PREP FRIDAY: SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Division III : Pastorello Has Katella in the Playoffs Again

Joe Pastorello, starting fullback and inside linebacker for Katella High School, offered a simple evaluation of his dual role.

“I take a beating, I give a beating and when the game is over, I’m beat up,” Pastorello said.

Pastorello’s durability was instrumental in Katella’s drive to a second consecutive appearance in the playoffs. Katella will meet Dominguez in the opening round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs at 7:30 tonight in Compton.

He led all county rushers with 208 carries. He gained 1,132 yards to rank fifth and scored 15 touchdowns to rank sixth. He also found time to call the defensive signals.

Pastorello credited an extensive conditioning program that has allowed him to withstand the rigors of two-way football.

“I’ve always worked hard, but I attended a wrestling camp last summer in Washington, and they taught me how to really work hard,” Pastorello said.

A typical day in the camp, conducted by University of Minnesota wrestling Coach Jay Robinson, included 2-hour periods of conditioning, covering techniques, competition and mental preparation.

Pastorello is the Southern Section’s defending 154-pound wrestling champion. On the football field, surprising Katella has put a stranglehold on its opponents in Coach Larry Anderson’s second season.

Anderson led Katella to its first winning season in 20 years in 1987 when the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons.

“We wanted to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, so one of the team’s goals was to make the playoffs again,” Pastorello said. “I thought we turned the corner when we tied El Dorado, 13-13, last year.

“We may have tied them, but we dominated the game. We proved we could compete with anyone in the (Empire) league. When we beat Esperanza (14-6) this year, we knew we were on the right track to the playoffs again.”

Pastorello has earned a 3.47 grade-point average in college preparatory courses and is president of the school’s lettermen’s club. He is uncertain about which college he will choose, but plans to study political science.

“Thinking Division I is a little out of reach with my size,” he said. “I’ve applied to a lot of colleges, and I don’t really have a preference. I may wrestle or I may play football, it doesn’t really matter to me.

“I figure my best chance of succeeding in college is at fullback. I have decent size (6-feet, 190 pounds), but I need to work on my speed.”

Anderson, who coached some quality athletes in 16 years at Lynwood, rated Pastorello as the most intense athlete that he has coached.

“Joe’s work ethic is a coach’s dream,” Anderson said. “I’ve never had a player in 17 years that came close to his intensity level. Anything he does, he’ll do to his best ability.”

In other first-round games:

Warren (6-3-1) at Mission Viejo (10-0): Warren earned the wild-card bid based on impressive victories over La Habra and El Modena and a 10-10 tie with defending Division II champion Thousand Oaks. Warren utilizes the Delaware Wing-T offense with fullback Dan Clouser (450 yards) and halfback Marcus Carter (659 yards). Tackle Darryl Brooks and nose guard Sauso Tuileta are the team’s top defensive players.

Top-seeded Mission Viejo averaged 28.5 points per game with slotback Eric Ekdahl scoring 18 touchdowns and quarterback Troy Kopp passing for 19 touchdowns. Ekdahl rushed for 407 yards, caught 38 passes for 837 yards and led the county in scoring with 160 points. Linebackers Penn Bushong and Greg Clapper anchor the defense that allowed 6.2 points per game.

El Dorado (5-5) at Burbank (7-3): Tailback Tarin Cardenaz leads Burbank with 1,077 yards in 154 carries and 9 touchdowns. Quarterback Anthony Valento has completed 67 of 121 passes for 949 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ secondary has intercepted 10 passes, including 4 by Cardenaz.

El Dorado’s 19-3 loss to Esperanza in its regular-season finale was not the type of momentum a team wants going into the playoffs. “We played like a team that had already clinched a playoff spot, but I think you’ll see an improvement this week,” El Dorado Coach Carl Sweet. Running back Chris Sporrer is 100% for the first time since breaking his ankle early in the season.

El Toro (6-4) vs. Santa Ana (7-3) in Santa Ana Stadium: These teams are certainly no strangers. El Toro won the 1986 division championship with a 26-10 victory over Santa Ana and then eliminated the Saints in the semifinals last year, 13-12. El Toro quarterback Steve Stenstrom has passed for 1,604 yards and wide receiver Sean Drinkwater has caught 45 passes for 755 yards.

Running backs Garner Hicks (645 yards) and Estrus Crayton (590 yards) lead Santa Ana’s ground-oriented offense that figures to excel against an El Toro defense that has allowed 603 yards rushing in its past 2 games. Defensive end Damon Bland has been hampered with a back injury, which could limit Santa Ana’s pass rush on Stenstrom.

El Modena (5-5) at Capistrano Valley (6-4): Two rapidly improving teams are matched here. El Modena has won three consecutive games by a combined score of 57-14. The Vanguards feature quarterback Adam Garcia (755 yards passing), tailback Marcus Esposito (434 yards rushing) and wide receiver Trey Frank (450 yards receiving). Tim Hatcher has kicked 12 field goals, and the Vanguards’ secondary has intercepted 18 passes.

Capistrano Valley has won two consecutive games by a combined score of 79-22. Sophomore quarterback Tony Solliday has passed for 1,104 yards and sophomore running back Chris Adams has rushed for 306 yards and 6 touchdowns in his 2 starts since being elevated from the sophomore team. Junior nose guard Damon Psaros anchors a solid defensive unit.

Foothill (5-5) vs. Los Alamitos (9-0-1) at Gahr H.S.--Foothill’s defense, led by safety Todd Delnoce and linebackers Jason Hairston and Ward Van Pelt, allowed an average of only 8.7 points per game. But Foothill’s offense scored an average of only 9.7 points per game despite a switch to quarterback Chad Ressler at midseason.

Los Alamitos, seeded second, outscored its 10 opponents, 282-58. Junior quarterback Todd Gragnano passed for 1,560 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Griffins have advanced to the playoffs in 5 consecutive seasons.