SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP GAME : Making the Right Career Move : Monninger’s Happy He Left Servite for Los Alamitos

Ron Monninger, Los Alamitos High School wide receiver, caught the pass and sprinted toward the goal line.

As he ran, he waited for the inevitable tug on his jersey that would drag him down before he reached the end zone.

It seems as if there’s always been someone in Monninger’s path, someone faster, someone stronger. Someone to dash his hopes and keep him out of the limelight.

It frustrated him to the point that he walked away from one of Orange County’s traditional powers.

But as Monninger ran with the ball against Schurr in a quarterfinal football playoff game 2 weeks ago, he heard no footsteps. Amazingly, to him at least, there was no one there.

He finished his sprint for a 51-yard touchdown play. He added 2 more touchdowns, which keyed a 52-22 rout over Schurr.

That game and the entire 1988 season has been a marked change for Monninger. It appears that after 3 seasons of waiting, Monninger’s chance to shine is finally at hand. Any and all obstacles have been cleared away.

Monninger is the Griffins’ leading receiver and an important part of their potent passing offense.

He’s also about to play a big role in a game he has always dreamed of winning. Los Alamitos plays Paramount in the Southern Section Division III championship game at 7:30 tonight at Orange Coast College.

It’s the second consecutive championship game for Los Alamitos, which lost, 36-6, to El Toro in the Southern Conference title game last year.

“He came in as a sophomore and never said a word,” said John Barnes, Los Alamitos coach. “I didn’t know him at all. As a junior he was a great scout player. He caught a lot of balls and took some big hits in practice. You could see he took a lot of pride in that.”

And now?

“He’s made all the big plays for us,” Barnes said.

Coming into the title game, Monninger has caught 58 passes, the second-most in school history behind Robbie Katzaroff’s 1985 county record of 93. Monninger’s receptions have gone for 876 yards and 5 touchdowns.

“It’s a comfortable feeling with him out there,” quarterback Todd Gragnano said. “He can make you look better than you are on any given night.”

All of which is a far cry from the beginning of Monninger’s high school career.

He went to Servite as a freshman and appeared to have a lock on a starting running back spot on the freshman team.

But just before school started another freshman running back showed up on campus. This one had speed and moves and ‘can’t-miss’ stenciled across his chest. The kid was Derek Brown, who went on to rush for 4,663 yards in his career, second-most in county history, and earned Times’ All-County and All-Southern Section honors.

“I knew I didn’t have a chance as a running back,” Monninger said. “Servite has a good football program and a good history of football success, and I liked that.”

But Monninger knew his route to a starting spot was blocked, so he transferred to Los Alamitos after his freshman season.

It was a smart move.

At Los Alamitos, Monninger turned his attention toward a new position--wide receiver.

Barnes recalled hearing good things about Monninger, but he knew little of him. As junior he played sparingly, appearing in about half the Griffins’ varsity games.

“I just tried to learn from the starters,” said Monninger, who honed his skills on the junior varsity.

He worked summer mornings with Gragnano on pass patterns, getting the timing down pat. He worked hard in the weight room. He put in miles of running, trying to increase his speed. Lack of quickness was, and still is, about the only fault Barnes can find with Monninger.

“It seemed like it took forever for the season to start again,” he said.

Despite the extra work, though, Monninger began this season as a nervous wreck.

“Playing was a new experience for me,” Monninger said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s become a lot easier and I’m a lot more confident.”

His improvement has given Gragnano a target he can count on. And that was important when Gragnano was the only holdover on offense from last season’s team.

“He’s my Steve Largent,” Gragnano said referring to the Seattle Seahawks’ sure-handed receiver.

Monninger’s career has developed more slowly than he would have liked, but more than once this week he has thought:

Hey, I’m playing in the championship game and Derek Brown isn’t.

“I’m glad I left Servite,” said Monninger, breaking into a wide smile. “I was always just waiting in the wings.”