Prep Friday : Division III Football Playoffs : Thompson Makes Up for Lost Time : Linebacker Moves Into a Starring Role for Los Alamitos

Eric Thompson did not play football until his freshman year at Los Alamitos High School.

His parents would not allow it.

“Now I know why,” he said. “Because when you’re a little kid, you should be a little kid, at home watching cartoons and eating cereal. That’s what I did.”

It seems implausible to think that Thompson, a 6-foot 2-inch, 220-pound senior linebacker, once considered Cocoa Puffs and “The Flintstones” to be top priorities in his life.

With his rock-solid frame, a tremendous aggressiveness and an almost instinctive knowledge of the game, Thompson, the Empire League’s defensive player of the year, plays football as if he’d been working on it since his early years.

“He’s just a great player, a tremendous athlete,” Griffin Coach John Barnes said. “He’s the best defensive football player I’ve seen all year.”

Tonight at 7:30, Los Alamitos (11-0-1) will meet El Modena (7-5) in a Southern Section Division III semifinal at El Modena. The winner will meet Mission Viejo or Paramount for the championship on Dec. 10.

Los Alamitos, the second-seeded team, is looking for redemption. Last year the Griffins lost to El Toro, 36-6, in the championship game.

“Making up for last year is one of my main inspirations,” Thompson said. “I want to get back to the final.”

Thompson, a part-time starter last season, has anchored a strong defense this season. Los Alamitos has 5 shutouts and has allowed only 83 points in 12 games, a 6.9 average. And Los Alamitos is averaging 28.4 points per game.

In addition to forcing 5 fumbles and breaking up 5 passes this season, Thompson has become the Griffins’ top punter, averaging 33 yards. Although he does not often go both ways, Thompson has caught 3 passes as a receiver--all for touchdowns.

But linebacker is, by far, Thompson’s best role.

“Eric has the perfect mentality to be a linebacker,” Barnes said. “He loves that contact. When he gets out there, he’s just reckless. He plays the position the way it’s supposed to be played.

“Off the field, he’s a very quiet, real nice young man. But when he walks on the field he’s a nasty guy. Our scout offense doesn’t like to play against him . . . he goes that hard all the time.”

Especially when it counts--at game time. A few examples from Barnes’ memory:

--Against Marina, Viking quarterback David Schultz pitched the ball to running back Stacy Kagasoff, who sprinted to his right. Thompson, positioned at the opposite end, scrambled through the Marina offensive line, got all the way to the other side of the field and made the tackle, limiting Kagasoff to a 2-yard gain.

--Against Foothill, Thompson, on a blitz, knocked a running back flat on his back, ran over a guard and around the halfback in order to get to the quarterback. He batted down a long pass.

“He always manages to get where he needs to to make the play,” Barnes said. “He helps us a lot that way.”

“Since I first started football my freshman year, I wanted to play for USC,” Thompson said. “But they have so much talent there these days . . . Wherever I go, I just want to play.”