said: “With all the returning players from the CIF champs, there’s just more pressure to win.”

ST. AUGUSTINE

Last season’s record: 1-4, 2-8

Finish: Fifth

Coach: Joe Galindo

Key Personnel: Charles Applegate (6-5, 190), WR; Tony Evenson (5-11, 170), WR; Jason Reber (6-2, 210), LB; Leon Olais (6-0, 180), QB; Paul Galkowski (6-2, 220), OT; Tony Pacheco (5-10, 165), RB; Damien Marshall (6-5, 220), DT; Doug Carter (6-2, 185), LB; Billy Martin (5-10, 185), DB; Doug Hilman (5-11, 190), G, and Dennis Gill (5-10, 185), G.

Top Newcomers: Anthony Kofman (5-11, 185), RB; Patrick Matt (5-8, 160), WR; David Sphan (5-9, 175), RB; John Muller (6-1, 210), DL; Bill Hamilton (6-2, 190), TE, and Tony Stanich (5-11, 170), QB.

Outlook: Galindo takes over a veteran squad that has good speed but lacks depth. Applegate moves from quarterback to wide receiver to utilize his size and speed (4.7 in the 40-yard dash). He and Evenson (4.5) are major-college prospects on the outside. Olais saw spot duty at quarterback as a junior but with the aforementioned receivers and an experienced line--headed by Galkowski, Hilman and Gill--he should adjust well to a full-time roll. In the backfield, Pacheco will team with Kofman, who returns after an idle junior year. On defense, Marshall will anchor the line. Reber and Carter, a sophomore starter in ‘85, will head the linebackers, and Evenson and Martin will control the secondary. Overall, the multi-talented Applegate should provide the answers for the Saints this year. “The kid is one of those super athletes that a school gets once in a lifetime,” Galindo said. “Tony’s (Evenson) like that, too. One’s big, the other is small. Our biggest plus is Tony and Charlie outside.”

SAN DIEGO

Last season’s record: 0-5, 2-8

Finish: Sixth

Coach: Steve Hembera

Key Personnel: Milo McDonald (6-0, 210), G/LB; Carlos Borquez (5-11, 185), FB/LB; Ricky Gomez (6-1, 225), C; David Rex (6-4, 190), S; Joe Boyle (6-1, 200), DT; Mike Gonzalez (5-11, 220), G/NG, and Tony Contreras (5-11, 260), OT.

Top Newcomers: Jorge Garcia (5-9, 155), G; Damon Carson (5-9, 155), RB, and Dave Moore (6-4, 225), OT/DT.

Outlook: Hembera, in his second season at San Diego, feels his team has “ironed out the rough edges and jelled within his system.” Hembera returns his entire offensive line and linebacking corps. Tom Lopez has been added to the staff to try to work the same magic with the defensive backfield that he did with the school’s baseball team (Lopez coached the baseball team to the league title in 1986 after the Cavers had suffered 10 straight losing seasons). Lopez will inherit blue-chip prospect Rex, who moves from linebacker to safety to utilize his 4.7 speed and exceptional size. Once the quarterback battle between senior Armando Ramirez and junior Jimmy Taylor is resolved, the offense will be fit to surprise. Borquez, the team’s top rusher, returns at fullback, and 4.55 sprinter Carson moves in at halfback. “We’re going to give them (Central League teams) a much tougher game than we did last year,” said Hembera, who admires toughness regardless of size. That’s why guard prospect Garcia should be respected and junior varsity player Jason White (5-1) may be the future of the Cavers’ backfield.

Wednesday: Metro South Bay