A DISARMING RIVALRY : Johnson, Marinovich Become Talk of Town

The Big Game is upon us, and now an explanation:

It is the most eagerly anticipated regular-season high school football game in Orange County in some time. It will be played at 7:30 tonight between Capistrano Valley and El Toro high schools.

Capistrano Valley officials expect anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 fans in the Cougars’ 4,000-seat football stadium.

But The Big Game is not a big game.

The Southern Conference championship isn’t until December; the playoffs are a month away. Each team, barring devastating injury, should make the playoffs.

The Big Game is The Big Game because Bret Johnson plays quarterback for El Toro and Todd Marinovich plays quarterback for Capistrano Valley.

They are considered two of the best high school quarterbacks in the United States. They have been Orange County’s best the past two seasons.

Depending on whom you talk to, this one or that one is the very best ever to play for a team in Orange County. And it’s because of that, because people seem more interested to compare, contrast and debate the great talent of each than to simply appreciate it, that Capistrano Valley’s stadium will be carpeted with humanity tonight.

“It’s amazing to me,” said Bill Cunerty, the Saddleback College quarterback coach who has known and worked with each since they were in grade school. “Here are these two great kids, with the type of talent this area is not going to see again for quite some time, and all people want to do is argue about who’s better.

“Who knows? Who cares? The kids are wonderful. It’s too bad people can’t appreciate that.”

And as people have talked, the area’s newspapers have written about the talk, eating up the comparisons. Their names seem to be constantly linked. If one does something, how does it contrast with what the other is doing?

As one veteran high school observer noted: “A rivalry gets more publicity. More publicity brings a lot more attention. More attention means the rivalry grows.”

Which, depending on how you look at it, is either the natural progression of things or a very vicious circle. The fact is that they have served to make each other famous. Neither denies there is a rivalry. Yet, neither has really done anything off the football field to promote it.

“To be honest,” Bret Johnson said. “I don’t think Todd and I have ever met in a setting that wasn’t related to football. You really can’t get to know someone that way . . . I don’t think this thing has built up because we don’t like each other. It’s just all the things other people write and say.”

It has developed through the talk and arguments of friends, teammates, coaches and fathers.

Bob Johnson, the El Toro football coach, has been coaching at the school for 13 years, 10 years as head coach. Marv Marinovich played football at USC and for the Raiders. He has been a strength coach for the Rams. Each has taken an active part in his son’s development.

“Let’s face it, part of the fascination with these kids is their fathers,” said Dick Enright, Capistrano Valley coach. “The way they’ve kind of molded these kids, some people think it’s great, others don’t like either one of them.”

And having taken such time and interest, and having seen their children excel only to be compared to the other’s child, each has become very protective of his son’s reputation.

Marv Marinovich says Bret gets much more publicity than Todd.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “There’s more written about Todd back east than there is out here.”

Bob Johnson agrees there is an imbalance, but in Marinovich’s favor.

“So much more has appeared in the paper about Todd than Bret,” he said. “They’ve tried to build him up like he’s some kind of perfect kid. The fact the papers write so much about the two is not for me to judge. I think any publicity is good publicity.”

Yet, Bret, who remembers the initial excitement of seeing his picture in the paper, has become jaded.

“The first couple of times it was great,” he said. “But now, I actually don’t like seeing my picture in the paper or my name in the headline.”

Even so, each father is aware of what the coverage can do.

Todd came home laughing one day from a photo session with The Orange County Register and told his father that he had had his picture taken eye-to-eye with Bret, who is three inches shorter than Todd.

Marv was angry enough to telephone the paper to complain.

“I was just upset that they were using Todd to perpetuate something that wasn’t true,” he said. “Everyone knows Todd is a tall kid, and that picture made it look like Bret was just as tall, and everyone knows that isn’t true.”

Which brings us to the perceptions of these kids. Because the majority of people who are interested in county high school sports can only keep up through the papers, many of their perceptions of Johnson and Marinovich have been formed without ever seeing either play.

Sunny Hills’ David Chisum, currently No. 1 in The Times’ quarterback ratings, has never seen either play.

“All I know about them is what I read,” he said. “And from what I read, when you think about Bret Johnson, you think about a winner. When you think about Todd Marinovich, you think about records.”

Chisum’s perceptions are pervasive throughout the county and pretty understandable. Johnson has not lost a varsity football game since he was a sophomore. He led El Toro to a 14-0 record last season and the Southern Conference championship.

Todd set the county’s career passing yardage record last season and is 509 yards shy of setting the national career passing yardage record.

What has risen from this is a public perception that Bret’s exceptional leadership skills and his incredible fire to win have overcome his being a shorter, less-than-great athlete.

That makes for a nice Reader’s Digest story, but the fact is, Johnson is nearly 6-1. As for his athleticism, he has started on El Toro’s varsity basketball team since he was a sophomore and will receive offers from colleges to play basketball instead of football.

Todd is looked at as a meticulously put together athlete who smashes records but is cold and lacks the tenacity to be a winner.

The truth is, Marinovich is Johnson’s equal as a competitor. He once injured a hand, went to the hospital and returned in the second half to throw two touchdown passes. He played the first half of last season with a broken thumb.

Johnson seems most sensitive about his height, another characteristic questioned in the papers. Bret makes the point that the average college quarterback is 6-1. Which means he is nearly the average height with an exceptional ability to win. Still, when he was asked to allow Marinovich to lean down on him during a photo session with The Times, Johnson immediately refused.

“I could have told you that was going to happen,” Cunerty said. “If there’s one thing that makes Bret bristle, it’s the insinuation that he’s too small to play quarterback.”

He isn’t small, just shorter than Todd, who is 6-4.

In the same way, there are those who say Todd is lacking in leadership, that he self-destructs in important games.

“It’s tough to still be in high school and already have the rap that you can’t win the big one,” he said.

True, Todd has never taken his team to a championship, but how many quarterbacks do? His record as a starter is over .500, which would seem to suggest he is a winner. In the case of victories, Todd has come up a bit short of Bret.

And so, that’s what the Big Game will decide. How much of what’s written, how much of what’s said and what’s heard is true. This, for all time, will determine, who is the best, the brightest, the . . .

Yeah, right.

“The way I look at it, they will cancel each other out,” Bob Johnson said. “The game will probably be won by some kid who doesn’t get his name in the paper or doesn’t have ESPN come over to his house.”

In last season’s game, Marinovich passed for more yardage than Johnson, yet El Toro won the game, 17-15.

“I’d much rather Bret have the better game and have us win,” Enright said.

Said Cunerty: “People, I think, have already made up their minds about these two from what they’ve read and what they’ve heard. They’ll go out to have a look, but no matter what happens, they’ll still think their guy is the best.

“I bet if the game ended in a 0-0 tie, people would say, ‘Well, my guy looked a lot nicer in his uniform.’ ”

They each have looked nice in them for quite some time. Maybe when they’re gone, people will appreciate that.

EL TORO vs. CAPISTRANO VALLEY

RECORDS--El Toro 5-2, 1-1, Capistrano Valley 7-0, 2-0.

THE STANDINGS--Capistrano Valley is tied for first with Mission Viejo. El Toro is tied for second place with Dana Hills.

SITE--Capistrano Valley High School.

EL TORO UPDATE--Well, things didn’t look so hot two weeks ago. Playing without injured quarterback Bret Johnson, the defending Southern Conference champions had lost two games in four weeks, including the league opener to Mission Viejo, 9-7. But Johnson returned last week against San Clemente to throw four touchdown passes. His presence takes an enormous load off the Chargers’ mediocre running game, and he will make use of the talents of receiver Chris McCarthy. The Chargers’ secondary, led by Adam Brass, is one of the county’s best.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY UPDATE--The Cougars’ offense may be the county’s most balanced. Todd Marinovich’s talent at quarterback is well-chronicled, so well-chronicled that it overshadows players such as running back Tommy Adams, one of the county’s fastest players. Adams is an effective rusher and is one of the best at catching the ball out of the backfield. Among the Cougars’ other offensive threats is 6-4 tight end Randy Stark. Coach Dick Enright refused to move this game to a larger stadium. Capistrano Valley can fit about 4,000, so the Cougars may benefit from a home-field advantage.

KEY TO THE GAME--With players the caliber of Johnson and Marinovich, if one has a great game it probably will mean his team will win. But as Bob Johnson, El Toro coach, points out, the two are more likely to cancel each other out. In that case, look for big-play players such as Brass, who also returns kicks and punts, and Adams to have a big say in this one.

CONSENSUS--Capistrano Valley has the better overall offense, El Toro the better defense. Each team has exceptional talent led by their respective quarterbacks. It’s just too close to call.

JOHNSON AND MARINOVICH: HOW THEY COMPARE

CAREER STATISTICS

Name G Att Com Pct Yards TD Int Rating W-L* BRET JOHNSON 30 590 342 57.5 5,136 50 23 150.8 26-4 TODD MARINOVICH 41 1,095 602 54.9 8,255 69 54 128.9 28-13

Name Playoff** BRET JOHNSON 6-1 TODD MARINOVICH 1-2

* Overall record in games started ** Record in playoff games started. 1987 SEASON STATISTICS

Name G Att Com Pct Yards TD Int Rating JOHNSON 3 68 41 60.2 600 9 1 175.1 MARINOVICH 7 169 98 57.9 1,538 13 8 150.0