Woodbridge Hopes to Grab Elusive League Title

When six of Orange County’s struggling football programs got together three years ago to form the Pacific Coast League, they knew someone had to win.

In 1985, they combined for a 14-45-1 record, with two teams going 0-10.

“There was no way to go but up,” said Trabuco Hills Coach Jim Barnett.

Last year, Laguna Beach won the Pacific Coast League championship over eventual CIF Desert-Mountain champion Woodbridge, and Trabuco Hills made its first playoff appearance. Orange, which won the first PCL title in 1986, struggled along with Costa Mesa and Laguna Hills, forming a separation of power that is likely to continue this season.

But the idea has worked.

As a group, the PCL was 32-28 last year, no threat to the South Coast League, but no pushover, either.

Woodbridge, the only team to have a winning record in the year before the PCL was formed, appears to be the class of the league this season. Of course, that’s been the case every year, but the Warriors have yet to win a PCL championship.

“We’re looking for big things,” said Coach Rick Gibson. “It’s hard to say, but it could be better than last year’s team.”

Woodbridge is given a slight edge among most coaches as the league favorite. Among the Warriors’ eight returning starters, quarterback Fred Schweer passed for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games last year. Laguna Beach and Orange also could figure into the title hunt.

COSTA MESA--In his four years as the Mustangs’ coach, Tom Baldwin has seen his team progress from getting blown out to getting beaten at the wire.

A loss is still a loss, and there were eight of them against two victories last year.

But Baldwin, though frustrated, can sense a new spirit.

“To have a good program, you have to be able to stay close against the teams that are better than you,” Baldwin said. “Well, we did that last year. We lost six games by six points or less (including a 10-7 loss to Laguna Beach on a 52-yard field goal). We were in almost every game. Now we want to take that next step, to win those games.”

It can be a slow process, teaching players how to win. This year’s seniors lost every game they played as freshmen, sophomores and juniors. “Winning is something they have to learn,” Baldwin said. “You have to learn to expect to win.”

Baldwin has six returning starters, including two all-PCL selections, offensive guard/middle linebacker Jim Hastie and cornerback Mannie Bonilla. Bonilla also will be a key figure in the Mustangs’ running game, which will have to weather the graduation of 1,000-yard rusher Terry Bryant. Quarterback Rich Schones returns, but he missed much of the ’87 season because of injury.

Injury is a word that scares Baldwin more than his schedule.

“We had some key injuries last year, and if that happens again, we’re in trouble,” he said. “If we lose our quarterback again, we’ll be 2-8 again.”

But Baldwin believes if his team can ward off injuries and learn how to win the close games, it could turn the corner this season.

LAGUNA BEACH--What do you do when you’re coming off a season in which you won the PCL championship on the arm of a senior quarterback who was the nation’s No. 2-ranked passer?

Rebuild?

Yes and no.

It would be hard for the Artists to be as good as they were in 1987. Quarterback Danny Lane is gone, and so are the 2,286 yards and 19 touchdowns he accounted for last year. Laguna Beach had its best team in years, defeating previously unbeaten Woodbridge, 24-17, in the final game of the regular season to clinch the PCL title.

But second-year head coach Lyman Olney is optimistic.

Replacing Lane is key, and that chore likely will go to junior Aaron Scheid.

Other returnees include running backs Shan Gray and Jordi Mas and kicker Jason Crabbe, who kicked a 52-yard field goal to beat Costa Mesa, 10-7.

LAGUNA HILLS--In taking charge of a program that has gone 4-38 in the past four years (including 0-10 in 1987), Coach Steve Bresnahan knows he faces a long-term project.

“It’s going to take a lot of work,” he said.

Bresnahan came to Laguna Hills after four years as the quarterbacks and receivers coach at Cal State Long Beach. But his high school coaching credentials are impressive. He won back-to-back Moore League championships at Long Beach’s Lakewood in 1982-83.

“Having been away from high school football for four years, it’s hard to say where we’re at right now,” Bresnahan said.

Bresnahan is by nature a passing coach, but he doesn’t have the athletes to run that kind of offense this season. The Hawks will run from a wing-T, counting on the kind of misdirections and traps that allow smaller, slower, less talented teams to win when they shouldn’t.

Bresnahan has moved senior Mike Helm, a starter in the defensive secondary last year, to quarterback. Other returning starters include tight end/linebacker Rob Milo, running back/defensive back Mike Allison, offensive tackle Brett Abbott and offensive guard Dusty Christensen.

“Our defense is the question mark,” Bresnahan said. “We’re going to have to play a lot of unproven guys over there and see what happens.”

ORANGE--The Panthers slipped from PCL champion to fourth place last year, but Coach Mark McMahon is confident his team can wind up closer to the top this season.

The best news comes on offense, where nine starters return, including the coach’s son, Scott McMahon, at quarterback. Last year, McMahon passed for more than 900 yards and five touchdowns. He also returns at cornerback.

“He’s got to go both ways because we have so little depth,” McMahon said. “We’re going to throw more this year than last, too. We’re not going to get anything cheap. We have to execute well to win.”

The Panthers return two experienced senior running backs, Richard Valenzuela and Aaron McAffee.

McAffee (linebacker) and McMahon (cornerback) will lead an otherwise young defense.

“I hope we’re in there fighting for (the championship),” McMahon said. “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not a good team. But we’ve got to stay healthy.”

TRABUCO HILLS--The Mustangs learned how to win last year, going 8-3 and advancing to the first round of the CIF Desert-Mountain Conference playoffs.

“They expect to win now,” Barnett said. “And that’s half the battle.”

For the other half, the Mustangs can rely on a veteran defense led by linebackers Todd Norman, Wayne Parks and Matt Davis, defensive linemen Robert Luna and Jim Farbaniec and all-PCL cornerback Tim Manning (10 interceptions in ‘87).

“For the first time, we’ve got a really good group over there,” Barnett said.

Offense is another story. Tim Christman, moving from tackle to guard, is the only returning starter. But Barnett cannot stop talking about his sophomore running back, 6-foot 2-inch 195-pound Ben Rooker.

“He’s quite a specimen,” Barnett said. “He’s real impressive to look at. He’s big and he has good speed. If he gets any bigger, I may have to make to a tackle out of him.”

But for now, Barnett is happy with his lineup.

“We still have some inexperience at key positions, but I’m confident,” Barnett said. “This place has never won much, and things are definitely looking up.”

WOODBRIDGE--It’s Gibson’s year as head coach--Gene Noji is taking a year off--but will it also be Woodbridge’s year as PCL champions?

Much of the team that missed the PCL title but won the CIF Desert-Mountain Conference championship last year returns, including senior quarterback Schweer, one of Orange County’s top prospects. Other key returnees include 6-4, 230-pound tight end P.A. Emerson, all-PCL linebacker Mike Yukovich and cornerbacks Ryan Nash and Randy Ramos.

“Schweer is a definite Division I prospect,” Gibson said. “He has good agility, a great arm and runs well.”

Schweer took over the quarterback chores when Eric Brougher was sidelined in the third game last year and wound up passing for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. As he goes, the Warriors will go.

With the success comes the pressure. “Last year, most people weren’t expecting us to do as well as we did,” Gibson said. “Now they’ll be gunning for us. But that’s OK. We still have a lot to prove.”

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEWS PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

1987 Overall, League Record in Parenthesis

SCHOOL ’88 COMMENT Woodbridge (13-1, 4-1) Led by quarterback Fred Schweer Laguna Beach (9-1, 5-0) Defending PCL champion Orange (4-6, 2-3) Nine starters back on offense Trabuco Hills (8-2, 3-2) Has Promising Soph in RB Ben Rooker Costa Mesa (2-8, 1-4) Must rebuild on defense and stay healthy Laguna Hills (0-10, 0-5) New coach inherits a program on the bottom