HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW : Five of a Kind Without an Ace : Football: Realigned league groups five schools in search of a winning record.

Picking a winner in the realigned San Fernando Valley League is difficult because all five teams are coming off losing seasons.

Defending league champion Notre Dame High and runner-up Chaminade departed for the newly formed Mission League and were replaced by St. Francis and El Segundo. Holdover members Bell-Jeff, Harvard and St. Genevieve round out the league.

St. Francis struggled in the Del Rey League in recent years, bottoming out at 0-4 last season with a 1-9 overall record. El Segundo fared better in the weaker Sante Fe League with a 5-2 mark but was 5-6 overall.

Bell-Jeff, Harvard and St. Genevieve combined for an overall record of 6-18-1 last season. Harvard qualified for the Southern Section Division VII playoffs despite a 2-8 overall record but was eliminated by West Torrance in the first round.

“I’ll admit our league doesn’t have very attractive records, but I feel we’ll all be a lot better this year,” Bell-Jeff Coach Doug Woodlief said. “I’ve seen improvement the last couple of seasons.”

There might have been a sigh of relief from the remaining league members when Notre Dame and Chaminade moved up to Division III after dominating league play the past two seasons.

Their replacements seem less threatening. El Segundo moved up one level from Division VIII, and although St. Francis dropped down from Division I, the Golden Knights had not competed well on the higher level. Opposing coaches seemed unfazed by the addition of St. Francis.

“I watched St. Francis a couple of times last season,” Harvard Coach Gary Thran said. “I think their coach will have a lot to do. They’re still trying to turn it around.”

St. Francis Coach Bill Garrison, a former assistant at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in his second year with the Golden Knights, agrees that the drop in divisions doesn’t necessarily mean instant success.

“We didn’t play good football at a higher level, so I don’t think you can automatically expect we’ll start winning at a lower one,” he said. “The bottom line is that we have to play better football and it doesn’t matter which division we’re in.”

Still, St. Francis faced stiff competition, and a young team learned a lot last year facing the likes of Loyola and Crespi. The Golden Knights enter the new league as a favorite to win the title.

Twelve starters return for the Golden Knights, headed by senior quarterback John Willis, tight end-outside linebacker Marty Konrad and defensive end Ernie Hull.

“I think we, as a coaching staff, have a better understanding of our players, and I think they know what to expect from us,” Garrison said.

Harvard shapes up as St. Francis’ chief challenger. The Saracens improved toward the end of last season and a solid core of starters returns. Running backs Kent Dahn and Jeremiah Aguolu each rushed for more than 400 yards in ’89.

El Segundo, which is changing leagues for the third time in the past four years, has only two starters returning.

Bell-Jeff will attempt to shore up a defense that surrendered an average of 339.9 yards a game last season.

St. Genevieve, under second-year Coach Mark Lovett, has not won a league game in the past two years.

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY LEAGUE

FINAL 1989 STANDINGS PROJECTED FINISH Notre Dame 11-2, 4-0 St. Francis Chaminade 8-3, 3-1 Harvard Harvard 2-9, 2-2 El Segundo Bell-Jeff 2-7-1, 1-3 Bell-Jeff St. Genevieve 2-7, 0-4 St. Genevieve

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Class Alfred Silva Bell-Jeff RB 5-6 150 Sr. Tony Cesta Bell-Jeff OG-LB 5-10 215 Sr. Tom Frechette El Segundo OT 6-4 245 Sr. Carter Howell El Segundo OG 6-1 225 Sr. Kent Dahn Harvard RB-DB 5-11 170 Sr. Iheani Uwaezouke Harvard WR-OLB 6-2 185 Sr. John Willis St. Francis QB 6-2 205 Sr. Marty Konrad St. Francis TE-OLB 6-3 215 Sr. Ernie Hull St. Francis DE 6-3 210 Sr. Mike Robinson St. Genevieve WR 6-2 170 Jr.

El Segundo finished second in the Santa Fe League and St. Francis was fifth in the

Del Rey League last season. Notre Dame and Chaminade also have changed

leagues.