PREP FOOTBALL : Mission Viejo’s New Role: Favorite : Diablos Go From 1987’s Giant-Killer to This Year’s Giant

Mission Viejo High School, the party-crashing spoilers of the pass-happy South Coast League in 1987, takes on a new role this season. Boasting a talented backfield, two veteran offensive guards and a big defensive line, the defending league champion rates as the favorite.

Last season, Mission Viejo was picked to finish third in the six-team league behind El Toro and Capistrano Valley. The favorites had two of the most publicized high school quarterbacks in the nation--Bret Johnson of El Toro and Todd Marinovich of Capistrano Valley.

But the Diablos intercepted 19 passes in 10 regular-season games and upset El Toro, 9-7, and Capistrano Valley, 28-21, to finish league play with an unbeaten record.

Mission Viejo clinched the title with an emotional, 28-21 victory over Capistrano Valley. In that game, in front of an overflow crowd, Marinovich eclipsed a national passing record for career yardage.

Typically, Mission Viejo spoiled the celebration with four interceptions and sacked Marinovich four times to climax a season of upsets. Now, the Diablos have a new role as league favorite and no one is more aware of the reversal than new Coach Mike Rush.

“We were hiding in the grass last year,” Rush said. “We didn’t have a superstar, with the possible exception of (linebacker) Jeff Pease. We forced a lot of turnovers and quietly did the job. This year, everybody will be shooting for us.”

Quarterback Troy Kopp, overshadowed by Johnson and Marinovich, is now the top gun in the league. Kopp passed for 994 yards and 9 touchdowns in 10 games as a junior and returns with improved footwork, arm strength and the ability to read coverages better.

“Troy tended to throw off his heels and was an awkward runner last season,” Rush said. “But he came from nowhere and did the job. He has really improved his running ability, and we’ll use him in some sprint option plays this year.”

Eric Ekdahl, one of the most versatile players in Orange County, also returns. The tailback scored seven touchdowns and kicked six field goals, including a 47-yarder against Capistrano Valley.

“Eric is the best all-around athlete on the team,” Rush said. “He makes things happen. We’ll try to get the ball into his hands as often as possible.” Ekdahl will also play some at cornerback.

El Toro, with 35 victories and two Southern Conference titles in the past three seasons, should be Mission Viejo’s biggest challenger for the title. The Chargers have four returning offensive starters, including fullback David Nemeth and wide receiver Sean Drinkwater, and have added the nucleus of a sophomore team that was 10-0 last season.

“The well is not dry,” said El Toro Coach Bob Johnson. “We’re as young as we’ve ever been, but the players have been winners on the lower levels. Mission should be favored, but I can’t see anyone going undefeated in the league.”

Coach Eric Patton begins his first season at Capistrano Valley after serving as an interim coach for the final two games of the 1987 season when Coach Dick Enright was suspended by the Southern Section for violating the code of ethics. Enright, who had admitted viewing tapes of rival El Toro’s practice, subsequently resigned.

It was a season of turmoil for Capistrano Valley, which had to forfeit its victory over El Toro after the spying incident, lost its coach and then finished with two straight losses.

Capistrano Valley’s misfortune continued in August when its top returning player, Jeff Wilson, was injured in a car accident and was lost for the season. Wilson, a two-way starter at tight end and linebacker, suffered a broken foot, a partial tear of his Achilles tendon and cuts on his knee and face.

Ever-improving Irvine should be competitive with any team in the league under co-coaches Terry Henigan and Rick Curtis. San Clemente and Dana Hills are expected to struggle.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY--Patton, 37, was named the school’s coach in January after serving 10 seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator. Patton has only 43 players, including 5 sophomores, on the varsity.

Chi Chi Biehn, a converted linebacker, replaces Marinovich at quarterback. Biehn is not regarded as much of a passer, but offensive coordinator Ray Panici said, “He shocked me by playing as well as he did over the summer.”

The most impressive player in the backfield is 235-pound fullback Vernon McKenzie, a transfer from Narbonne High. Tony Solliday, star of the freshman team that was 9-1, will serve as Biehn’s backup.

Tackle Damon Psaros, a first-team all-league selection as a sophomore, is the best defensive player on the team. “We can’t block him,” Panici said. “He’s a mean, strong player who’s extremely quick off the ball.”

Two sophomores--free safety Jeremy Brion and wide receiver David Poltl--have emerged as starters, and Patton’s son, Ward, will start at inside linebacker. Ward Patton is wearing the same jersey number (45) that his father wore while starring at linebacker at Mater Dei and Notre Dame.

DANA HILLS--The Dolphins opened the 1987 season with a 5-1 record but stumbled badly in their final four games in which they were outscored, 122-26.

Offensively, left-handed quarterback Brent Gaut and tailback Zac Hickman are the Dolphins’ top players. Hickman gained about 600 yards as a junior. Both Gaut and Hickman are expected to double as defensive backs. Center Eric Bolton is also a returning starter.

Linebackers Brian Weinrich and Jerry Sunseri are among four defensive starters returning. Andy Adair and Brian Migge, both 200-pound linemen, give the Dolphins good size up front and will be joined by sophomore John Kochendorfer.

Top newcomers include guard Chuck Briggs, fullback Matt Carvallo and tailback Scott Pearlman, all juniors coming off a 7-3 sophomore team.

EL TORO--The Chargers have posted a 35-6 record over the past three seasons, the best record in the county, and have produced 27 Division-I players in the past seven years. Don’t expect this year’s edition to live up to some of those teams.

The only semblance of a major college player among the senior class is fullback David Nemeth, whom Coach Bob Johnson rates possibly as Division I-AA quality. Wide receiver Sean Drinkwater, who helped El Toro’s baseball team reach the Southern Section 3-A championship game, is a major college shortstop. Both Drinkwater and Nemeth were second-team all-league selections as juniors.

Steve Stenstrom, who led El Toro’s sophomore team to an undefeated season, will replace Bret Johnson at quarterback. “He’s good,” Bob Johnson said. “He’s very intelligent (4.0 grade-point average) and a student of the game.”

Johnson has his youngest son, Rob, playing on the sophomore team where he will get the opportunity to play 10 games with his peers rather than sitting on the bench. Linebacker Tad Weedman is the only returning starter on defense.

Among the top newcomers are tight end Bo Haley, tackle David Cuttrell and guard Kevin Adams. The Chargers’ trademark over the past three years has been their physical style of play on the lines, and this year’s linemen fit the same mold.

“I think you have to pick Mission Viejo to win the league because they have the returning quarterback, and that means a lot,” Johnson said. “But they’re certainly not a powerhouse.”

IRVINE--Despite winning only two league games last year, the Vaqueros drew the Southern Conference’s wild-card berth based on nonleague wins over Westminster, Saddleback and Villa Park. Eight starters return, including running backs Pat White and Mike Belle.

White rushed for six touchdowns as a junior, and Belle blossomed into the team’s best running back in the final three games as a sophomore.

“We brought Mike up from the freshman team and that was a big adjustment,” said Rick Curtis, co-coach with Terry Henigan. “But he really came on at the end of the season and then averaged five yards a carry in our playoff game against Santa Ana.”

Offensive tackle Ralphael Molle (6-5, 275) is a three-year starter with a 4.18 grade-point average. Many of the top academic universities are recruiting Molle. Ki Soo Lim, a second-team all-league selection at linebacker, is the strongest player on the team.

Dave Lincoln, backup to Jeff Jones last season, will start at quarterback. Curtis said Lincoln doesn’t have Jones’ running skills and will throw “just enough to keep defenses off balance.”

Defensive back Shane Brosnan, tackle Scott Robinson and defensive end Vaughn Shackleford are also veteran players returning.

Curtis, on the role of co-coaches: “We started talking about the idea in January. Neither one of us is big on titles, so it was no big deal. So far, we’re undefeated.” Actually, Henigan is 33-37-22 in seven previous seasons.

MISSION VIEJO--Rush, the team’s defensive coordinator for eight years, replaces Bill Crow as coach. Rush is also a former assistant at Santa Ana Valley and Sunny Hills. A knowledgeable and veteran staff remains intact under Rush.

Among the Diablos’ nonleague victories in 1987 were wins over San Diego Morse and Fountain Valley, both of which qualified for large-school championship games in their respective sections.

The defense, anchored by linebackers Penn Bushong and Greg Clapper, will be strong again after limiting 13 opponents to 8.6 points per game last season. Defensive tackle Greg Clark, the strongest player on the team, could develop into one of the top linemen in the league.

The talented cast of players in the defensive secondary has graduated with the exception of Jeff Jurgemeyer, but Rush said 17 players are vying for positions.

Kopp’s primary receivers are returning starter Eric Ciderstaff and newcomer John Baldelli, a recruit off the track team.

Mission Viejo’s offensive line is strong and experienced with left guard Pete Ashby and right guard Sean Parks returning. The defensive line is the biggest in the school’s history, headed by 250-pound tackle Pat Mitchell, 255-pound tackle George Clark and 235-pound newcomer Mark Slymen.

SAN CLEMENTE--Eric Kovanda, a well-traveled junior, will start at quarterback. Kovanda, 6-4, 197, played on San Clemente’s freshman team, transfered to Capistrano Valley for his sophomore season, where he was Marinovich’s backup, and then returned to San Clemente at midterm last season.

“There are three things I like about Eric,” San Clemente Coach Dave Elecciri said. “First, he’s a tough kid. Second, he’s a good leader. Third, he throws the ball very well. With Eric at the helm, we’ll be much improved.”

Scott Newkirk and Bryan Chehock, honorable mention all-league selections, lead the secondary. Newcomers Ed Wiggins and Tony Robinson will also start in defensive backfield.

Ted Haberfield, a tight end and defensive end, is considered the best player on the team. The offensive backfield features newcomer Juan Maldonado and Marc Bohn, a linebacker moved to running back.

Elecciri has six starters returning, but offensive guard Spencer Mohler and defensive tackle Brandon Miller are the only returning starters on either side of the line.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE 1987 Overall, League Record in Parenthesis

SCHOOL ’88 COMMENT Mission Viejo (11-2, 5-0) Surprise team of ’87 has become the favorite in ’88. El Toro (12-2, 4-1) Lacks a Division-I player among its senior class. Capistrano Valley (8-3, 3-2) Hopes to rebound from a season of turmoil. Irvine (5-6, 2-3) Best tandem of running backs in the league. Dana Hills (5-5, 1-4) Should get some help from a 7-3 sophomore team. San Clemente (2-8, 0-5) Only two wins in league play in three years.