SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : Weekend Preview : Frustrations Behind Them, San Marcos and Orange Glen Meet Tonight

It’s difficult to say whether San Marcos High School or Orange Glen had the better season in 1985. And it’s also hard to say which school felt more unfulfilled at the end of the year.

San Marcos came within three minutes of reaching the San Diego Section 2-A championship game. After losing four straight games, San Marcos won five and tied one in their last six games to reach the playoffs. It beat El Capitan, 20-6, in the first round before losing in the final minutes to Crawford, 7-6.

Orange Glen won eight games a year ago, but the victories did not come at the right time. A 34-31 loss to Fallbrook, and a loss to Vista, the top-ranked team in the state, kept what many felt was the county’s second-best team out of the playoffs.

“Those were two very tough losses,” Orange Glen Coach Jeff Carlovsky said. “We felt we had one of the better teams around and to just miss out on the playoffs was very tough.”

San Marcos Coach Ken Broach was also unhappy after last season ended: “That loss (in the playoffs to Crawford) lived with me for a long, long time.”

Certainly, both teams had reason to feel disappointed.

But those frustrations will be forgotten tonight when San Marcos and Orange Glen open the 1986 season at Orange Glen at 7:30.

“We look back and realize that we had our chances last year, but we just didn’t do it,” Carlovsky said. “But, this is a new year and we’ll have some new chances.”

For San Marcos, tonight is a chance to redeem itself for last year’s season-opening defeat at the hands of the Patriots.

“I was very impressed with Orange Glen last year and I was very impressed with them over the summer,” Broach said. “But we can’t worry about that. I’m more concerned with getting my team back in shape.”

Orange Glen, meanwhile, is hoping that its offense, one of the most potent in the county last year, will be successful again. Scott Carlovsky, the coach’s son, and Matt Fiorello form a formidable receiving tandem that may be the best in the county.

The question is whether new quarterback Duffy Daugherty can get them the ball as often as last year’s quarterback, Bret Salisbury, did.

“I think our team is a lot like where San Marcos was at the beginning of last year,” Carlovsky said. “We have a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

San Marcos is counting on a strong defense and the running of fullback Jim Jennings to control tonight’s game. At 6-feet 4-inches and 240 pounds, Jennings is bigger than many linemen. Last year, he led the Avocado League in rushing.

Other Games to Watch

FRIDAY Mount Miguel (0-0) at Bonita Vista (0-0)--Both teams are considered serious dark horse candidates in their respective leagues. The Matadors (4-6 last year) of the Grossmont League 3A division are small but extremely fast and quick. Mount Miguel is led by junior quarterback Anthony Rivera, who had an up-and-down season at the position as a sophomore. Bonita Vista, of the Mesa League, was bumped out of the playoffs last year a 6-0 loss to first-place Sweetwater and a 17-9 loss to second-place Chula Vista. The Barons (7-3 last year) are led by running back Teddy Ehrhardt and an experienced offensive line.

SATURDAY Point Loma (0-0) at El Camino (0-0)--A rematch from last year when 2A El Camino, of the Avocado League, embarassed 3A Point Loma, of the Eastern League, 36-0. Both teams are solid enough to make playoff bids this year. Led by running back Joe Emerick and 10 starters from last year’s 6-3-1 team, the Wildcats are trying for their fifth straight league title. The Pointers (6-3-1 last season) are led by the county’s top returning running back, John Stanley.

Mission Viejo (0-0) at Morse (1-0)-- The speedy Willie Davis answered the Tigers’ question mark at quarterback when he led Morse, of the Eastern League (ranked No. 6 in The Times’ poll), to a season-opening victory over Kona Waene, 20-7, last week. Also solidifying the backfield for the Tigers is running back George Jackson and fullback Charlie Fishero. Mission Viejo returns seven starters from last year’s team that went 11-2-1, including a 25-11 victory over Morse. Senior fullback Darrin Seazy leads Mission Viejo.

BIG GAME FACTS

Who: San Marcos vs. Orange Glen

Where: Orange Glen High School

When: 7:30 p.m.

Last year’s records: San Marcos 6-5-1, Orange Glen 8-2-0

Last meeting: Orange Glen won, 42-7, in 1986

Players to Watch: San Marcos--Jim Jennings (6-4, 240) FB; Rick Evert (6-1, 180) QB; Mark Villalobos (5-11, 180) LB. Orange Glen--Scott Carlovsky (6-1, 180) WR; Matt Fiorello (5-8, 170) WR; Duffy Daugherty (6-3, 215) QB.