Tension Is Building in Mighty Division II : Prep football: County’s three young guns challenge unbeaten Glendale in section’s strongest bracket.

When sizing up the Southern Section Division II football playoffs, it’s easy to envision a movie marquee reading: Young Guns III vs. The Predator.

The guns are quarterbacks Rob Johnson (El Toro), Tony Solliday (Capistrano Valley) and Tim Snowden (Mission Viejo) of the South Coast League.

Johnson passed for 2,207 yards and Solliday had 1,961, but Snowden led Mission Viejo to victories over both teams and the league title.

The predator is running back Pathon Rucker of Glendale (10-0). The junior is the state’s top scorer with 192 points and has gained 1,760 yards.

For added suspense, there’s the presence of two-time defending Division III champion Paramount, which was been moved up. Paramount has won 18 consecutive games and is 35-2 in the past three years.

All of this adds up to the strongest of the section’s 10 divisions, with eight teams capable of winning the title. And the winner will be . . .

“Paramount,” El Toro Coach Bob Johnson said. “They’ve got a big-time running attack, speedy receivers, and they’re the returning champs. But then, they could get beat by Muir in the second round.

“I saw Muir last week, and they’re for real. You have to respect Muir, because at any time they can explode. They could win it all or lose in the first round.”

Paramount Coach Ken Sutch said more than eight teams are capable of winning the division but likes his team’s chances whenever it plays at home.

“We haven’t lost a home game in four years,” he said. “I’m sure the natural thing will be for everyone to shoot at us. But that’s a nice position to be in.”

Running backs Tony Neal and Demondre Smith are the backbone of a Paramount’s offense. Neal has rushed for 1,138 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

“Most people think of us as a run-oriented team, but our quarterback (Steve Lopez) has thrown for 18 touchdowns,” Sutch said.

Coach Don Shoemaker, who led Glendale to its first playoff appearance since 1985, said the past playoff success of South Coast schools commands respect in the revamped division.

“Those schools should have gone into Division I,” Shoemaker said. “They can play with anybody, including Fontana and Eisenhower. I think any of those three schools have the offense and defense to win the division.”

Glendale has been somewhat overlooked despite being seeded fourth. Rucker rushed for 200 or more yards in four games and reached 100 against every opponent except Muir. Glendale’s defense has allowed only 81 points.

“People tend to point to Muir in our league, even though we beat them (23-8),” Shoemaker said. “They have more college athletes than any team in the CIF (Southern Section). But if they have a weakness, it’s that you can play ground-control, running football against them.”

Few coaches gave members of the Marmonte and Channel leagues much chance to win the title. Thousand Oaks was an exception, having averaged 31.4 points per game behind the rushing of Cory Bowen (1,217 yards). Quarterback Todd Preston of league rival Westlake has thrown for 2,223 yards and 19 touchdowns.

DIVISION II

Defending Co-Champions--Muir, Santa Barbara.

First-Round Schedule: Friday, 7:30 p.m.--Rio Mesa (6-4) at Paramount (10-0); Westlake (8-1-1) vs. Muir (7-3) at Pasadena City College; Lynwood (5-5) at Thousand Oaks (7-1-2); Camarillo (7-3) at Glendale (10-0); Capistrano Valley (8-2) at Ventura (7-2-1); Downey (7-3) vs. Royal (8-1-1) at Moorpark College; Arcadia (5-5) vs. Mission Viejo (9-1) at Capistrano Valley High School. Saturday, 7:30 p.m.--El Toro (9-1) vs. Buena (5-5) at Ventura High School.

Top Teams--Paramount, Mission Viejo, Glendale and El Toro.

Dark Horse: Muir. The Mustangs have more Division I college talent than any team in the section.

Best Draw: Mission Viejo. The Diablos play host to mediocre Arcadia in the first round, then meet the winner of Downey-Royal in the second.

Worst Draw: Paramount. Top-seeded team will probably meet defending co-champion Muir in the second round.

Key Players: Leon Neal and Demondre White, RBs, Paramount; Beau LeBreton, DE, and Marcellus Chrishon, RB, Mission Viejo; Pathon Rucker, RB, Glendale; Rob Johnson, QB, El Toro; Cory Bowen, RB, Thousand Oaks; Todd Preston, QB, Westlake; Sedrick Thomas, QB, Muir; David Poltl, WR, Capistrano Valley.

Noteworthy: Paramount, two-time defending Division III champion, has won 18 in a row and is 35-2 over the past three years; El Toro, Mission Viejo, Capistrano Valley, Paramount, Muir and Thousand Oaks all played overtime games in either Division II or III semifinals last year; Glendale’s Rucker is the state’s leading scorer with 192 points.