L.A. WATTS SUMMER GAMES NOTEBOOK / JOHN ORTEGA : Welch Helps Zopelis Choose Sides

There is an unwritten rule at Canyon High that no one starts on both offense and defense for the Cowboy football team.

Coach Harry Welch’s thinking is that a fatigued player is an ineffective player . . . and an ineffective player makes mistakes.

Senior Jim Zopelis could put Welch’s rule to the test this season.

Last fall, Zopelis was an All-Golden League selection at wide receiver after catching 43 passes for 579 yards and eight touchdowns. And Saturday, he had seven receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown in Canyon’s 20-12 victory over North Torrance in the title game of the L. A. Watts Summer Games at El Camino College.

But for the coming season Zopelis is penciled in as a starter in the defensive backfield and will be used only in spot situations as a receiver.

“Jim is a terrific wide receiver,” Welch said. “But in a typical high school game, two out of three plays he’s not being used. Whereas as a defensive back, he will usually be involved in two of three plays. . . .

“I always try to have my best athletes in positions where they can have the most impact and Jim can have more of an impact at defensive back than at wide receiver.”

Zopelis, 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, would like to have an impact wherever Canyon needs him.

“I would like to be on the field every play throwing my body around,” he said. “I don’t like spending time on the sidelines.”

Welch admires Zopelis’ zest for action and quickly points out that as a member of the special teams, Zopelis is already going two ways.

“I can guarantee you that he will be thoroughly exhausted at the end of every game next season,” Welch said. “A lot of people don’t realize that it’s possible to go three ways in football. Special-teams plays account for nearly one-fourth of the plays in a game and Jim will be on the field during those plays.”

Although roaming the defensive secondary is a new experience for Zopelis, he has taken a liking to it--partly because it’s something different, and partly because he gets to do the hitting instead of being the hittee.

“I’ve played a lot more at wide receiver,” Zopelis said. “But I’m learning to like playing defense. I’m more comfortable at wide receiver, but playing defense is a lot of fun. In certain ways, it might be (more fun) because it’s still new to me.”

Add Canyon: While Zopelis is hoping to have an immediate impact on defense, Andy Cleland, a recent transfer from Lakeside El Capitan High, figures to have an immediate impact on offense.

Mike Torres, the projected starting tailback, underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his leg a couple of weeks ago and might not play next season.

Torres, who rushed for 367 yards in 69 carries and scored two touchdowns in seven games as a junior, suffered a season-ending knee injury last November but was expected to be back in the fall.

“We’re hoping we’ll have him back, but it’s hard to say,” Welch said. “He can’t walk right now. He’s on crutches.”

Bright future: Chatsworth High’s baseball team was expected to have a solid one-two pitching punch next season with Brandon Nickens and Doug Dean returning.

But the Chancellors could be even stronger with the addition of Eric Holliday, who threw a two-hitter to beat Tustin, 5-1, in the title game of the L. A. Watts Games at El Camino on Sunday.

Holliday, who compiled a 10-1 record at the junior-varsity level last season, walked only two and struck out three against Tustin, which advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Section 3-A Division playoffs last season.

“He pitched well, and he pitched well against a good team,” Chatsworth Coach Tom Meusborn said. “He didn’t overpower them, but he was able to throw his curveball for a strike in situations that he needed to, and he was able to spot his fastball from time to time.”

Meusborn stills expects Nickens (6-2, 1.21 earned-run average last season) to be his No. 1 pitcher. But he is pleased to see Dean (2-3, 3.25 ERA) getting competition from Holliday.

“Nickens is still my No. 1 guy,” Meusborn said. “He finished strong at the varsity level last season. But there should be a good battle for the second spot. . . . I expected pitching to be a strength of next year’s team, and with the addition of (Holliday), that should really be true.”