Orange County Prep Football : Troy May Discover If Perfect Start Is for Real Against Valencia

This is John Turek’s third season as head football coach at Troy High School. So far his team is 3-0 and looking good.

“I think we all feel pretty good about the way things have gone so far,” Turek said.

The Warriors will be able to judge how good they are after playing Valencia (2-0-1) tonight at 7:30 in Placentia’s Bradford Stadium.

Troy has lost to Valencia the past two years.

“Last season, we gave them the ball three times within our 30-yard line,” Turek said. “They’re too fine a football team to give that much to.”

Turek thinks his team might have a better chance tonight because Troy has more to offer. Last season, the Warrior offense was basically quarterback David St. Clair. This year, Turek has running backs Todd Murdock and Karl Hess and quarterback Mike Pawlawski.

“In past years I didn’t think we could compete with them (Valencia) because we were pretty one-dimensional,” Turek said. “This year we have so many more weapons.”

Troy has scored at least 31 points in victories over Bellflower, El Dorado and Anaheim.

Even though all-time state rushing leader Ray Pallares has graduated, Valencia still relies on the running game. Tony Goulet rushed for 176 yards and 5 touchdowns as Valencia beat El Dorado, 41-10.

“I’m real happy with Tony’s progress,” said Mike Marrujo, Valencia coach.

After playing Westminster to a 14-14 tie in their opening game, the Tigers beat Sonora, 56-0.

In other nonleague games tonight:

Edison (3-0) vs. Mater Dei (2-1) in Santa Ana Stadium--The second-ranked Chargers scored two touchdowns in the second half last week to defeat Servite, 14-7, but both offensive guards, Dean Butler and Doug Blanchard, left the game with injuries.

Blanchard (ankle) will be out two weeks, and Butler (knee) will probably miss three games. Edison’s defense intercepted Servite quarterback Jason Messersmith six times.

The Monarchs, after opening the season with victories over Fountain Valley and Santa Ana Valley, lost to Santa Ana, 31-20. They are led by quarterback Mike Curtius, who has passed for 590 yards and 5 touchdowns, and running back Matt Spence, who has rushed for 292 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Los Amigos (2-1) vs. Western (2-1) in Handel Stadium (Western High)--The Pioneers physically dominated La Quinta last week in a 35-11 victory. Western’s offensive line, behind Dan Price and Vince Galaz, cleared the way for running backs Art Giovannini (55 yards and 2 touchdowns), Carl Manliguis (37 yards and a touchdown) and Jim Howell (52 yards).

Since losing, 47-0, to Los Alamitos in the season opener, the Lobos have defeated Magnolia, 34-20, and Estancia, 41-26. Los Amigos quarterback Andy Baturevich, who has completed 24 of 41 passes for 476 yards and 5 touchdowns, is Orange County’s second-rated passer.

Foothill (3-0) vs. Tustin (2-1) at Northrup Field: Foothill has had close wins over Capistrano Valley (28-26) and Riverside Poly (25-19). Last week, during a 17-7 victory over Marina, running back John Fischbeck rushed for more than 100 yards for the third straight game, and quarterback Chris Fergus threw for touchdowns of 26 and 65 yards.

Tustin got Coach Marijon Ancich his 200th career win with a last-minute, come-from-behind victory over Irvine. Running back Lani Machado was most of the Tustin offense last week, rushing for 95 yards in 23 carries.

Dana Hills (2-1) vs. Fullerton (2-1) in Fullerton District Stadium: Fullerton gained 208 total yards in beating Kennedy, 14-0, last week. However, 184 yards were on the ground. Mike Chacon led all Fullerton rushers with 89 yards.

Fullerton’s fondness for the running game could be bad news for the Dana Hills defense, which allowed Laguna Beach running back Jonathan Todd 155 yards last week, as Dana Hills lost, 14-6.

Sunny Hills (3-0) vs. Canyon (1-2) in Fred Kelly Stadium (El Modena High)--The Lancers’ offense features the county’s top-rated passer, David Chisum, who has completed 21 of 32 attempts for 523 yards and 4 touchdowns in victories over Rowland, Don Lugo and Cypress. The Comanches have faced tougher competition, losing their last two games to Capistrano Valley (28-14) and Loara (28-0).

Servite (2-1) vs. Fountain Valley (0-3) at Sheue Field (Huntington Beach High)--The Barons were defeated by Mission Viejo, 14-0, last week, but they’ll find no relief against the Friars, who have an excellent defense, led by linebacker Brett Valmassei and lineman Mike Petko. Servite tailback Derek Brown, who has 286 yards on the season, was limited to 43 yards by Edison last week.

St. Paul (1-2) vs. Ocean View (2-1) at Westminster High--The Seahawks, under first-year Coach Guy Corrozzo, are off to a good start behind quarterback Mike Spence, who has passed for 302 yards, and running back Kurt Szuba, who has rushed for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Swordsmen defeated Whittier, 28-7, and have lost to Loyola, 42-13, and Carson, 33-15.

University (1-2) vs. Laguna Hills (1-2) at Mission Viejo High--The Trojans, who have lost two straight, will send their run-oriented offense, with backs Craig Belle (286 yards in 46 carries) and David Liebke (282 yards in 48 carries) against the Hawks, who lost to San Clemente, 7-6, last week.

Buena Park (0-2-1) vs. Savanna (2-1) at Glover Stadium: Savanna opened the season with victories over Garden Grove (22-14) and Rancho Alamitos (12-0). However Savanna lost to Bolsa Grande last week, 34-8. Quarterback Tony Osendorf, forced to throw often, completed 14 of 37 passes for 147 yards and was intercepted twice.

The Buena Park offense has been less than impressive. The Coyotes have scored just 22 points in their first three games. Against Magnolia last week, Buena Park was held to 104 total yards. The Coyotes started three drives within the Magnolia 31-yard line and did not score. Magnolia won, 14-7. Buena Park’s only touchdown came on a Shane Smith fumble recovery in the end zone.

Artesia (1-2 )vs. Bolsa Grande (3-0) at Bolsa Grande Stadium: Given its nonleague record last season (2-3) some may be surprised by Bolsa Grande’s quick start this year. But the school’s success is not hard to figure. Bolsa Grande is averaging 344.7 yards rushing per game. Led by running back Travin Lui, Bolsa Grande has gained more than 100 yards in each of the three games. He rushed for 142 yards in 14 carries in Bolsa Grande’s 34-8 win over Savanna last week.

In Empire League action:

El Dorado (0-3) vs. Los Alamitos (3-0) at Gahr High--Griffin quarterback Tom Williamson has completed 34 of 52 passes for 424 yards and 3 touchdowns in victories over Los Amigos, Tustin and Gahr. The Golden Hawks are still searching for their first win following losses to La Quinta, Troy and Valencia.