THE BIG GAME / EL CAMINO-CARLSBAD : Wildcats Badly in Need of Victory

It sounded strange to hear El Camino High football Coach Herb Meyer say his team needed to beat Carlsbad tonight or it would be in big trouble.

But then these are far from normal times for Meyer, who has won four San Diego Section titles in his 14 years at El Camino. For the first time since 1979, El Camino has lost its first three games, and his team is doing some very un-Meyer-like things.

Such as: fumbling the ball away six times in its first two games; committing untimely penalties; missing key blocks; and averaging less than seven points a game.

But a glance at El Camino’s rushing statistics seem to indicate moving the ball is not the problem. Senior tailback Ron Robinson, who is being recruited heavily by Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State, has run for 348 yards and is averaging almost seven yards a carry. Quarterback Charles Hicks has 114 yards in 23 carries (a nearly five-yard average), and fullback Danny Esposito has carried 16 times for 72 yards.

“The good part is we’ve gotten better every game we’ve played,” Meyer said. “The thing that’s the most disappointing is, we’re frustrating ourselves. We’re not having any trouble moving the ball, but we’re finding ways to make mistakes before we get into the end zone.”

The Wildcats, defending section champions, were shut out in their opener by No. 4 Point Loma, managed 14 points against No. 9 Poway and then scored only six against Mission Viejo, ranked seventh in Orange County.

These teams were a combined 7-2 in the first three weeks of the season.

“We played well enough last week to look good losing; unfortunately, that’s not the object,” Meyer said.

Carlsbad has not looked especially pretty in winning its first three games against Vista (17-16), University City (24-16) and San Dieguito (10-7)--the combined record of those three is a dismal 1-8.

Meyer said his biggest concerns will be stopping Carlsbad’s balanced offense and running back Will Barch, who rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns against University City.

“Barch is a tough runner who gives great second effort,” Meyer said. “We had a tough time with him last year.”

Unfortunately for Meyer, his team has had a tough time with everything this year.

“We have to establish control early and get some confidence going,” he said. “And hopefully, one good thing will lead to another.”