City Eastern Football Preview : Passing Fancy Will Grip This Competitive League

In the past, City Eastern League football has had something for everyone. You wanted to see a flashy passing attack? You went to Madison or Point Loma. You wanted a grind-it-out running attack? Mira Mesa or Morse was the place.

Oh, and above all, you wanted to see good football? You can’t do much better than the City Eastern did last year. Three of the six teams qualified for the San Diego Section playoffs, and two advanced to the 3-A championship. That final again: Point Loma 16, Morse 14.

But times are changing. Passing is now in vogue throughout the league--even Mira Mesa intends to throw more this fall. But for good football, this is still the place. The gaps seem to have tightened between upper-echelon teams such as Morse and Point Loma and lower-level teams such as Madison and Serra.

“I think our league will be a very competitive league,” said Bennie Edens, the Point Loma coach. “I really believe that any one team can knock off another on a given day. And that’s scary. You like to go into the league thinking you’ll win a few for sure and win the others if you play well. You can’t think that this year.”

Point Loma

Last season’s record: 5-0, 10-0 overall.

Finish: First.

Coach: Bennie Edens.

Top returners: Marcel Brown (6-2 1/2, 205, Sr., S), John Lewis (6-2, 170, Sr., CB), Mondola Wilkins (6-5 1/2, 210, Jr., DE).

Top newcomers: Lee Wielebski (6-0, 170, Jr., QB), Cliff Ransom (5-11, 170, Jr., LB), Jody Vickery (5-11, 185, Jr., LB).

Outlook: The three returning defensive starters are strong: Brown was an all-San Diego Section strong safety in 1987, Wilkins started at defensive tackle as a sophomore, and Edens said he considers Lewis to be as good as any cornerback in the county. But only one offensive starter is back. “We have to generate defense while the offense comes along,” Edens said. The offense will be directed by either junior Danny White (6-4, 185), who was on the varsity half of last season, or Wielebski, a transfer from USDHS.

Morse

Last season’s record: 4-1, 7-3 overall.

Finish: Second.

Coach: John Shacklett.

Top returners: Ty Morrison (6-4, 240, Sr., LB), Darrel Lewis (6-2, 190, Sr., S/RB), Mike Leira (6-0, 185, Sr., QB), Michael Ivory (6-1, 250, Sr., OG).

Top newcomers: Laalui Tosi (6-6, 245, Sr., OT), Russell Schunhart (6-2, 215, Sr., OG/LB).

Outlook: A strong nucleus returns, including Morrison, Lewis, Leira and Ivory--all were all-league. The Tigers opened last week with a 63-8 victory over St. Anthony in Hawaii. “It really wasn’t much of a contest for us over there,” Shacklett said. “The concerns I have for the team really weren’t answered.” Those include the cornerback and inside linebacker positions, where a handful of inexperienced players are attempting to win starting spots.

Patrick Henry

Last season’s record: 3-2, 4-5 overall.

Finish: Third.

Coach: Chris Miller.

Top returners: Len Bradley (6-1, 170, Sr., WR), Josh Millstone (5-10, 160, Sr., WR), Derrick Deadwiler (5-8, 155, Sr., RB), Shannon Webb (6-1, 185, Sr., LB).

Top newcomers: Matt Mealiffe (6-2, 170, Sr., QB), Scott Arlin (6-2, 185, Jr., TE).

Outlook: Mealiffe is ranked No. 1 in his class at Patrick Henry. “He’s extremely intelligent,” Miller said. “He understands the offense better than the coaches.” Don’t believe that, though: Miller had Patrick Henry in the playoffs in his first year last fall after the team went 0-10 the season before. But just five starters return. “If we come together as a team in our first five games, like I think we’re going to, we’re going to be in the hunt,” Miller said.

Mira Mesa

Last season’s record: 2-3, 6-4 overall.

Finish: Fourth.

Coach: Brad Griffith.

Top returners: Tim Wood (6-3, 225, Sr., OT), Jay Janavice (6-2, 215, Sr., OG), Brett Hurst (6-0, 205, Sr., LB), Mark Ziegler (6-4, 205, Jr., TE).

Top newcomers: Antoine Sims (5-8, 155, So., RB), J.J. Rowlett (6-4, 190, Jr., QB).

Outlook: Mira Mesa plans to pass more this fall. “Last year, we couldn’t throw it more than 10 feet, and we knew it,” Griffith said. Rowlett and senior Jimmy Murray (5-11, 165), who started four games last year, will both play at quarterback. Mira Mesa’s weakness is depth. “We’re a little bigger, stronger and faster than last year,” Griffith said. “We think the starters are pretty good, but I wonder how much depth we have.”

Madison

Last season’s record: 1-4, 2-7-1 overall.

Finish: Fifth

Coach: Steve Miner

Top returners: Brad Eaddy (6-4, 210, Sr., QB), James Cole (6-4, 185, Jr., WR), Rick Tylski (6-5, 240, Sr., OT), Gary Ollison (6-0, 215, Sr., LB).

Top newcomers: Mick Hermiz (6-0, 185, Jr., LB), Lemont Allen (6-1, 170, Jr., CB & WR).

Outlook: Madison is set at quarterback with the return of Eaddy, who threw for 2,358 yards in 10 games last fall. “If we can catch the ball as well as we caught it last year, we’re going to move the football,” Miner said. The Warhawks have a big offensive line anchored by Tylski, guard Ken Popiela (6-1, 230), and tackle Chad Jacobs (6-5, 230). Miner’s biggest worry is the secondary. New defensive coordinator Doug Pettit, formerly at San Diego City College in 1985 and 1986, should help.

Serra

Last season’s record: 0-5, 1-9 overall.

Finish: Sixth.

Coach: Skip Coons.

Top returners: Tom Cotner (5-11, 175, Jr., QB), Joe Delfin (5-11, 165, Sr., WR/DB), Roderick Alexander (6-0, 165, Jr., WR/DB).

Top newcomers: Charles Harris (6-0, 165, Sr., RB).

Outlook: Coons will be breaking in a new quarterback in Cotner, who started at linebacker last season. Serra has had only one winning season in 12 years. “We hope to be a lot more competitive this year,” Coons said. “We have some individuals who are catching hold to the system. We just have to turn their minds around from being accustomed to losing.” Running back Ralph Posten, second-team all-league in 1987, is probably out for the season with a knee injury suffered during the summer.