TEACHER vs. PUPIL : Rau’s Summer Project Could Come Back to Haunt Him

If Troy High School quarterback Mike Pawlawski has a big game passing against La Habra tonight, Highlander Coach Bob Rau may have the same sinking feeling that Dr. Frankenstein experienced when he brought his creation to life in the 1931 film.

I’ve created a monster! Or, more precisely, Rau helped create the monster.

By no means is the Troy quarterback an exclusive Bob Rau production, but the La Habra coach did play a major role in helping Pawlawski improve at last summer’s Quarterback-Receivers Camp in Bakersfield.

Pawlawski already had good size (6-foot 3-inches, 185 pounds), a strong arm and excellent speed before entering camp. But after working with Rau for 10 hours a day for five days, the senior returned to Orange County a better player.

“The thing that’s really noticeable is he broke my habit of taking a hitch step,” Pawlawski said. “Instead of taking a step or two forward (before I throw), I’ll sit back in the pocket, set up and throw. That way, I can read everything quicker, and if I have to, I can get rid of the ball quickly, just pop it.”

Rau accomplished this by borrowing from elementary psychology--negative reinforcement.

Every time Pawlawski took a hitch step at camp, he was ordered to do 10 push-ups. He averaged about 100 push-ups during the first two days, but decreased to 20 by the last day.

“I didn’t endow that kid with any talent he didn’t have, but maybe I helped him some,” Rau said. “The biggest thing with Scott was working with his feet, on balance and the transferring of weight--the kinds of things most kids need help with.”

A few months later, with La Habra about to face Troy in tonight’s Freeway League opener on the Highlanders’ field, Rau may be having second thoughts about the job he did in Bakersfield.

“He’s probably going to kill us now,” Rau said. “I was very impressed with him at camp, and I was hating life because I knew we’d have to play him. He’s a handful.”

Pawlawski, in his first year as starting quarterback, is one of the main reasons Troy is 5-0, the best start in the school’s 22-year history.

He has completed 39 of 80 passes for 563 yards and 4 touchdowns and is a running threat, too.

“He’s a hard kid to contain,” Rau said. “He runs well, has a very good arm and delivers the ball well. He gets rid of it in a hurry.”

Troy hasn’t defeated La Habra since 1974, and the Warriors hope a victory tonight will be the first step toward ending the Highlanders’ three-year reign as Freeway League champions. But Pawlawski has an added incentive.

“I just want to show him (Rau) how well he’s coached me,” Pawlawski said. “After the game, I’m sure he’ll have a few comments on what I’ll have to do to improve my style.”

Rau had his share of cracks at camp last summer. “Everybody liked him except for his jokes in the morning,” Pawlawski said.

“He’d say, ‘Well, it’s a lovely day out here in Bakersfield. It’s 100 degrees, and your girlfriend is wondering if she should go to the pool with Bob, to the mall with Jim, or go pick up a new guy.’ ”

Rau was a demanding coach, but camp wasn’t all work and no play.

“He’d always want to have fun, and he allowed us our play time, too,” Pawlawski said. “He’s a real nice guy. I’ve only seen him once since camp, so I’m looking forward to talking to him after the game.”

Pawlawski, the catcher on the Warriors’ baseball team, was the backup to quarterback David St. Clair during his sophomore and junior seasons. He saw varsity action as a receiver and defensive back but missed the first half of last season because of an injury suffered in August of 1985.

“We were water-skiing at Lake Havasu and I was diving from a sand bar into the river, trying to play Greg Louganis,” Pawlawski said.

What happened next looked more like a Chevy Chase gag. He missed the river, tumbled onto the shore and broke a leg.

Pawlawski wore a cast for four weeks but returned in time for the league opener. The Warriors had a chance to win a share of the 1985 league title but lost to La Habra, 19-0, in the ninth week of the season.

For Pawlawski, the loss doesn’t stand out nearly as much as the punishment delivered by 5-8, 200-pound Chuck Weatherspoon, who rushed for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns that night.

“A (defensive) guard and I hit him at the same time,” Pawlawski said. “He ended up with a concussion and I ended up on my back.

“La Habra has a good quarterback in (Matt) Shackelford and running back in (John) Robertson, but they don’t have the weapon they’ve had the past few years in Weatherspoon. We feel we’ll have a much better chance (to beat La Habra) this year.”