FOUR ACES : Gragnano, Manning, Psaros and Wilson: They Stand Out Even Among the Best

This year’s group of Orange County’s top football players includes a few athletes who seem to have been around forever--and some who are ready to burst onto the scene.

STILL GOOD AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Todd Gragnano, quarterback, Los Alamitos: Gragnano’s form and function--left-handed, soft passing touch, quick mind--is similiar to that of former Fountain Valley quarterback David Henigan, last season’s Division I co-player of the year. Gragnano sometimes gets overlooked because of an exceptional Los Alamitos defense that had five shutouts in 10 regular-season games last season. But he has thrown for more than 2,000 yards in each of the past two seasons, and doesn’t often make mistakes. He threw only four interceptions last year. Gragnano (6-foot-2, 185) has the poise of a quarterback who has started 28 games--including two Southern Section finals--in the past two seasons.

Tim Manning, quarterback/defensive back, Trabuco Hills: He has played cornerback, he has played safety, wide receiver, wingback and running back. He caught 37 passes last season for an average of 20.5 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Manning’s strength goes beyond his athletic abilities and comes from simply being a tough kid. It’s a tribute to Manning (5-11, 177) that no one questions whether he will do well at quarterback. “The kid is a player and now he’ll have his hands on the ball on every down,” said Gene Noji, Woodbridge coach. “That creates a problem for every team right away.” Manning has 20 career interceptions, leaving him just four short of setting the county record held by Mission Viejo’s David Hill, who had 23.

Damon Psaros, defensive lineman, Capistrano Valley: As aggressive a player to be found, he once said, “If nobody is looking, I’ll step on you,” and he means it. Coaches admit they’re afraid of him, and they’re from Capistrano Valley. Capistrano Valley Coach Eric Patton has gone about building the Capistrano Valley defense around Psaros, who is not big (6-0, 210) for a big-time player. Psaros makes up for his relative lack of size with speed and tenacity. In fact, it would seem his biggest challenge this season will not be beating the offensive lineman in front of him but convincing college scouts that he can play Division I ball.

Oscar Wilson, defensive lineman, Santa Ana: He literally broke onto the scene as an overgrown freshman who fractured the clavicle of an opponent in his first high school game. Over the past three years, he’s left a wreckage pile of blocking schemes, blockers and coaches. “He’s one gentleman I’ll be glad to see go,” said Bill Backstrom, El Modena coach. “He’s been a man among children for the last two years. When he wants to do something, there’s nothing you can do about it. You just hope he doesn’t want to do it on every play.” He is the most physically gifted football player in the county. Wilson was so dominating in a game against Loyola--at one point, throwing an offensive lineman out of the way, then simultaneously tackling both running back and quarterback in mid-handoff--that Loyola Coach Steve Grady said he was the best linemen his team had seen.

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

Jeremy Brion, free safety, Capistrano Valley: An all-league selection as a sophomore, Brion is a good athlete with a good mind--reminiscent of El Toro’s Adam Brass. Brion had three interceptions last season.

Matt McCready, tight end, Los Amigos: College scouts have already taken notice of this big guy (6-3, 220) with good hands, who was an all-Garden Grove League selection as a sophomore. He had 24 receptions, and doubles as a linebacker.

Randy Karliner, quarterback, Ocean View: Operating in Ocean View’s option offense, Karliner actually ran for more touchdowns (nine) than he threw (two). Has a strong arm, throwing for 1,400 yards last season, and was also selected an all-league pitcher.

Ben Rooker, running back, Trabuco Hills: With Trabuco Hills shuffling its lineup and Manning moving to quarterback, Rooker will be the team’s main running back. A power runner, he scored eight touchdowns last season, and was the Mustangs’ main man in goal-line situations.

GUYS WITH SOMETHING TO PROVE

Coy Collins, running back, Loara: After gaining 799 yards as a sophomore in only eight games, hopes were high for Collins. But a slow start and a nagging ankle injury limited him to 532 yards and just two plays in league play last season. Loara Coach Herb Hill says Collins is healthy, which means he may fulfill the promise of his sophomore season.

Chris Singletary, quarterback/defensive end, Rancho Alamitos: Singletary, as a tight end, was a favorite target of Rancho Alamitos quarterback Rod McCall last season. Now he’s taking over for McCall, though he has no experience at the position. Rancho Alamitos hopes that Singletary’s athletic skills and size (6-1, 195) will overcome his inexperience.

Tony Hoover, running back, Costa Mesa: Hoover was just another 270-offensive lineman last year when he went to his coach, Tom Baldwin, and asked him to be allowed to play fullback. Baldwin told him if he lost 20 pounds he’d give him a chance. Hoover is at 238 pounds and could be a main cog in Costa Mesa’s wishbone offense.

TWO TO WATCH

Mike Sullivan, running back, Sunny Hills: Because he transferred from Servite, Sullivan, a junior, was forced to play on the sophomore team where he rushed for more than 1,200 yards. Look out for him this season.

Carl Stewart, running back, El Toro: A sophomore transfer from North Carolina, Stewart has great speed.

THE VERY BEST OF THE REST

QUARTERBACK:

Danny O’Neil (Mater Dei)--In his first varsity season, O’Neil ranked fourth in the county for total passing yardage with 1,728 yards and fifth for passing efficiency.

Donnie Smith (Edison)--Filling in for the injured starter Greg Angelovic late last season, Smith led the Chargers to three league wins and performed well in the playoffs against Fontana.

Steve Stenstrom (El Toro)--Replacing Bret Johnson, Stenstrom responded by throwing for more than 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Others to watch: Bobby Anderson (Pacifica), Adam Garcia (El Modena), Trent Juilian (La Quinta), Chad Marlow (Brea-Olinda), Jesse Rosas (Santa Ana).

RUNNING BACK:

Mark Brown (La Habra)--Emerged from under the shadows of his older brother, Derek Brown, by rushing for 629 yards and 11 touchdowns in the regular season.

Kealli Clifford (Mater Dei)--He’s perhaps the most versatile back in the county, adept at running inside and catching balls in the flat. Clifford, who started as a sophomore, rushed for 818 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last season.

Garner Hicks (Santa Ana)--Averaged close to six yards a carry, he totaled 645 yards even though his carries were limited by the fact that he had to share the ball with Estrus Crayton. With Crayton gone, Hicks will carry the brunt of the Santa Ana offense.

Erik Mitchell (Los Alamitos)--A transfer from Mayfair High, Mitchell is the fastest football player in the county, maybe the state. The 2-A champion at 200 meters (21.35) as a sophomore, Mitchell, a senior, rushed for 1,129 yards and 10 touchdowns on a Mayfair team that won just three games.

Ron Papazian (Whittier Christian)--He’s a small school player whom big colleges are taking very seriously--USC, UCLA, Nebraska, for example. It’s not so much his stats--1,051 yards and 22 touchdowns last season--it’s his size and speed. Papazian is 6-2, 220.

Scott Seymour (Woodbridge)--Another versatile player, Seymour rushed for more than 700 yards and caught 42 passes for more than 400 yards.

Chris Shockley (Pacifica)--Has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the previous two seasons. Shockley is small (5-8) but stocky (170) and uses a slashing style to elude tacklers.

Josh Wojtkiewicz (Estancia)--Tough to tackle and tougher to pronounce--Josh says it’s Why-Cabbage. A 1,000-yard rusher, Wojtkiewicz is a big reason for Estancia’s resurgence as a football power.

Others to watch: LaQuan Beckton (Los Alamitos), Lance Brown (Esperanza), Tony Colthirst (Saddleback), Gil Greene (Orange Lutheran), Brian Lucas (Corona del Mar), Brian Pizula (Sunny Hills), Kenison PoChing (Savanna), Alex Ripley (Garden Grove), Ed Williams (Kennedy).

WIDE RECEIVER:

Matt Franklin (Santa Ana)--On a predominantly running team, Franklin didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do. At 6-3, he’s a good target for Jesse Rosas and has good hands.

Warren Johnson (Corona del Mar)--Had 28 catches for 330 yards last season. An exceptional athlete, as is his twin brother Weston, he had 14 receptions for 229 yards.

Chad Milan (Los Alamitos)--Likely to be Gragnano’s favorite target and therefore figures to catch a lot of passes. He caught 23 last season.

Doug Weaver (Fountain Valley)--Perhaps boasting the best hands in the county, Weaver caught 33 passes for 528 yards, an average of 16 yards a catch.

Others to watch: Mike Aulet (Estancia), Greg Hauser (Esperanza), Wes Kollar (La Quinta), Marcus Mitchell (Canyon), Tony Robinson (San Clemente), Joe Squyres (Garden Grove).

TIGHT END:

Gary Gibson (Woodbridge)--At 6-3, 220-pounds, Gibson is a definite college prospect. In a diverse offense, Gibson caught 15 passes for 233 yards last season.

Bo Haley (El Toro)--A three-year starter, Haley has good speed, good hands and was a first-team all-league selection last season.

Jason Rodarmel (Capistrano Valley Christian)--Led Orange County in receptions last season with 66. Tall at 6-4, Rodarmel is relatively thin at 190.

Others to watch: Julian Ford (Trabuco Hills), Scott Sander (Sonora), Chad Smith (Tustin).

OFFENSIVE LINE:

Isaac Alo (Santa Ana Valley)--A three-year starter, Alo anchors a huge Santa Ana Valley line that averages close to 240-pounds.

Jason Garrido (Los Alamitos)--Perhaps the county’s best center, Garrido is relatively light at 225 but may be the team’s strongest player.

Jason James (Buena Park)--He’ll play at 6-5, 295 pounds this season. That’s down 30 pounds from last season, but coaches say he’s stronger.

Ryan Motherway (Mater Dei)--The only remaining member of last season’s giganto-line, which averaged 260 pounds. Motherway is not only big, but has the speed and intelligence to be exceptional.

Pat Myers (Costa Mesa)--At 290 pounds, Myers can straight out knock people over. Costa Mesa ran behind him last season to get to the playoffs for the first time in this decade.

Jeff Duensing (Esperanza)--He’s another in a long line of big and good linemen from this school. Gary Meek, Esperanza coach, has gone so far to say that Duensing (5-11, 245) may be one of the best guards in school history, and that’s saying something.

Others to watch: David Cuttrell (El Toro), Jeff Dorsz (Troy), Jim Farbaniec (Trabuco Hills), Ian Long (Newport Harbor), Loren Ragland (Santa Ana Valley), Brenden Stai (Esperanza), Scott Wohrman (Fountain Valley).

DEFENSIVE LINE:

Hartwell Brown (Los Alamitos)--He’s heavily recruited because of his size (6-4, 235), his versatility--he can also play tight end and linebacker--and his intelligence--he scored 1,400 on the SAT.

Paul Jaramillo (Valencia)--One of the Southern Section’s top heavyweight wrestlers last year, Jaramillo is another in a long line of exceptional Valencia linemen.

Keith Navidi (Esperanza)--At 6-6, 255, Navidi was one of the main reasons Esperanza held seven opponents to 14 points or less.

Jose Salazar (Servite)--The lone returning starter off last season’s Division I semifinalist.

Mike Seiu (Westminster)--His relentless rushing and solid stature (6-0, 265) anchor the Lions’ line. Along with teammate Vince Tauanuu, Seiu makes up the best line tandem to play both ways in the county.

Mark Slymen (Mission Viejo)--Slymen (6-4, 245) is big and aggressive and was a first-team all-South Coast League selection as a junior.

Others to watch: Santiago Avalos (Santa Ana Valley), John Kockendorfer (Dana Hills), Brian Pearsall (Villa Park), Herb Prawl (Santa Ana), Aric Roman (Laguna Hills), Vince Tauanuu (Westminster), Danny Todd (Foothill).

LINEBACKER:

Greg Clapper (Mission Viejo)--A main cog in what figures to be one of the county’s top defenses. Clapper (6-1, 215) and teammate Chris Wild (6-2, 236) are as good a linebacking duo to be found in the county.

Jamal Duff (Foothill)--Enormous potential to go with enormous size, Duff is 6-7, 230. He’ll also play some at tight end this season.

Brian Havens (Los Alamitos)--He’s the third solid Los Alamitos linebacker to emerge in the past three seasons. He’s part of a defense that held 10 of 14 opponents to single digits in scoring.

D.C. Olsen (Fullerton)--Only a junior, Olsen (6-0, 215) is the strongest player on the Fullerton team and a big hitter.

Scott Tibbetts (Sonora)--Tibbetts, who also doubles as a fullback, bench-presses more than 300 pounds and was an all-league selection as a junior. He’s 6-0, 210.

Dan Tuioti (Santa Ana)--With Rosas taking over as quarterback, Tuioti is free to concentrate on his natural position. If he’s anything like his older brother George, he’ll be something to see.

Others to watch--David Cloer (El Modena), Jason Gold (Anaheim), Jason Hairston (Foothill), Geoff Meek (Esperanza), Chris Wild (Mission Viejo).

DEFENSIVE BACK:

Doug Cunningham (Huntington Beach)--A three-year starter, Cunningham (6-2, 195) is perhaps the best athlete in the Sunset League. He will also play running back this season. He has caught 52 passes over the past two seasons as a wide receiver.

Weston Johnson (Corona del Mar)--He and twin brother Warren combined for 12 interceptions last season--six each--to help lead one of the county’s top defenses.

Malcolm King (Buena Park)--An all-league selection as a junior, King has excellent speed and hands. He had four interceptions last year.

Rick Sparks (Trabuco Hills)--Along with teammate Manning, Sparks led the county in interceptions with 10. A good sense for the ball, Sparks will play a lot at wide receiver this season.

Others to watch: Gary Bladow (Villa Park), Trent Comer (Magnolia), Greg Ramsey (Loara), Kevin Smith (Cypress).