Tonight’s Football Games : Irish Eyes Are Smiling Again as Kennedy Vies for League Title

Signs of success are evident all around the Kennedy High School campus. The walls are plastered with banners paying tribute to the football team.

“IRISH ‘R’ 1.”

“IRISH PRIDE.”

“IRISH CONQUER ALL!”

Funny how times have changed.

“Two years ago the banners would have said, ‘Do Your Best Irish And We Still Love You,’ ” said Kevin Mann, a senior defensive end.

But 2 years ago, the Fighting Irish were something only a mother, or father, could love. And parents were about the only people who showed up to watch during that 0-10 season.

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy--everyone’s patsy in 1986--will try to climb back to the top. The Fighting Irish play Pacifica for the Garden Grove League championship at Western High School. Both teams are 6-1-1 overall and 5-0 in league play.

For Mann, Pete Montera and Greg Hansell, it’s a time of vindication.

All 3 lived through the 1986 season. True, they played in only 4 games after being promoted from the sophomore team to the varsity, but 4 games were enough. Too many, actually.

Now as seniors, they are playing for a league championship, which would be Kennedy’s first since 1973.

“It feels good to walk around campus on game day with your jersey on,” said Montera, the team’s quarterback. “You can be proud to be on the football team again.”

Proud wasn’t exactly the feeling when the 3 joined the varsity. In fact John Carroll, Kennedy’s coach at the time, asked the playes whether they wanted to move up.

“John was running low on players,” said Mitch Olson, the freshman coach in 1986 who replaced Caroll last season. “I think he wanted to give them a choice. The sophomore team was doing pretty good at the time.”

The Kennedy sophomore team was 4-1 and tied for first with El Dorado in the Empire League. The varsity was . . . well the Fighting Irish had a chance to beat Katella.

Carroll had a meeting with Hansell, Montera, Mann and James Martinez and put the proposition to them.

They decided to join the varsity, though Martinez dislocated his elbow before moving up. Hansell, Montera and Mann, a defensive end, boosted the roster to 21 players. They all were starters.

“It was tough knowing you were going to get ripped every game,” Montera said. “I mean, we had an offensive line that averaged maybe 180 pounds. The guy I replaced at quarterback (Todd Bristow) was moved to guard .”

Their first start was against Katella, a team the Fighting Irish felt they could beat. Both teams entered the game with 0-6 records.

With 3 seconds left in the game, Kennedy trailed, 22-19, but had the ball on the Katella 5-yard line. Kennedy had 3 seconds to make something of a dismal season.

But John Christensen’s halfback pass was intercepted and returned 98 yards for a touchdown. Katella 29, Kennedy 19.

“That crushed us,” Hansell said. “We knew it was our only chance for a victory.”

Kennedy was routed in its last three games.

The season left scars and not-so-fond memories.

“I remember on parents’ night--where all the parents came down and were introduced with their kids--I looked up into the stands and no one was there except the band,” Hansell said. “Nobody came to our games that didn’t have to.”

Said Montera: “The games were brutal. I would drop back to pass and instead of looking for a receiver, I’d start looking for who was going to hit me.”

But the season wasn’t a complete waste.

Montera, Hansell and Mann gained experience on the varsity level. And the people who replaced them on the sophomore team got playing time and finished 7-2-1.

“For me it was a growing experience,” Mann said. “I went from a successful (sophomore) team to getting beat every week. It’s helped keep me down to earth this season.”

And this season is sweet for the Fighting Irish.

Kennedy and Pacifica left the Empire League for the Garden Grove League in 1987. The Irish were 2-7-1 last season, laying a foundation for this year.

In the opening game, Kennedy trailed Los Alamitos, 28-14, at halftime, but scored 2 touchdowns in the second half for a 28-28 tie. It’s the only blemish on the Griffins’ record this season.

“We wanted to do well against Los Alamitos to show the other Empire League teams that we can play with them,” said Montera, who is Orange County’s fourth-ranked passer. “If they start telling us we’re in a weaker league, we can answer that we tied their first-place team.”

The Fighting Irish, whose only loss was to Anaheim (21-7), have already won more games than in the past 3 seasons combined (5). They have scored more points in 8 games (192) than in the past 2 seasons (176).

“We go to games to scout other teams wearing our letterman jackets, and no one runs us down anymore with stuff like, ‘You guys stink,’ ” Mann said. “We have the respect of other teams.”

In other featured games:

St. Paul (6-2, 2-0) vs. Mater Dei (4-4, 1-1) at Orange Coast College--A key game for the Monarchs, who are fighting for a playoff spot in the 5-team Angelus League. Already this season, St. Paul has beaten Servite; Servite has beaten Bishop Amat; and Bishop Amat has beaten Mater Dei. Another loss could keep the Monarchs out the playoffs. Quarterback Greg Willig is the key to St. Paul’s offense.

Capistrano Valley (4-4, 1-2) vs. El Toro (5-3, 2-1) at Mission Viejo High School--A must win for Capistrano Valley, which last week lost to Dana Hills for the first time to drop into a fourth-place tie in the South Coast League. The Cougars have scored just 6 points in the past 2 games. El Toro’s offense revolves around quarterback Steve Stenstrom, who has passed for 1,205 yards and 9 touchdowns, and running back David Nemeth, who has rushed for 639 yards.

University (3-4-1, 1-1-1) vs. Saddleback (2-5-1, 1-1-1) at Santa Ana Stadium--Every game is important in the Sea View League, where there’s a 4-way tie for second between University, Saddleback, Tustin and Estancia. All trail Corona del Mar by half a game. University appears to have more offense, with running backs Jim Roberson and Gary Smarr combining for 1,174 yards rushing. However, the Roadrunners have allowed just 46 points in the past 5 games.