Tale of Two Argonaut Brothers Is Filled With Highs and Lows : Prep football: Adrian Ioja continues to add some kick to Garden Grove’s offense. But his brother, Bob, has lost his starting quarterback spot.

The talented but young Garden Grove High School football team likely will remember this season as a bittersweet one, and perhaps nobody will see it that way as much as the Ioja brothers.

Things looked good at the start. Bob Ioja, a senior, was returning as the starting quarterback, and Adrian, a junior, would be defensive tackle, tight end and kicker.

They were billed as a talented tandem, and the Argonauts looked as if they might compete for the Garden Grove League title if their youth movement panned out.

But since then, the brothers have been heading in opposite directions: Adrian has ascended, Bob has been on the bench.

In Garden Grove’s opener, a 28-24 victory over Savanna, Bob threw three touchdown passes, including the game-winner with four minutes to play. But in a 10-7 loss to Mayfair, Bob struggled and split time with Simon Fuentes. Bob threw for a touchdown to Adrian in a loss to Laguna Hills, then had good statistics but not much else in a 27-14 loss to La Quinta.

At 1-3 after four games, Garden Grove was looking for changes, and Fuentes became the starter. He has done well enough to keep the quarterback job away from Bob.

Meanwhile, Adrian has been helping to kick the offense into gear.

He kicked two field goals, the second from 26 yards with 11 seconds left, to give Garden Grove a 6-3 victory over Santiago.

The next week, he scored 23 points in Garden Grove’s 35-7 victory over Los Amigos.

In a 13-10 loss to Bolsa Grande, Adrian contributed a field goal and an extra point.

Still, Garden Grove (3-4, 2-2 in league) is 2-1 in the past three games and still has a shot at the Southern Section playoffs. If the Argonauts get there, they can thank Adrian Ioja.

“I think he’s our big play man,” Garden Grove Coach Jeff Buenafe said. “He’s come through with some big catches, he’s had big tackles, and he even picked up a fumble and ran it for a touchdown.”

Indeed, Adrian’s imprint matches his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame. He has six touchdowns, 14 extra points and three field goals for a total of 59 points. In the 3 1/2 games he has played defensively, he has 27 solo tackles, eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and two deflected passes. He says the toughest part for him is going through special teams drills in practice.

The toughest part for Bob Ioja is sitting and watching.

This week will be his fifth in a row on the sideline when the offense is on the field, although he will be the first situation-substitute linebacker. Perhaps the toughest thing to deal with is having something you want, then having it taken away. But Bob admits he was not getting the job done at quarterback.

“I wasn’t that great,” Bob said. “Contributing factors? Probably it was just me. I don’t know what happened. . . . We only throw 12 times a game; penalties and other things would put us in obvious passing situations, and most of the time (the throws) weren’t on mark.”

This admission comes from someone who had been contacted by USC and UC Davis about his quarterbacking skills. At 6-3, 195 pounds and with a strong arm, Ioja showed plenty of potential.

In the first 3 1/2 games, Bob completed 17 of 33 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. In the next 3 1/2, Fuentes completed 26 of 41 for 467 yards and nine touchdowns.

Fuentes, a junior with quick feet and the ability to throw on the run, has been able to take advantage of open-field skills.

“I like to drop back and throw,” Bob Ioja said. “Our offense isn’t designed for that necessarily. Our line is averaging about 185 pounds, so we do a lot of rollouts. I want to play, but I don’t want to ask him (Buenafe). It’s hard, but my brother encourages me.”

Said Buenafe: “I think it has been tough on Adrian, but he’s a pretty classy guy. He’s only 16. Bob’s still doing his job too. He’s playing the linebacker spot, and he hustles all the time. He’s taken his leadership role as a team captain.

“What would we be like without them? We’d be very small,” he said with a laugh. “They’re our two biggest kids.”