1987 PREVIEW : VALLEY FOOTBALL : HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEWS : SANTA FE

Teams listed in predicted order of finish by Times staff writers. Chaminade

COACH: Rich Lawson, first year

LAST SEASON: 4-6-1; 3rd in league, 4-2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Lawson is new to the league, but most of his players won’t be. The team includes 20 returning seniors, led by quarterback Dave Morrison (6-1, 180), who passed for 1,211 yards last season. “Dave’s had a good summer and he’s spent a lot of time in the weight room,” Lawson said. Chaminade suffered a major setback when tailback Sean Burwell transferred to Cleveland last month. Replacing Burwell in the I-formation offense is senior Tim Lavin (6-1, 200), who played at Miraleste last season after leading Chaminade in rushing as a sophomore. Another senior, John Hreno (5-8, 185) will also play tailback. Wide receiver Chris Noonan will be another major weapon and is an accurate field goal kicker. “I won’t hesitate to go to him from 35 yards out,” Lawson said. Senior two-way tackles Doug Kavulich (6-3, 230) and Wade Rockwood (6-2, 210), and guards Bill Mirabelli (5-9, 200) and Dave Smith (5-10, 195) lead a beefy offensive line. The team’s linebackers, headed by Lavin and Joe Norton, lead the defense. “Our only question mark will be in the secondary,” Lawson said. Senior Jonas Escal era is the only established starter.

OUTLOOK: Although he inherited an experienced team, Lawson took the Eagles back to square one, stressing heavy workouts. “It’s very important for us to win our first game to set the tempo,” said Lawson, who opens the season against his alma mater, Notre Dame.

St. Genevieve

COACH: Lindon Crow, 12th year

LAST SEASON: 4-5; 5th in league, 2-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Valiants lost three league games last year by seven points or fewer. “We’re not very happy about last year,” Crow said. “We had no running game and we just didn’t win when it counted.” This year’s squad will attempt to make Crow’s final season a happy one. The former NFL player has announced his retirement, effective the end of the season. To strengthen the ground game, senior Chad Russell will move from wide receiver to halfback. Senior Ruben Aguirre, who was ineligible last season, will join Russell in the backfield. Running interference will be juniors Ron Neilson (6-4, 210), James Cordola (6-2, 220) and senior Tony Panna chia (6-0, 200). Junior tight end Marc Colon will add to what Crow says is an improved offensive line. Leo Cortez, who was with the varsity last season as a sophomore, will start at quarterback. On defense, Russell will return at outside linebacker, where he was all-league last year. Nielson will play middle linebacker and Frank Aguirre, Ruben’s brother, will be at strong safety.

OUTLOOK: “We need the running game in order to help out the passing game,” Crow said. “We’ve had it before, we just didn’t have it last year. I don’t think we’re going to be a high-scoring team, but no one in our league will be either.”

Harvard

COACH: Gary Thran, 14th year

LAST SEASON: 11-2; 1st in league, 6-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Although 11 players return, Harvard still has question marks at key positions. One is quarterback where last season’s backup Tim Naud and junior Gene Kim are competing. “It’s a toss-up right now,” Thran said. Thran must also replace Andy Bell, who rushed for 1,858 yards last year. Bell and Alex Huh, who gained 811 yards, led an offense that rushed for 3,486 yards, second to Crespi in the Valley area. Thran has adopted a formation from the leather-helmet era, instituting the single wing this season. Junior Marty Holly (5-11, 185), a converted linebacker, will play tailback. Thran said guard Mike Huskins (6-0, 200) is the school’s best lineman in the past 14 years, but Huskins may play fullback. Harvard will start two tight ends, seniors Matt Pauley (5-11, 172) and Dan Herman (5-11, 190). Sophomore Barry Burch (5-10, 170) could also see time. Linebackers Holly, Huskins and Pauley will lead the defense with help from tackle Brandon Willenberg (6-0, 215). Harvard replaces placekicker Dominic Sandifer, the Valley’s leading scorer among kickers, with junior Sam Cooper.

OUTLOOK: Relying predominantly on the running game, Harvard may be at a disadvantage to such sizable defenses as Chaminade and St. Genevieve. “I don’t think we’ll be quite as skilled as we were last year,” Thran said. “But we’ll be solid.”

Bell-Jeff

COACH: Doug Woodlief, third year

LAST SEASON: 8-3; 2nd in league, 5-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Bell-Jeff’s running attack suffered last season when the team’s best tailback, Aaron Green, broke his ankle in the second game and was lost for the year. With Green returning this year as a junior, along with fullback Mike Cesta, who also played as a sophomore last season, Bell-Jeff’s running game will be improved. Good thing, because quarterbacks Bob Tumas, a senior who missed most of last year with injuries, and Phil Reynolds, a transfer from Kennedy, are inexperienced. Woodlief also must replace 22 graduated seniors, including eight defensive starters. Cesta, who also will play linebacker, joins safety Tom Stanley and defensive end Mike Thomson as the only returning defensive starters. “We’ve got more guys out this year than we’ve ever had,” Woodlief said. “There will be a lot of fighting for positions.” Stanley, Rossie Johnson, another transfer from Kennedy, and Danon Bartoletti will be the wide receivers.

OUTLOOK: Bell-Jeff’s biggest problem is a lack of experience. “Our guys have to grow up,” Woodlief said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors, but they need game experience. The toughest game will be the first one.”

Cathedral

COACH: Tim Salter, first year

LAST SEASON: 4-6; 4th in league, 3-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH: With a new coach comes a new offense for Cathedral. Salter will discard the single-wing formation Cathedral used last year in favor of a split-back attack. Returning quarterback Javier Lopez, however, will remain at the forefront of the running game. Lopez was an all-league selection as a junior last year. “But he’ll throw more than he did last year,” Salter said. That means more action for wide receiver Mark Gutierrez and tight end Ricky Pinon. Contributing to the running game will be backs Milton Molina, Sal Mercado and sophomore Manuel Chavarin.

OUTLOOK: Said Salter, whose top priority is to develop a winning attitude: “Last year, by the time the guys got to the fourth quarter, they were out of it,” he said. “We want to be competitive in games.

Pater Noster

COACH: Andy Herrera, first year

LAST SEASON: 3-7; 7th in league, 0-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: With a 34-man roster, Pater Noster has more players this season than usual. But the Eagles won’t be carrying any extra weight. Through strenuous workouts, Herrera has everybody slimmed down, especially the offensive line. Junior two-way tackles Carlos Lopez (6-4, 235), known as “the Beast” and Cesar Chaparro (6-3, 215) have each dropped 20 pounds from last season. Senior tackle Otto Monzon (6-0, 200) has lost 15 pounds. “But they’ve all increased in strength,” Herrera said. “We just got rid of their baby fat.” Seven juniors, including quarterback Robert Rivera (6-1, 170), have earned starting jobs. Returning varsity players include all-league fullback Javier Aguilar (5-5, 170) and tailback Rudy Aguilar (no relation). David Ramaya (6-2, 170) will play wide receiver and defensive back and senior Tony Garcia will play tight end and linebacker. Other two-way starters are Rivera at safety, Javier Aguilar at inside linebacker and Rudy Aguilar at safety.

OUTLOOK: Quickness and aggressiveness are what will carry Pater Noster out of the league cellar, Herrera said. “That’s why we’ve tapered down.”

Salesian

COACH: Tom Strickland, third year

LAST SEASON: 2-8; 6th in league, 1-5

PLAYERS TO WATCH: A veteran offensive line will try to lead an otherwise inexperienced team to a higher league finish. Seniors Jimmy Perez (5-10, 200), Albert Pacheco (5-10, 260) and Roger Guerrero will be joined by juniors Manuel Vasquez (6-4, 240), Raymond Ortega (6-2, 230) and Steven Tamayo (5-10, 220) up front. “A lot depends on how well our offensive line comes along and how well the younger kids work with them,” Strickland said. Wingback Luis Urbialis is Strickland’s “blue-chip athlete.” The other half of the double-wing is Ruben Guerrero, Roger’s brother. Darren Taylor and Manuel Gomez, a transfer from Kennedy, will alternate at quarterback. Much of the offensive line will play both ways to lead the 5-2 defense. Defensive end Bill Cuevas and linebacker Michael Sifuentes will add support.

OUTLOOK: “You’re going to have to go through Bell-Jeff, Harvard and Chaminade to win this league,” Strickland said. “And St. Genevieve should be better also. A lot of people think we’re not going to do too well, but it’s a nice position to be in. We can surprise some people.”