FOOTBALL ’89 : NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

Verdugo Hills

COACH: Charley Mack, 1st year

LAST SEASON: 4-5; third in league, 4-3

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Mack coached the B team last year and is bringing many of his former players with him to the varsity. Senior Darrell Evans quarterbacked the B team last year and will challenge Lance Novak (6-0, 190) for the job. Novak, one of the team’s top athletes, may move to tight end or play running back. Verdugo Hills will emphasize the short passing game, and Joe Letscher, a standout two-way player up from the B team, will lead the receiver corps. He’s small (5-6, 150) but tough. “He won’t take no for an answer,” Mack said. The team’s toughest player is senior Mike McDonagh (6-0, 210), who will play fullback and anchor the defense at linebacker. Senior Daryl Weber (5-9, 210) returns at center. The Dons have half-a-dozen 200-pound players, an improvement from last year, but a power game remains out of the question. Said Mack: “We’re going to rely on small players who are fighters.” Mack will try to use a two-platoon try to keep his players rested, but with only 60 players in the entire program, including the B team, he may not be afforded that luxury.

OUTLOOK: Mack has established lowered expectations for his first year: no blowouts. “Our goal is to be competitive and play tough in each game. We want players to enjoy the experience and come back next year. I plan on being here a while and I want to build a program,” he said. Mack also wants to eradicate the team’s image as a forgotten school. “We want to get away from the attitude that Verdugo Hills is out in the middle of nowhere and no one cares about us. We don’t want other schools to take us for granted.”