THE BIG GAME / ORANGE GLEN-FALLBROOK : Two Good Offenses to Face Off Tonight

Rob Gilster, Orange Glen’s football coach, recalled the movie “Hoosiers,” in which Gene Hackman took his small-town basketball team into the big arena where the state finals would be played and had them measure the height of the basket.

“It was still 10 feet,” Gilster said. “That’s the way I feel about it; as long as the football field is 100 yards, and you approach it that way with your players, it kind of takes away from the home-field advantage.”

That advantage doesn’t get much greater than at Fallbrook, traditionally one of the most difficult places for opponents to play because of the long drive involved for most Palomar League opponents--at least 30 minutes--and the community support.

That’s where Orange Glen (3-1, 1-0) will play tonight. It’s the Patriots’ first visit since 1988, when they reached the San Diego Section finals on the strength of Cree Morris’ 29 touchdown passes but narrowly escaped Fallbrook with a 19-18 victory.

Orange Glen is hoping to avoid a loss that could hurt its playoff chances. Fallbrook (3-1, 0-1) is hoping the same thing.

“We’ve played some pretty good football games between us,” Fallbrook Coach Tom Pack said. “This is a big ballgame for us. It’s going to be a good one; it’s not going to be a 14-7 ballgame.”

Not with these offenses. Both have had similar success over the years but with different philosophies. Fallbrook is ranked ninth in the county offensively (23.8 points per game) and has lived and died with the run and shoot, but it is now finding success running the ball more. Orange Glen’s pro-set is ranked third (29.3 points) and has always been more balanced. Gilster thinks it’s the best offense the Patriots have had.

“The neat thing about this game is we have two pretty good quarterbacks, two pretty good fullbacks and both pretty sound defenses,” Gilster said.

Both quarterbacks are juniors. Orange Glen has Omar Navarro, the county’s third-ranked passer (53 of 85, 835 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions). Fallbrook has fourth-ranked Robbie Cosner (53 of 80, 594 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions).

Orange Glen has Noel Toloumu (6.9 yards per carry) in the backfield, and Fallbrook has Tony Burton (7.9 per carry).

The county’s most proficient receivers are also playing. Fallbrook’s Marty Reed is the county leader with 29 receptions for 277 yards. Orange Glen’s Kris Plash is third (21, 295) and Brian Kooiman is 11th (13, 164). The Patriots also have Gavin McQueen (16.3 yards per catch).

Despite all the talent at their skill positions, both Pack and Gilster believe the offensive lines will decide the outcome. Orange Glen has a bigger line but starts three sophomores: tackles Bob Williams (6-2, 285) and Donald Fluegge (6-2, 250) and guard Anthony Wilcox (5-10, 205).

Fallbrook has smaller but quicker linemen such as Eric Meagher (6-0, 195) and Josh Friedman (6-1, 195).