SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL : THE TIMES’ ALL-COUNTY 1987 TEAM : Point Loma Makes Its Points : Successful Pointers, Bound for 3-A Final, Lead Team With Four Selections

Nobody gave much credit to the Point Loma High School football team when those annual preseason predictions were being made last August.

The Pointers were mentioned as an afterthought, if at all.

But Point Loma, which will play Morse in the San Diego Section 3-A championship Saturday night, has four players named to The Times’ 1987 All-County team.

The Times’ sports staff selected the team from the 65 San Diego County schools.

Point Loma--with tight end Bob Brasher, offensive tackle William Howard, defensive back Marcel Brown and kicker T.J. Linardi highlighting this season’s all-county selections--has one of the county’s most talented teams.

Point Loma’s 12-0 record may have been a surprise to many coaches, but not the Pointers’ Bennie Edens.

Edens said knew this was one of the strongest teams he had had at Point Loma in the last five years.

So much for preseason predictions.

Here’s a look at The Times’ 1987 team:

OFFENSE

Darrow Nelson, Fallbrook wide receiver--In 12 games, Nelson had 87 receptions for 1,194 yards and 9 touchdowns. Nelson’s powerful running was a key to Fallbrook’s “gun and run” passing offense.

Todd Sheehan, Helix wide receiver--Sheehan was named the Grossmont League’s player of the year on offense. Despite playing hurt for several games of the season, Sheehan caught a league-leading 32 passes for 463 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Bob Brasher, Point Loma tight end--Brasher was quarterback Mike Bennett’s favorite receiver, especially when the Pointers faced Morse for the City Eastern League championship. Brasher caught 4 passes in the game for 157 yards and 1 touchdown as Point Loma won, 14-13.

William Howard, Point Loma offensive tackle--Howard, a two-way starter, had his best game of the season in the City Eastern League game against Morse. He was a solid blocker during the season, helping lead the Point Loma rushing game.

Joe Heinz, Chula Vista offensive tackle--Despite his size (6-6, 305) he has 5.1 speed in the 40. “He showed other teams that he can move despite his size,” Coach George Ohnsorgen said. Heinz also handled the kicking duties for Chula Vista.

Clarence Loa, Vista offensive guard--Much of the credit for Vista’s powerful running game the past three years belongs to Loa, a quick pulling guard. Loa often was the lead blocker for Vista’s options and sweeps.

Erik Bliss, Helix offensive guard--Coach Jim Arnaiz called Bliss the best lineman at Helix in the last decade. Bliss anchored the offensive line for Helix, which was third in the nine-team conference in offensive yardage.

Freddie Porter, Lincoln center--On a team of good athletes, Porter was listed by Coach Vic Player as one of the best. Porter started on offense and defense for the second straight season and was one of the reasons Lincoln’s running game was a success.

Mike Turiace, Fallbrook quarterback--Turiace was the county’s leading quarterback in his first year as a starter, despite missing one game with a broken jaw. He completed 218 of 350 passes (62%) for 2,839 yards and 27 touchdowns in 11 games.

Darren Wagner, Lincoln running back--He scored five touchdowns in the Hornets’ season-opening 82-0 victory over San Francisco Wilson and was the county’s leading scorer with 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,677 yards, 400 more than anyone else this season.

Larry Maxey, Morse running back--Maxey was the county’s second-leading rusher with 1,271 yards in 10 games and also was the county’s second-leading scorer with 19 touchdowns. Maxey also returned kicks and punts, was a member of the kickoff and punt teams, and played cornerback.

T.J. Linardi, Point Loma kicker--Linardi’s contributions to Point Loma’s undefeated season began in week two when he kicked a 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game to defeat Lincoln, 24-21.

DEFENSE

Tamasi Amituanai, Vista defensive lineman--The only junior on the first team, Amituanai was one of the Palomar League’s strongest pass rushers. He’s also a threat against the run. “I would hate to have to play against him,” Haines said. “He is truly a fluid runner.”

Eric Parker, Mount Miguel defensive lineman--Despite his height (5-4), Parker was a key to Mount Miguel’s rushing defense that allowed an average of 1.4 yards per carry and 43 yards rushing per game. Parker had 93 tackles and 9 quarterback sacks.

Bill Hickey, Mt. Carmel defensive lineman--Hickey, a part-time starter last year, emerged as a top defensive player in the Palomar League.

Bill Clem, Mira Mesa defensive lineman--Clem, a second-team All-County choice a year ago, anchored the Marauders’ defense this season. Clem was also the team’s punter, averaging more than 40 yards per kick.

Tyler Batson, Torrey Pines linebacker--Opposing offenses tried to devise game plans that kept Batson from the ball. He is a two-year starter, and three-year varsity player.

Brent Woodall, La Jolla linebacker--Woodall had 65 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble return for a touchdown. The two-way starter also rushed 166 times for 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also served as the team’s kicker, making 14 of 17 extra points.

Haywood Mathis, Mount Miguel linebacker--He dominated Mount Miguel’s county-leading defense with 88 tackles and 15 quarterback sacks. Mount Miguel allowed 4.9 points per game and had five shutouts in its 12 games. Mathis also had three blocked punts and three fumble recoveries.

James Zarate, Sweetwater linebacker--Zarate had 105 tackles this season, including 19 against Morse. He had 9 sacks from his middle linebacker position. That gave him 25 for his two years as a starter.

Freddie Spears, El Camino defensive back--Spears had five interceptions this season, including two key interceptions and two key tackles in the second half of a 21-14 victory over San Pasqual. The victory helped El Camino gain a playoff berth.

Scott Catlin, Sweetwater defensive back--Catlin had nine interceptions this year and finished with 19 in his two years as a starter. Catlin played every position in the defensive backfield this year. He had 95 tackles, including 17 in one game against Lincoln.

Marcel Brown, Point Loma safety--Brown, a junior, was the leader of Point Loma’s outstanding defensive backfield, which among other things, held Mt. Carmel to 14 yards passing in the 3-A semifinals.

Steve Beatty, Chris Ello, Rick Hazeltine and Jeffrey Parenti contributed to this story.

Not available for photo: Tyler Batson, Larry Maxey, Freddie Porter, Freddie Spears, James Zarate.

SECOND TEAM

Offense--Jason Sowers, Orange Glen wide receiver; Billy Stewart, Madison wide receiver; Lincoln Kennedy, Point Loma tackle; David Lamb, Vista tackle; David Lively, Sweetwater guard; Jess Williams, San Marcos guard; Chris Nelson, Torrey Pines center; Sean Gousha, Orange Glen quarterback; Marc Jones, Vista running back; Pierre Jones, Sweetwater running back; Joe Lane, Bonita Vista kicker.

Defense--Duke Gonzales, University of San Diego High School lineman; Matt Tuisee, Oceanside lineman; Erik Sottlemyer, Mount Miguel lineman; Corey Powell, Patrick Henry lineman; Israel Stanley, Point Loma linebacker; Sibian Fuimaono, Oceanside linebacker; Ty Morrison, Morse linebacker; Rick Ashbrenner, San Pasqual linebacker; Bobby McGriff, Torrey Pines corner defensive back; Melvin Maxwell, Morse defensive back; Adam Wilson, Mount Miguel defensive back.

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

Name School Height Weight Class Wide Receivers Darrow Nelson Fallbrook 6-0 175 Senior Todd Sheehan Helix 5-10 165 Senior Tight End Bob Brasher Point Loma 6-6 200 Senior Tackles William Howard Point Loma 6-3 222 Senior Joe Heinz Chula Vista 6-6 305 Senior Guards Clarence Loa Vista 6-1 237 Senior Erik Bliss Helix 6-3 230 Senior Center Freddie Porter Lincoln 6-0 205 Senior Quarterback Mike Turiace Fallbrook 6-1 165 Senior Backs Darren Wagner Lincoln 6-0 187 Senior Larry Maxey Morse 5-10 160 Senior Kicker T.J. Linardi Point Loma 5-7 152 Senior DEFENSE Linemen Tamasi Amituanai Vista 6-4 295 Junior Eric Parker Mount Miguel 5-4 185 Senior Bill Hickey Mt. Carmel 6-2 198 Senior Bill Clem Mira Mesa 6-4 220 Senior Linebackers Tyler Batson Torrey Pines 6-6 227 Senior Brent Woodall La Jolla 6-4 224 Senior Haywood Mathis Mount Miguel 6-3 195 Senior James Zarate Sweetwater 6-2 230 Senior Backs Freddie Spears El Camino 5-10 165 Senior Scott Catlin Sweetwater 5-10 165 Senior Marcel Brown Point Loma 6-2 200 Senior