Avocado League Football Preview : San Marcos Remains Strong, So There Should Be No Surprises

The outlook for the Avocado League appears the same as last year: The league has three new coaches, and Bill Tamburrino at Ramona High School says his team will be better.

Ramona should be better than last year’s 0-10 team. But can Rick Brown at Carlsbad, Tom Everest at Escondido or a new coach (Craig Bell) at a new school (Rancho Buena Vista) that does not have seniors surprise everyone and win the league title?

Probably not, though Coach Roy Scaffidi did last season in his first year as Oceanside’s coach.

San Marcos is the favorite to win the title, according to the league’s coaches. The Knights tied Oceanside for first last season with a team composed mostly of juniors.

San Marcos’ only loss in league play was to Oceanside, which was awarded the first seed in the playoffs and lost in the San Diego Section 2-A finals to Lincoln, 41-7.

Oceanside, which returns several players, is picked by the league’s coaches to finish second this season.

The juniors at Rancho Buena Vista have never lost a football game, having gone 20-0 on the freshman and junior varsity levels the last two years at Vista.

Carlsbad

Last season’s record: 2-4, 5-5.

Finish: Fourth.

Coach: Rick Brown.

Top returners: Dan George (5-7, 170, Sr., FB), Mark Arcidiono (6-0, 200, Sr., LB), Brad Thurmon (6-3, 235, Sr., OT), Brian Wilson (5-6, 145, Sr., K/CB)

Top newcomer: John Wiley (6-3, 215, Jr., LB).

Outlook: Brown coached eight years at Covina High School before coming to Carlsbad. Brown said he is an offense-minded coach who likes to run the ball more than throw. The Lancers are young, with only four starters returning. Senior Troy Guerra, last year’s varsity backup, and junior Thadd McNeal, last season’s junior varsity quarterback, are the quarterback candidates.

El Camino

Last season’s record: 4-2, 4-6.

Finish: Third.

Coach: Herb Meyer.

Top returners: Eric Robinson (5-10, 155, Jr., QB), Eddie Miller (6-1, 178, Sr., LB), Freddie Spears (5-11, 175, Sr., DB/WB), Brandon Marcy (6-0, 190, Sr., TE/LB)

Top newcomer: Wayne Tuitasi (6-0, 185, Jr., LB)

Outlook: The Wildcats had won the league title four consecutive years before last season, when they started 0-5 and had to battle to finish third. Meyer, who will begin his 29th year at El Camino, said he is not optimistic about improvement this season. Robinson, who has 4.7 speed in the 40-yard dash, became the starter late last year, but he may not have anyone to block for him. Eight of the 10 linemen on last year’s team were seniors.

Escondido

Last season’s record: 2-4, 2-8.

Finish: Sixth.

Coach: Tom Everest.

Top returners: Armando Chacon (5-4, 165, Sr., NG), Mike Gurr (5-8, 165, Sr., WR/DB), Tim Bone (5-9, 170, Sr., QB)

Top newcomer: None.

Outlook: Everest coached the secondary for the San Antonio Gunslingers and the Arizona Outlaws of the USFL and was head coach at a large high school in Dallas. He has been with his team for only three weeks in the spring and two this summer. The Cougars have only three starters returning, but Everest said they have a core of 25 juniors who can step in and play up to his expectations. Bone was the team’s second-leading passer last season.

Oceanside

Last season’s record: 5-1, 8-2.

Finish: First, tied.

Coach: Roy Scaffidi.

Top returners: Sibian Fiumaono (5-10, 185, Jr., LB/QB), Cedric Willis (5-9, 230, Sr., OL/DL), Matt Tuisee (6-0, 185, Sr., LB).

Top newcomer: Dion Nebel (6-0, 190, Jr., OL).

Outlook: The Pirates have 12 starters returning from a team that finished second in the section. Scaffidi said this year’s team has more depth and overall talent--45 players contrasted with 27--but lacks the outstanding individual players it had in ’86. Fiumaono, who played on the freshman team but not at quarterback last year, has become a steady leader, according to Scaffidi. Willis was all-league last year, but will have to try to fill the void left by the graduation of Junior Seau, the Times’ Lineman of the Year in ’86.

Ramona

Last season’s record: 0-6, 0-10.

Finish: Seventh.

Coach: Bill Tamburrino.

Top returners: Mark Deskovick (6-3, 215, Sr., DL), Matt Allen (5-10, 170, Sr., RB), Troy Woods (6-3, 228, Jr., TE), Sean Boyd (6-0, 210, Sr., C).

Top newcomer: Jason Gonzales (5-11, 160, Jr., QB).

Outlook: How do you look at a new season when you’re in the middle of a 19-game losing streak? Positively. At least that’s how Tamburrino sees it. The Bulldogs have eight starters returning, but only three have earned a starting job on this year’s team. The offensive line averages about 220 pounds. After averaging 3.2 points per game, Tamburrino has gone to an offense with five receivers--similar to the one that was successful for Fallbrook last year. That puts a lot of pressure on Gonzales, but Tamburrino said he has a good arm and 4.5 speed in the 40. The Bulldogs also hired Mel Galli, who was head coach at Carlsbad last year and one of the most respected defensive coaches in the league, as defensive coordinator.

Rancho Buena Vista

Last season’s record: School’s first varsity season.

Coach: Craig Bell.

Top returners: Al Aliipule (6-2, 215, Jr., LB/FB), Scott Garcia (5-10, 170, Jr., RB), John Robirds (6-0, 200, Jr., LB), Brian Husted (6-2, 220, Jr., DL/OT), Junior Moi (6-3, 200, Jr., DL).

Top newcomer: David Roberts (5-9, 160, Soph., QB).

Outlook: They are all newcomers in a sense, but Roberts hasn’t played a down of junior varsity ball yet. He was the quarterback on the freshman team at Vista last year, but Bell is impressed enough to start him. He ran for four touchdowns in a preseason scrimmage. Aliipule, the only starter from last year’s Vista team who will play at “the Ranch,” was a reserve quarterback, but Bell said Aliipule runs like a natural fullback. Garcia set a Vista record by scoring 25 touchdowns last year on the junior varsity team.

San Marcos

Last season’s record: 5-1, 6-3-1.

Finish: First, tied.

Coach: Ken Broach.

Top returners: Rick Ebert (6-1, 185, Sr., QB), Jeff Scott (6-2, 215, Sr., DL), Brian McDaniels (6-2, 195, Sr., OL), Scott Ashby (5-11, 180, Sr., TB).

Top newcomers: Condado Alvarez (5-10, 195, Jr., RB), Dan Wright (6-3, 180, Jr., TE).

Outlook: The Knights have 25 lettermen and 12 starters returning. Fullback Jim Jennings moved on to San Diego State, but San Marcos still should have one of the county’s best running games. The line averages 230 pounds, but they will miss 240-pound Tim Odom, who had surgery in August after having a brain aneurysm while lifting weights. Odom may be able to play before the season ends. Ebert is a three-year starter. The defense, with four returning starters, is the biggest concern. The entire secondary graduated and it has been hard to replace, Broach said.

San Pasqual

Last season’s record: 2-4, 4-6.

Finish: Fourth, tied.

Coach: Mike Dolan.

Top returners: Dave Emerson (6-1 1/2, 207, Jr., FB), Chris Natolli (6-1, 175, Sr., WR), Rick Aschbrenner (6-0, 178, Sr., LB), Keith Nichols (6-1, 215, Sr., DL).

Top newcomers: Jeff Gilbert (5-9, 170, Jr., DT), Jim Clayton (5-10, 165, Jr., RB).

Outlook: The league’s coaches pick the Eagles to be one of the teams that could steal the league title. Emerson started last year and has a chance to be one of the best fullbacks in the county. Jon Busch, a senior who led the junior varsity to a league title in ‘85, and junior Andy Loveland, who won the league championship with the junior varsity last season, will fight for the quarterback job. The Eagles have eight players who can bench-press more than 300 pounds. Aschbrenner, an all-league pick in ‘86, and Nichols anchor a tough defense.

Thursday: Metro-South Bay League.