ANGELUS LEAGUE FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Loyola and St. John Bosco Join Forces With Traditional Powers

This was just what the Angelus League needed, mo’ better teams.

It wasn’t enough that it was already one of the strongest leagues in the Southern Section, the powers that be had to make it the strongest league.

The Catholic Athletic Assn., which oversees league assignments for parochial schools, did a little tinkering during the offseason. The result was what coaches feel is a super-conference--the Angelus League.

“It’s like a horror book and I don’t want to read the last page,” Bishop Amat Coach Mark Paredes said.

The changes have been many.

Gone is St. Paul--moved to the Mission League--a traditional power and two-time Southern Section champion. In its place is Loyola, which won three consecutive Del Rey League championships and has a record of 50-10 over the last five seasons.

The Cubs have reached the semifinals of the Division I playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

St. John Bosco, which reached the Division I championship game in 1986, also comes over from the Del Rey League. The Braves replace Bishop Montgomery, which failed to win a game during its last two seasons in the Angelus League and moved to the Mission League.

Add to that traditional powers Bishop Amat, Mater Dei and Servite, and it is easy to see why Angelus League coaches are worried.

“You have to be a masochist to want to be in this league,” Servite Coach Larry Toner said. “But there’s no sense in crying about something that’s already going to happen. I guess that makes me a masochist.”

The league was organized mainly with transportation in mind, according to CAA officials. With concerns about congested freeways and rising fuel costs, it was decided to group teams geographically, with some consideration given to the strength of the athletic programs.

Mater Dei, Servite and Santa Margarita were lumped together because they are Orange County schools. However, Santa Margarita, which opened in 1987, withdrew from the league in football because its officials felt the Eagles were not ready for the stiff competition.

Santa Margarita will play a free-lance schedule this season on the Division X level.

St. John Bosco, which is in Bellflower, and Bishop Amat, which is in La Puente, were considered close enough to Orange County to be included in the league. Loyola, located near downtown Los Angeles, is the only school in the league that will have transportation problems.

In the Del Rey League, the farthest the Cubs had to travel was St. John Bosco. Now it’s the closest school to Loyola.

“We may have to buy a helicopter or airplane to get to our games,” Loyola Coach Stephen Grady said. “We’re going to need something to bypass the Santa Ana Freeway. I think it is going to hurt us financially because of travel costs.”

On the field, Grady has concerns too. With so many good teams in one league, the competition will be fierce.

“I don’t see a bad team in this league,” Grady said. “In the past, there was always at least one team in the Del Rey League that we knew we could beat. There’s not one team in the Angelus League that I’m certain we can beat.”

No Angelus League team has reached the Division I championship game since 1983, when Servite defeated Bishop Amat for the title. It was also the last time a parochial school reached the title game.

Last season, all three of the league’s teams that reached the playoffs were eliminated in the first round.

Many of the Angelus League coaches attribute the lack of success in the playoffs to the tough competition within the league.

“Every week is like a playoff game and this year it’s going to be worse,” Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said. “It’s going to be tough physically. We’re going to be beating each other up every week. The teams that qualify will limp into the playoffs.”

Other coaches are concerned that at least one team, possibly two, will not make the playoffs. Only three teams from each league qualify with a fourth team eligible for a wild-card spot.

Only one wild-card team is selected in each division.

“I think the super-conference is a good idea from our standpoint,” Grady said. “It creates a situation where one heck of a football team won’t be going to the playoffs.”

BISHOP AMAT--The Lancers have won 31 of their last 33 Angelus League games and are favored by the other coaches to win their fifth consecutive league title. Bishop Amat has the league’s top quarterback in Zack Zertuche.

“The problem is, we haven’t found anyone who can catch the ball yet,” Paredes said. “We lost a lot of talented people from last year.”

But the Lancers will have a good group of juniors up from a sophomore team that went 8-2.

“Every year, Bishop Amat always seems to be able to replace whatever they lose,” St. John Bosco Coach Gabe Soumakian said. “They always have some serious talent.”

LOYOLA--Like Bishop Amat, Loyola seems to be able to make good on its losses every season.

“We’re always a senior-oriented team,” Grady said. “But I think we’re really green this season.”

Most of the Cubs’ experience is in their kicking game, with senior Lance Harmon and junior John Stonehouse, whose brother Paul kicks for Stanford. Harmon will handle the short field goals and conversions and Stonehouse the long field goals and punts.

“I’ll feel confident whenever we punt or kick a field goal,” Grady said. “But the rest of the team is inexperienced.”

Still, most coaches feel that the Cubs have the best shot at unseating Bishop Amat.

MATER DEI--An offensive-oriented team a year ago, the Monarchs will rely more on defense this season. All but two defensive starters return.

Offensively, Mater Dei will have to replace quarterback Danny O’Neil, who passed for 2,194 yards and 20 touchdowns, and running back Kealii Clifford, who gained 1,099 yards rushing and scored 13 touchdowns in 1989.

“I was spoiled last season with Danny and Kealii,” Rollinson said. “Now I’m going to have to do some coaching.”

That should be easier considering the Monarchs’ sophomore team went 10-0 last season.

ST. JOHN BOSCO--Sure, the Braves were only 1-3 in the Del Rey last season, but overall they were a respectable 4-6. Injuries slowed the team last season but allowed some of the juniors to gain valuable experience.

Defensively, the Braves have several holes to fill. The most noticeable is defensive tackle Mike Munoz, a two-time all-Del Rey League selection. Senior Ron Dreislein will attempt to fill that void.

“We do have a lot of people to replace, but I think most of the other teams in the league have the same problem,” Soumakian said. “I expect us to be better than last season.”

SERVITE--It was only two years ago that the Friars were one victory from the Division I championship game. But the bottom fell out last season.

Servite’s 3-7 record was the worst in the school’s history. It’s doubtful that the Friars will make a run at the league title.

Still, Toner, a second-year coach, has seen some improvement.

“There’s no question that we’ve made some significant strides,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work in the weight room this year. That may not sound like much, but last year our starting middle linebacker could bench-press only 135 pounds. That’s bad for a freshman. We’ve improved on that this year. It’s at least nice to know that if your players get pushed, they can push back.”

PREP FOOTBALL ‘90: THE ANGELUS LEAGUE

DIVISION I Bishop Amat

Coach: Mark Paredes (fifth year)

1989 record: 7-4, 4-0

Returning lettermen: 36

Returning starters: Three on offense, three on defense

Top returnees: Peter Gomez, LB, 5-9, 168, Jr.; Jason Hernandez, DB, 5-10, 170, Jr.; Jess Holguin, RB/DE, 5-9, 183, Sr.; Miregi Huma, LB, 6-0, 178, Jr.; John Ludwioczak, OT, 6-3, 225, Sr.; John Mansour, C, 5-8, 183, Sr.; Jason Patterson, RB/DE, 6-0, 205, Sr.; Mike Velasco, DB, 5-9, 173, Sr.; Zack Zertuche, QB, 6-0, 185, Sr.

Top newcomers: Art Cuellar, WR/DB, 5-9, 168, Jr.; Scott Fields, TE/DE, 6-2, 189, Jr.

Outlook: The Lancers return the league’s best quarterback in Zertuche, who passed for more than 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. However, they must replace wide receiver Jeremy Smith and tight end Jason Green. Smith was a first-team all-Southern Section Division I selection and Green is now at UCLA. Defense figures to be the Lancers’ strong point. Despite losing eight starters, the team is loaded with talent, including Patterson and Velasco.

Loyola

Coach: Stephen Grady (15th year)

1989 record: 10-2, 4-0 in the Del Rey League

Returning lettermen: 30

Returning starters: Two on offense, four on defense

Top returnees: Sean Cardenas, DB, 6-2, 180, Sr.; Drew Casani, LB, 5-10, 210, Sr.; Marcus Daly, DT, 6-3, 230, Sr.; Lance Harmon, K, 5-10, 155, Sr.; Darren Jenkins, WR, 5-11, 170, Jr.; Corby Smith, QB/DB, 6-0, 170, Sr.; John Stonehouse, K/P, 6-0, 180, Jr.; David Susank, OT, 6-2, 220, Sr.; Alex Yeboah, RB, 5-9, 190, Sr.

Top newcomers: Kevin Bender LB, 5-11, 190, Sr.; Jim Schneiders DB, 5-10, 170, Sr.

Outlook: The Cubs lose 16 starters from a team that reached the Division I Southern Section semifinals, but they should be able to replace their losses. The sophomore team won the Del Rey League championship and there are a number of talented seniors who were reserves last season. Smith, son of USC football Coach Larry Smith, moves from strong safety to quarterback. Yeboah rushed for more than 500 yards as a reserve last season. Daly and Casani lead the defense.

Mater Dei

Coach: Bruce Rollinson (second year)

1989 record: 7-4, 3-1

Returning lettermen: 40

Returning starters: Four on offense, nine on defense

Top returnees: Billy Blanton, QB, 6-0, 175, Jr.; Jimmy Doone, DB, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Ricky Ellis, WR/RB, 5-7, 150, Sr.; Terry Flannigan, TE/LB, 6-2, 210, Sr.; David Glynn, DE, 6-4, 185, Sr.; David Gonzalez, RB, 5-11, 180, Sr.; Brian Klepadlo, DB, 5-10, 165, Sr.; Mike Lodyga, DB, 6-0, 180, Sr.; Armando Lopez, DE, 6-2, 205, Sr.; Ray Mendez, QB, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Brad Merino, DB, 5-10, 165, Sr.; Jonathon Packard, TE, 6-3, 220, Sr.; Mike Silvey, LB, 6-0, 180, Sr.; Jason Thies, LB, 6-1, 195, Jr.

Top newcomers: John Carmody, OG, 6-1, 225, Sr.; Jeff Kuhn, FB/LB, 6-0, 195, Jr; Scott McKelvey FB, 5-11, 180, Sr.; Chris Ruperto, RB, 5-11, 180, Jr.

Outlook: The Monarchs will go as far as their defense will take them. Silvey led the team in tackles last season and could be the best linebacker in the league. The offense will need time to develop. Blanton and Mendez are competing for the quarterback position.

St. John Bosco

Coach: Gabe Soumakian (second year)

1989 record: 4-6, 1-3 in the Del Rey League

Returning lettermen: 20

Returning starters: Seven on offense, three on defense

Top returnees: Brent Bell, LB, 6-0, 175, Sr.; Ron Dreislein, NG, 6-0, 190, Sr.; Rudy Figueroa, LB, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Jim Frausto, DB, 5-10, 170, Sr.; Nomar Garciaparra WR/K, 6-0, 150, Sr.; Alex Hannaman, C, 6-0, 230, Sr.; Ed Jaquvik, TE, 6-2, 185, Sr.; Gary Manley, QB, 6-1, 165, Sr.; Bobby Mendoza, OT, 6-3, 230, Sr.; Jason Negro, QB, 5-11, 160, Sr.; Michael Stephens, WR, 6-1, 165, Sr.

Top newcomers: Derek Ayers, RB, 5-11, 165, Jr.; Jared Lucero, RB, 5-11, 170, Jr.

Outlook: The Braves have won only 10 games since reaching the Division I championship game in 1986. However, they return two quarterbacks. Manley started the season but injured an ankle midway through it and was replaced by Negro. Ayers and Lucero should add some punch to the running game. Both were starters on the sophomore team last season. The defense has many holes to fill.

Servite

Coach: Larry Toner (second year)

1989 record: 3-7, 1-3

Returning lettermen: 16

Returning starters: Four on offense, five on defense

Top returnees: Juan Bojorquez, DT, 6-0, 200, Sr.; James Christensen, OT, 6-3, 300, Sr.; Jeff Gardner, WR, 5-9, 155, Sr.; Scott Jones, QB, 6-0, 170, Sr.; Ramon Lopez, RB, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Eric O’Conner, OG, 6-3, 235, Sr.; Ariel Ordonez, DB, 5-7, 150, Sr.; Dave Parkinson, LB, 6-2, 205, Sr.; Billy Ray, DB, 5-8, 185, Sr.; Chandler Robbins, QB/DB, 6-0, 190, Sr.; Adam Tallabas, DE, 5-8, 180, Sr.; Mike Wallock, FB, 5-11, 195, Sr.

Top newcomers: Matt Finch, DE, 6-2, 195, Jr.; Mike Lund, LB, 5-10, 190, Jr.; Ken Mousseau, RB, 5-11, 170, Jr.

Outlook: The Friars missed the playoffs for the first time in 18 seasons in 1989 and things may get worse before they get better. Only 16 players return and most of the offensvie backfield must be replaced. Jones and Robbins will compete at quarterback. Robbins might also see some time at tailback, as will Ramon Lopez and Ken Mousseau.