City Eastern League Football Preview : Morse Figures to Test Madison

For the past three seasons, John Shacklett, Morse High School’s football coach, has stood on the other sideline and watched the demise of the Patrick Henry High football program.

Morse and Patrick Henry always had one of the most hard-fought rivalries in the City Eastern League--until recently.

“Three years ago, we played Patrick Henry, and I thought it was the worst Henry team I’d even seen,” said Shacklett, Morse’s coach for the past 16 years. “Then, I saw them two years ago and they were worse. Then, last year, I thought they were worse again.”

Patrick Henry deteriorated almost completely last season. The Patriots were 0-10 overall, and in five league games were outscored, 142-26.

Patrick Henry, with new coach Chris Miller, will be trying to regain respect in ’87. Miller coached Crawford to an appearance in the section 2-A championship game two years ago. Last year, he coached the outside linebackers at San Diego State.

But beyond some respect, Patrick Henry isn’t expected to challenge for the league championship. Miller said that Madison, which returns 12 key starters from last year, and Morse, which returns 16 starters, are favored to battle for the City Eastern title.

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

Madison

Last season’s record: 4-1, 7-3.

Finish: First, tied.

Coach: Steve Miner.

Top returnees: Ken Robak (6-2, 190, Sr., DE), Edgar Pulu (6-0, 215, Sr., LB), Gary Ollison (6-0, 215, Jr.), Lonnie Mendiosa (5-6, 140, Sr., RB).

Top newcomers: Brad Eaddy (6-4, 190, Jr., QB), Billy Stewart (6-5, 175, Jr., WR).

Outlook: Miner said he’s cautiously optimistic this year, and with good reason. The Warhawks return many of their key starters from a tough defensive unit that was best in the Eastern League a year ago. On offense, though, Miner is pinning his team’s hopes on Eaddy, who was impressive as the junior varsity quarterback last year. Miner has designed a one-back pass-oriented offense to best suit him. One thing Eaddy will have going for him is the presence of Stewart who was his favorite target on the junior varsity last season.

Mira Mesa

Last season’s record: 4-1, 7-3.

Finish: First, tied.

Coach: Brad Griffith.

Top returnees: Eddie Allison (5-11, 165, Sr., QB), Phillip Soloman (5-8, 165, Jr., CB).

Top newcomer: Brent Hurst (5-10, 190, Sr., LB).

Outlook: Griffith has been at Mira Mesa for 12 years and never has he had so few players returning from a previous season--three starters on offense and two on defense. “We lost a lot, but we’ve gained a lot too,” Griffith said. A year ago, Mira Mesa relied on running the ball with tailback Essex Burton. Burton is gone this year and now, with Allison coming along, the team should be more diverse on offense. Mira Mesa has the largest enrollment of any city school and usually fields a competitive team. This year, although many of the players are new, it should be no different.

Morse

Last season’s record: 3-1-1, 6-3-1.

Finish: Third.

Coach: John Shacklett.

Top returnees: Lincoln Kennedy (6-9, 300, Sr., OT-DT), Larry Maxey (5-10, 160, Sr., RB), Mike Lirea (5-10, 165, Jr., QB), Ty Morrison (6-3, 215, Sr., TE-LB).

Top newcomers: None.

Outlook: Last year, Morse won its first three games and also won its last three games. In between, however, the Tigers were 0-3-1. The three-game win streak at the end of the season gave the team a good attitude heading into this year. The Tigers return 16 starters from last year, and most played key positions. Shacklett is impressed with Kennedy, whom he says can be as good a lineman as there is in San Diego County. Morrison also figures to play a key role in Morse’s offensive attack. Shacklett runs the Wing T offense and Morrison figures to carry the ball a lot from his tight wing position.

Patrick Henry

Last season’s record: 0-5, 0-10.

Finish: Sixth.

Coach: Chris Miller.

Top returnees: Lance Lowery (6-3, 185, Sr., QB), Neil Medluck (6-0, 205, Sr., LB), Collis Hunt (6-1, 185, Sr., CB), Joe Morris (6-2, 210, Sr., OT).

Top newcomer: Cleo Short (5-10, 175, Jr., RB), Willie Johnson (6-2, 190, Jr., S).

Outlook: Things can only get better. Miller is an enthusiastic leader who will attempt to inject some life into the players to try to help them forget about the failures of the past season. He has some key players back, including Lowery, the team’s offensive leader, and Medluck, the team’s defensive leader. Hunt was an all-league selection a year ago. “We need to get that first win so these kids can start believing in themselves again,” Miller said. It’s unrealistic to think Patrick Henry can achieve a complete reversal in 1987, but it’s a good possibility the team will regain much of the respect it lost in 1986.

Point Loma

Last season’s record: 2-2-1, 6-3-1.

Finish: Fourth.

Coach: Bennie Edens.

Top returnees: Israel Stanley (6-3, 230, Sr., LB), Kelby Downey (5-6, 158, Sr., RB), Marcel Brown (6-2, 195, Sr., DB).

Top newcomer: Michael Bennett (6-1, 171, Sr., QB).

Outlook: Edens, in his 32nd year as head coach, said this could be one of his best teams. The Pointers have as much experience as any team in the league. Returning are two running backs, two receivers and five letterman in the offensive line. On defense, Edens returns starters at both defensive end positions, both outside linebackers positions and all three defensive back spots. Bennett, the quarterback, played some last year before going down with an injury the second game of the season. Point Loma was a tough-luck team a year ago, playing very well against good competition but always seeming to come up short. This year, with a few breaks and added experience, Point Loma could break through and win some of those close games.

Serra

Last season’s record: 1-4, 2-8.

Finish: Fifth.

Coach: Skip Coons.

Top returnees: Chris Robinson (5-11, 170, Sr., QB), Troy Dixon (6-1, 190, Sr., RB), Matthew Ladandorff (6-2, 170, Sr., DB-WR), Mike Booker (6-0, 180, Sr., DB).

Top newcomers: None.

Outlook: Two years ago, Skip Coons had only 14 players trying out for the Hornets’ team. After finding some more players, Coons, three months later, won a section 2-A championship. Last year, he was an assistant coach at Lincoln as the team won another section title. Now, he’ll be trying to pull off some more magic in his first year at Serra. The Conquistadors scored only three touchdowns in their eight losses last year and the team has never challenged for a City Eastern League championship. But Coons is hoping that with some time, he can turn the team into a contender. “We have some kids here, but it’s hard to say how we stack up,” he said. One positive note: 106 showed up to tryout the first day of practice.