DIVISION VI : Sunny Hills, Estancia May Emerge from Pack

It’s a safe bet, a sure bet, that an Orange County team will win the Division VI championship. The only question is, which one?

Orange County teams from the Freeway, Garden Grove, Orange and Sea View leagues are all represented in the division playoffs, along with three teams from the traditionally weaker Suburban League.

Don’t look for defending champion Corona del Mar (7-3) to repeat. The Sea Kings inched into the playoffs with an at-large berth, but their inexperience at quarterback and lack of upperclassmen have been a problem.

Three of the four top-seeded teams, Sunny Hills (No. 1), Estancia (2) and Pacifica (4) are from Orange County. John Glenn of the Suburban League is the third-seeded team.

Sunny Hills, 10-0 and ranked third in the final Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll, is the legitimate favorite, but this could be Estancia’s year.

Sunny Hills should breeze by first-round opponent Kennedy (5-5), the third-place team from a none-too-tough Garden Grove League. The Lancers would then face the winner of the Tustin (6-4)-Norwalk (8-2) contest, which probably will be won by a tough Tustin team.

Estancia shouldn’t have any trouble with first-round opponent La Mirada (7-3), the third-seeded team from the Suburban League. Then it’s on to the winner of the Western (7-3)-Troy (7-3) game. Glenn, the other seeded team in Estancia’s half of the bracket, probably will be lucky to meet, let alone defeat Estancia in the semifinals.

If past Suburban League performances are any indication, the league’s teams will serve as tune-ups for Orange County teams.

In the past two years, Suburban League teams were 0-6 in the division, being eliminated in the first round. The last time a Suburban League team won the division was in 1977, when it was called the Central Conference and Norwalk defeated Neff.

“We played La Mirada two years ago in the first round and they came in as the strong second-place team and we won the ballgame, 28-0,” Pacifica Coach Bill Craven said. “We had some people out at the La Mirada ballgame (this week) and they came back wishing that that would be our draw.”

Glenn Coach Willie Norman says the Suburban League has improved this year, thanks to a drop in the coaching turnover rate. “People are not coming and going like they did before,” he said. “The last couple of years, we had turnover at every school except for maybe one.”

Still, Glenn, the Suburban League’s top representative, barely beat Buena Park (2-8). Glenn escaped with a 19-17 victory in the second game of the season.

Glenn meets Newport Harbor (8-2) in the first round. Glenn’s top performer is Travis Carter, a wide receiver/running back who also plays safety. He has 13 touchdowns, two on kickoff returns of 95 and 60 yards. He also has 36 receptions for more than 600 yards and six interceptions.

This is the first 10-0 team in Estancia’s 25-year history and possibly the best team the school has ever fielded. Give the Eagles the edge over Sunny Hills.

Senior-dominated Estancia has limited postseason experience; it advanced to the playoffs last season but lost in the first round to Kennedy.

“The thing about our team,” Estancia Coach John Liebengood said, “is they have been hungry all year because people have not given us any credit in the first part of the season because we had a really easy preseason (schedule).”

But more important, Estancia has perhaps the division’s best defense and enough versatility in its run-dominated offense to keep opponents honest.

The Eagle defense has shut out six teams and allowed only 32 points. Opponents have completed an average of 38% of their passes against an Estancia secondary that has 10 interceptions. Estancia’s key player is running back Josh Wojtkiewicz, who has rushed 187 times for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Dan Ucker has completed 60% of his passes for more than 1,100 yards.

Sunny Hills has the division’s top rusher in Brian Pizula, who has gained 1,226 yards in 152 carries. Pizula, who has an 8.1 yard average, teams with two other backs who each have rushed for more than 500 yards--Kenny Overby (6.4 yards per carry) and Mike Sullivan (8.5 yards per carry). Look for Estancia’s offensive variety and strong defense to offset Sunny Hills’ size advantage.

Valencia, another strong defensive club, has been to the finals the past two seasons, winning the title in 1987. This year, Valencia is a young unseeded team that could sneak in the back door to the final.

Pacifica has advanced to the semifinals the past two seasons only to lose to the eventual champions--Valencia in 1988 and Corona del Mar in 1989. History could repeat a third time. Pacifica has key players in senior quarterback Bobby Anderson (1,415 yards) and running back Chris Shockley (191 carries for 1,154 yards), but its defense has had trouble pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run.

Fullerton is the dark horse, thanks to a good draw--it plays Brea-Olinda in the first round, then the winner of the Pacifica--Corona del Mar game--a solid defense (69 points allowed) and a shotgun offense that showcases quarterback Rene Arias (1,536 yards).

La Quinta is the sleeper. The Garden Grove League’s second-place team has Trent Julian, a multipurpose player who has rushed for 508 yards and caught 24 passes for 424 yards.

DIVISION VI IN A BOXDefending Champion: Corona del Mar

Top Teams: Sunny Hills (10-0) and Estancia (10-0)

Dark Horse: Fullerton (7-3)

Best Draw: Valencia (10-0). The Tigers take on La Quinta, a 6-4 team from a weaker league. If Valencia wins, it plays the winner of Newport Harbor (8-2)-Glenn (9-1).

Worst Draw: Kennedy. A 5-5 team, the Fighting Irish face top-seeded and undefeated Sunny Hills on the road.

Key Players: Fullback Brian Pizula (Sunny Hills), running back Chris Shockley (Pacifica), quarterback Bobby Anderson (Pacifica), quarterback Rene Arias (Fullerton), running back Josh Wojtkiewicz (Estancia), running back/receiver Trent Julian (La Quinta), receiver Steve Friedrich (Troy) and running back Travis Carter (Glenn).

Noteworthy: Orange County teams have won the division every year since 1978.