Looking for a Few Good Men : Bankhead Regains Eligibility in Time for Opener Against Sonoma but Cal Lutheran Still Must Send Patchwork Lineup Onto Field

Not even a quarterback of Tom Bonds’ stature could have passed for 7,773 yards in his career at Cal Lutheran without a little help from his friends.

Joe Monarrez was one of Bonds’ closest friends and his roommate. He was also one of Cal Lutheran’s best wide receivers during the Bonds’ years, leading the Western Football Conference with 54 catches last season.

Like Bonds, however, Monarrez is gone. His departure, and the absence of senior John Bankhead, figured to force Coach Bob Shoup into making adjustments going into Cal Lutheran’s 2 p.m. opener today against Sonoma State at Mount Clef Stadium. Bankhead, who caught 37 passes for 787 yards and 5 touchdowns last season, had been declared academically ineligible.

So, just when Shoup had finally picked a successor to Bonds at quarterback--junior Jim Bees--he had to worry about who was going to catch the football.

But Bankhead, one of the fastest receivers in the WFC, regained his eligibility Friday after petitioning the school over a grade discrepancy.

“He gives us a little more experience on an offense that’s inexperienced,” Shoup said. “John is a big-play player who will attract a lot of coverages. It was a real lucky break for us.”

Junior Shane Hawkins, who saw limited playing time last year, and sophomore Tyler Jones will split time at the other wide receiver position.

“Both Jones and Hawkins had a real good camp, but they don’t have the speed that a Bankhead will give us,” Shoup said. “Both players are capable but inexperienced.”

Hawkins was recruited as a quarterback out of El Camino High in Oceanside. He played quarterback briefly as a freshman at Cal Lutheran in place of the injured Bonds. He had 5 receptions for 97 yards last year.

Hawkins practiced with Bees during the summer and is confident that he has a good working relationship with the new quarterback. “I picked up his style and know what he looks for on the field,” Hawkins said. “He’s also a leader, but in a different way than Bonds.”

Another position of uncertainty is center, where five candidates have been injured or quit the team, leaving senior Sean Demmon, a converted linebacker, to start today.

Shoup also has had to move 6-foot, 4-inch, 270-pound tight end Ken Whitney, Cal Lutheran’s strongest player with a 600-pound bench press, to right tackle. The Kingsmen have a strong returning tight end in Dave Deisinger.

CLU also has been forced into changes at fullback. Shoup expected six fullbacks to report for practice last month but wound up with only three. Two fullbacks quit the team and another, former Moorpark College running back Kenny Durr, was lost to academic ineligibility.

Shoup plans to use junior Dan Smeester with either Noel Chesnut and Dean Henderson, both seniors, in the backfield today. Henderson is Cal Lutheran’s top returning rusher with 276 yards in 71 carries.

All of the position changes and injuries have made Shoup less confident going into today’s game than he would have expected.

“We’re not as strong as I had hoped we would be after spring practice,” he said.