ORANGE COUNTY BOWL : Maund Thrives Out of the Spotlight : Football: Steady play of Rancho Santiago fullback has helped the Dons reach today’s game against Moorpark.

Paul Maund, a fullback for Rancho Santiago College, is surrounded by plenty of flash.

While quarterback Scott Wood, tailback Estrus Crayton and wide receiver Paul Peters made first team all-Mission Conference thanks in part to their big plays, Maund made the second team mostly because of his steady play.

Rancho Santiago (9-1) plays Moorpark (9-1) at 1 today at Orange Coast College in the first game of the Orange County Bowl double-header.

Maund’s most impressive play this season was a 76-yard touchdown run against Riverside. His only major mistake was a fumble on Rancho Santiago’s goal line in the same that was recovered for a Riverside touchdown. But in Maund’s defense, he was hit just as he tried to take the handoff.

While Crayton set a Rancho Santiago and conference record with 20 touchdowns, Maund, a sophomore fullback, scored only five.

Crayton ran for 1,340 yards and Maund had 470. Plenty was made of the quick moves and long touchdown runs by Crayton, the dazzling catches by Peters and Wood’s passing exploits, but seldom did anyone mention the blocks by Maund and others that made it possible.

While Maund might not get noticed as much as some of his high-profile teammates, his contributions are well documented by the Rancho Santiago coaching staff.

“When the year started, we knew he was the one guy on offense we couldn’t afford to lose,” Coach Dave Ogas said. “He just does too many things. He blocks, he goes in motion and he runs well when we asked him to. He had an outstanding season.”

The supporting role seems to come naturally for Maund, given his attitude.

“I don’t mind not being the guy that gets all the credit,” Maund said. “When I make a block that helps Estrus break a long run for a touchdown, I just get up and go down and celebrate with him and the rest of my teammates.”

Maund’s selfless attitude is admirable but also somewhat amazing, considering that at one time, he was the star of the show.

At Orange High School, Maund was a standout tailback.

He rushed for 1,219 yards in 10 games as junior in 1986 to set the Orange single-season career rushing record.

His only keepsake of the feat is a paper coffee cup on which his grandfather kept his rush by rush total in his record-setting game.

Maund’s senior year at Orange was much less eventful. The Panthers had about 25 players and he played linebacker as well as running back.

If he wasn’t carrying the ball, he was chasing a guy that had it. The double duty took a toll and he gained only 745 yards in 10 games.

He came to Rancho Santiago the following fall and decided he wanted to be a fullback.

Maund went right to work in the weight room. In two years, he has gone from 185 pounds to 210 on his 5-foot-10 frame.

“That’s just the position I wanted to play,” he said. “I just really wanted to play and that was my best chance. I’ll do anything to help the team win.”

Orange County Bowl Notes

Look for plenty of offense in today’s game. Moorpark’s only loss was 28-27 to Bakersfield. The Raiders averaged 35.3 points and 423.7 yards a game in total offense. Rancho Santiago’s only loss was to Riverside, 34-24. The Dons averaged 31.4 points and 414.2 yards a game. . . . Rancho Santiago’s Estrus Crayton ran for 1,340 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Moorpark is led by running back Freddie Bradley, who ran for 1,266 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. . . . Rancho Santiago quarterback Scott Wood was 153 of 258 for 2,082 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Jayson Merrill of Moorpark was 107 of 216 for 1,348 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. . . . Tickets will be $5 for each game and will be on sale at Orange Coast starting about an hour before each game.