1986 ALL-STARS

Diversity. In the decade of the 1980s, it is tantamount to success for a high school football player.

Declining enrollment has thinned the talent at virtually every school. Accordingly, the ability of each athlete to play more than one position, and play it well, is critical to the success of the football program.

Take Valley Christian High School’s multi-talented Sean McQuown, a member of The Times 1986 All-Southeast football team. McQuown, a senior, fills a variety of roles for the Crusaders. As punter, he is averaging 40.5 yards a kick. He has also connected on 8 of 11 field goal attempts and kicked 45 points after touchdowns. As a receiver, he has caught 44 passes for 718 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense, the safety has 10 interceptions.

“He is our triple-threat option,” said Crusader Coach Mike Wunderley, who sends McQuown and company into the Southern Section’s Inland Conference championship game Saturday night.

It is that kind of output that is reflected in this season’s selections for the All-Southeast team. Of the 23 players chosen, only four specialize in playing just one position.

Fifteen schools are represented on the first and second teams, with Whitmont League champion Bell Gardens High leading the way with five selections, followed by Big Five Conference finalist St. John Bosco High, with four picks.

The 23 first-team members will be honored at The Times’ Football Awards Brunch Sunday morning at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel. John Cooper, head football coach of Rose Bowl-bound Arizona State, will be the featured speaker.

Awards for back of the year, lineman of the year and coach of the year will be announced at the brunch. Those selections will be published Dec. 18.

The Times selects all-star teams from 10 geographic zones in Southern California.

The following Southeast-area players were named to The Times’ first team based on information supplied by coaches, college scouts and staff writers:

OFFENSE Quarterback--Andy Emch (Whittier, Sr.): Emch was a pillar of strength on a nowhere team that won just one game all year. Yet, at 6-5 he was the unanimous choice of every coach polled. Said one opposing coach from a team that beat Whittier this season: “I’d have liked to have a kid like Emch as my quarterback.” In nine games Emch completed 52.8% of his passes for 1,429 yards and 6 TDs. It was also a running joke at Whittier to keep track of the number of passes his receivers dropped each game. Much of the time he was fighting off would-be tacklers, and his gritty play drew praise from league opponents. “That kid is tough,” Bell Gardens Coach Dave Newell said.

Running back--Mondo Costello (St. Paul, Sr.): Swordsmen Coach Rick Ready calls Costello “versatile” and “flashy.” He definitely presented multiple problems for his opponents. In regular season play he rushed for 769 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 295 yards and 3 more scores. “He’s a smart kid and always has his head in the game,” Ready said. He was an All-Angelus League selection.

Running back--Robbie Watkins (La Serna, Jr.): A second team All-Southeast choice a year ago, Watkins took a step up this season. He was named the offensive back of the year in the Whitmont League after rushing for 1,330 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns. He was primarily a dive back, with good power through the gaps. In 21 games during his two-year varsity career he rushed for 2,759 yards.

Running back--Jim Sterner (St. John Bosco, Sr.): Sterner, a triple-threat player, will be the Braves’ quarterback in Friday night’s Big Five Conference championship game at Anaheim Stadium against Crespi High. But he makes the team as a running back based on his ability to direct the Bosco veer offense. Coach Bill Friedrich was adamant in discussing Sterner’s value to his team, which takes a 13-0 record into the final. “You’re talking about the CIF player of the year,” he said of Sterner. Sterner has thrown for more than 1,800 yards as well, and is the brains of the Brave offense, Friedrich said. “He’s the reason we are still playing,” the coach said.

Wide receiver--Jason Pantages (St. Paul, Sr.): Pantages was “the big-play guy” at St. Paul this season, according to Coach Rick Ready. Once, he returned an opening kickoff 91 yards for a score. Another time he legged a 74-yard pass for a touchdown. He scored five TDs on receptions. In all, he caught 44 passes for 570 yards in 10 regular season games. “He played hurt in the latter part of the year,” said Ready, “but it never slowed him down.”

Wide receiver--John Sung (La Serna, Sr.): Another all-purpose player. During the regular season Sung caught 4 passes for scores, kicked a field goal and 27 extra points and returned 2 punts and 1 kickoff for touchdowns. He also played defensive back. He was always a big-play threat for the Lancers, and often, while on defense, opponents would run away from the side of the ball Sung played on. Offensively, he often drew double coverage.

Offensive line--Rudy Torres (Bell Gardens, Jr.): He was voted the Whitmont League’s offensive lineman of the year. Newell called him “a dominating force.” In the run-oriented Whitmont League, much of the more than 3,000 yards the Lancers ran for this year came over Torres.

Offensive line--Terry Furey (St. John Bosco, Sr.): Friedrich calls him “the consummate offensive lineman.” Furey rarely missed an offensive assignment. He is a two-year starter. Most of the offensive rushing yardage gained by the Braves came behind him.

Offensive line--Ernesto Vasquez (Montebello, Sr.): The pulling guard was the strongest player on the team and holder of three of the school’s four weightlifting titles. At 5 feet 9, 270 pounds, he bench presses 345 pounds. He anchored the left side of the Oiler line and was the team’s lineman of the year and an All-Whitmont League choice.

Offensive line--Sal Prieto (El Rancho, Sr.): He led the running plays for the Dons and was voted an All-Whitmont League berth. He was the team’s captain. Coach Don Peterson calls him “our leader.”

Center--Robert Stephens (La Mirada, Sr.): Stephens is a blue-chip prospect for four-year colleges. Stephens, 6 feet 4, 240 pounds, repeats on the team. He was a first team All-Suburban League choice. “He is the team’s most consistent blocker,” Coach Ray Mooshagian said.

All-Purpose--Sean McQuown (Valley Christian, Sr.): The multi-talented player is the team’s leading receiver. Described as “quick” with “good jumping ability” by Coach Mike Wunderley, McQuown specializes on being diversified. He has an ability to make up a lot of ground while the ball is in the air on defense, and that contributed to much of his success. “He’s a money player. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done,” Wunderley said.

DEFENSE Line--Ben Trujillo (Bell Gardens, Sr.): So impressive was Trujillo that he was voted the Whitmont League’s most valuable player, an honor seldom bestowed on a lineman. “He’s the best lineman I’ve seen,” Newell said. Trujillo also played offensive tackle, and at 6 feet, 225 pounds, was a formidable blocker. He was also one of the team captains.

Line--Eric Johnson (Valley Christian, Sr.): At 6 feet 3, 225 pounds Johnson was a lineman playing out of position at linebacker this season. He also played tight end. There too, he often played more like a lineman. He is an adept blocker and hard to move off the line. “He has the size and speed to play major college ball,” Wunderley said.

Line--George Garibay (Bell Gardens, Jr.): He was voted the Whitmont League’s defensive lineman of the year. He had 5 sacks, 15 forced passes and 42 solo tackles.

Line--Todd Johan (La Serna, Sr.): An All-Whitmont League choice as a defensive back, he played the monster back in the Okie 5-2 and often found himself on the line of scrimmage. He led the team in tackles.

Line--Greg Reynolds (Warren, Sr.): He is the co-most valuable lineman in the San Gabriel Valley League and is mentioned most by league coaches when discussing the league’s best linemen. He is a top hitter who can clog up holes, and was a key instrument in a 4-4-1 season at Warren after an 0-10 season two years ago.

Linebacker--Tom Furey (St. John Bosco, Sr.): “He makes the most devastating hits in Southern California,” Friedrich said. Several times he cracked a few helmets and sent an opposing player off the field on a stretcher--all the more amazing because he played the entire season with a broken toe.

Linebacker--Frank Murillo (Bell Gardens, Jr.): Murillo had 44 unassisted and 46 assisted tackles in 10 games. He forced 12 passes and was All-Whitmont League. He is “a major college player,” Newell said.

Linebacker--Alex Gammell (Whittier Christian, Sr.): Gammell, a rugged player, was in on 75% of Herald tackles this season. He was the defensive captain.

Back--Reggie Kennedy (Bellflower, Sr.): He is the only defensive player to repeat on the All-Southeast team. He missed two games with a broken hand, but still had seven interceptions. An All-Suburban League choice, he has a shot for a second consecutive appointment to an All-Southern Section team later this month.

Back--Kelvin Means (St. John Bosco, Sr.): “Outstanding athlete. Outstanding character and personality,” Friedrich said. He has a vertical leap of 30 inches and is extremely quick. He also played wide receiver and is the best pure athlete on the All-Southeast team. “He’s our money player,” Friedrich said.

Back--Joe Munoz (Bell Gardens, Jr.): They don’t pass much in the Whitmont League, so Munoz often flirts as a linebacker. He was in on 56 tackles, and had 3 interceptions--a high percentage in this league. He returned two of the steals for touchdowns. He was an all-league choice.

Second team offensive selections were:

Wide receivers--Mike Saenz (Santa Fe) and Danny Cabrera (Norwalk); Backs--Oscar Meza (St. John Bosco), Chris Martin (Whittier Christian) and Adan Avina (Montebello); Linemen--Matt Willig (St. Paul), Darian Schoolmeester (Valley Christian), Joe Ledesma (El Rancho) and Lee Butler (La Serna); Center--Tracy Melton (St. John Bosco); Quarterback--Jeff Willis (St. Paul); Kicker--Juan Cisneros (Bell Gardens).

Second team defensive selections included:

Linemen--Viliami Aholelei (Glenn), Art Salas (El Rancho), Henry Hernandez (Montebello), Travis Nease (Schurr) and Brian Biedebach (Valley Christian); Linebackers--James Boos (Glenn), Matt Peko (La Serna) and Roman Alacoa (St. Paul); Backs--Joey Para (El Rancho), Lane Reed (Valley Christian) and Art Velasquez (Montebello).

OFFENSIVE TEAM

Pos. Name,School Ht Wt Yr WR Jason Pantages, St. Paul 5-11 155 12 WR John Sung, La Serna 6-0 170 12 OL Rudy Torres, Bell Gardens 6-0 240 11 OL Terry Furey, St. John Bosco 6-1 210 12 OL Ernesto Vasquez, Montebello 5-9 270 12 OL Sal Prieto, El Rancho 5-11 182 12 Ce Robert Stephens, La Mirada 6-4 240 12 QB Andy Emch, Whittier 6-5 220 12 RB Robbie Watkins, La Serna 6-0 190 11 RB Jim Sterner, St. John Bosco 6-0 185 12 RB Mondo Costello, St. Paul 6-0 175 12 ALL Sean McQuown, Valley Christian 6-3 170 12

DEFENSIVE TEAM

Pos. Name,School Ht Wt Yr DL Eric Johnson, Valley Christian 6-3 225 12 DL Todd Johan, La Serna 5-10 175 12 DL Ben Trujillo, Bell Gardens 6-0 225 12 DL George Garibay, Bell Gardens 6-2 190 11 LB Frank Murillo, Bell Gardens 6-1 220 11 LB Tom Furey, St. John Bosco 6-2 210 12 DL Greg Reynolds, Warren 6-3 235 12 LB Alex Gammell, Whittier Christian 6-0 215 12 DB Reggie Kennedy, Bellflower 6-2 175 12 DB Kelvin Means, St. John Bosco 6-1 175 12 DB Joe Munoz, Bell Gardens 5-8 165 12