Top-Seeded Esperanza Has Buried Troubles as Well as Opponents

The good old days might be back for Esperanza High School. The Aztecs are undefeated and seeded No. 1 in the Southern Section Division III football playoffs.

It’s kind of a flash from the past.

There was a time when Esperanza was always among the top teams at playoff time. From 1979-84, the Aztecs appeared in four championship games, winning two.

In recent years, though, the program had fallen on hard teams.

Esperanza has advanced past the first round only once in the past five years and didn’t even qualify for the playoffs in 1988. Coach Gary Meek has tried everything to stop the decline, including three different offenses in three seasons.

This season, the Aztecs righted themselves. Using the Wing-T, they went 10-0 and won the Empire League for the first time since 1984. It is the first time since 1980 that Esperanza has finished the regular season undefeated.

For their efforts, the Aztecs were placed at the top of the Division III bracket.

“You’re either No. 1 or you’re someplace else,” Meek said. “I prefer being No. 1.”

Well, truth be known, the Aztecs attained their No. 1 status partly because the section shook up their division.

The division’s dominant teams were taken away when the South Coast and San Gabriel Valley leagues were moved up to Division II. Gone is Capistrano Valley, El Toro, Mission Viejo and Paramount, the four Division III semifinalists in 1989.

In fact, the past five Division III champions are playing at a higher level this season.

“I think that has created more parity in the division,” said Hart Coach Mike Herrington, whose team is seeded fourth. “But I think you have to pick Esperanza as the favorite.”

The Aztecs are so honored by the fact they are the only undefeated team in the division. The next best records are No. 3 seeded Hawthorne and Crespi, both 8-2.

“I saw Esperanza play the first game of the season and they were really impressive,” Hawthorne Coach Goy Casillas said. “And you could see they were only going to get better.”

Defensively and offensively, the Aztecs are sound.

They shut out two teams and held four to one touchdown or less. They also averaged 27 points per game and scored 42 in their final two games.

Meek has changed the program considerably since taking over in 1986.

In their heyday, the Aztecs were a power football team. They had a big offensive line and tried to muscle people up and down the field. The benefactors were tailbacks Mike Miscione and Jim Farrell.

This season, Esperanza has a smaller, but quicker offensive line. The Aztecs also use a trio of runners, instead of one just tailback to pile up the yards.

Wingback Jarod Smith has 892 yards rushing, fullback Gerrick Emery, 798, and wingback Marcus Tayui, 333. Quarterback Keith McDonald has been effective at times, throwing for 790 yards and eight touchdowns.

“I think this ranks as one of the better teams at Esperanza,” Meek said.

But Meek stops short of predicting that the Aztecs will reach the title game. Although the division lost its dominant teams, the schools that have been added have strong programs--Crespi (Division I), Hawthorne (Division II) and St. Paul (Division I).

Other Division III powers remain as well. Hart, Schurr and El Modena have all performed well in past playoffs.

“I see a lot teams in Division III who lost some early games, then got things together,” said El Modena Coach Bill Backstrom, whose team won the Century League. “I think the division is much more competitive now. There are six or seven teams that could win the title.

“But you have to make Esperanza the favorite. They are the only team that hasn’t had the seed of doubt thrown in there. They won them all so far.”

DIVISION III

Defending Champion--Paramount (now in Division II).

First-Round Schedule: Friday, 7:30 p.m.--Alhambra (4-6) vs. Esperanza (10-0) at Valencia High School; Leuzinger (7-3) vs. Crespi (8-2) at Pierce College; Culver City (6-4) at El Modena (7-3); Los Alamitos (6-4) vs. Hart (7-3) at College of the Canyons; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (6-3-1) at Hawthorne (8-2); Loara (6-4) vs. Villa Park (6-4) at Glover Stadium; Orange (5-4-1) at St. Paul (5-3-2); Beverly Hills (5-5) vs. Schurr (7-2-1) at Montebello High School.

Top Teams: Esperanza, Schurr, Hawthorne, Hart.

Dark Horse: St. Paul. The Swordsmen started the season 0-3-1, losing to Division I powerhouses Fontana and Loyola, and to Serra, the 1989 Division VII champion. They went undefeated during their final six games to finish 5-3-2 and win the Mission League.

Best Draw: Hawthorne. Clear sailing into the semifinals.

Worst Draw: Leuzinger. Co-champs of the Bay League have to face Crespi, and if the Olympians win, they will probably play No. 1 Esperanza.

Key Players: Mike Burns, LB, Esperanza; Tyler Cashman, WR, Los Alamitos; Ryan Connors, QB, Hart; Ziv Gottlieb, QB, Beverly Hills; Jay Macias, QB, Schurr; Setefano Malieitulua, RB, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; Morrell Ollis, RB, Hawthorne; Cody Smith, QB, Crespi.

Noteworthy: None of the semifinalists from a year ago are in the division this season. El Toro, Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo (South Coast League) and Paramount (San Gabriel Valley League) are now competing in Division II. In fact, the past five Division III champions are now in other divisions. Santa Ana (1985) is in Division I and El Toro (1986, ‘87) and Paramount (1988, ‘89) are in Division II.