32ND ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME : South Taking Aim at Fifth Victory in a Row : All-Stars: Rob Johnson, El Toro’s quarterback, looks forward to firing bullets at stellar cast of receivers in tonight’s game.

As early as six weeks ago--or 20 days before the North players reported to camp--South quarterback Rob Johnson of El Toro High School made a prediction on the outcome of the 32nd Orange County All-Star football game.

“It won’t be close,” Johnson said while warming up to pitch in the county’s all-star baseball game.

Though a bit premature, Johnson might be right.

The South, loaded with talented receivers, a strong-armed quarterback in Johnson and a defensive front that will be difficult to run against, should win for the fifth consecutive year when the teams meet at 7:30 tonight in Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

Johnson, who will attend USC in the fall, never had the luxury of throwing to receivers such as Dave Poltl of Capistrano Valley, Mike Cunningham of Edison or Ricky Ellis of Mater Dei during his senior season. The trio will start in the South’s one-back offense.

“We have three great receivers and (reserve Michael) Castleberry (Santa Ana Valley) is awesome,” Johnson said during Thursday’s practice at LeBard Stadium.

Johnson passed for 2,781 yards and 29 touchdowns in leading El Toro to the Division II semifinals. Capistrano Valley, the Division II champion, will have four starters--Poltl, linebacker Motor Mosebrook, and defensive backs Bernie Chapman and Jeremy Brion--joining Coach Eric Patton.

The South’s defensive standout is nose guard Noa Pua of Santiago. Pua, who has signed with Washington State, has been a force in practice.

“We can’t run a play against him,” Patton said. “We finally had to tell him, ‘Relax. . . . Take it easy. These are your teammates.’ ”

Patton admitted the emphasis will be on the passing game with Johnson seeing most of the action ahead of Edison’s Josh Gingrich.

“Rob has been everything he’s touted to be,” Patton said. “If everything clicks and we protect Rob, it could be a great show for the fans.”

The news out of the North camp hasn’t been as positive. Coach Jon Looney of Brea-Olinda has had 10 players drop out of the game since the rosters were announced. The team’s most touted player, Rancho Alamitos tailback Ulysses Trammell, has looked tentative in practice. Trammell rushed for 1,998 yards last fall.

Some players complained after Looney scheduled a full contact practice on opening day. Two of the team’s best linemen--Bill Soares of El Modena and Paul Richter of Valencia--quit for personal reasons. Another, defensive back Tim Gray of El Modena, was sidelined when he was hit by a motorist while riding a skateboard on the Fourth of July.

Looney, who has compiled a 19-6-1 record in his past 26 games at Brea, realizes the task ahead for his team.

“We certainly have a huge task ahead of us,” Looney said, “but we have confidence in our kids. The key will be to put some defensive pressure on Johnson and put some first downs together offensively. We’re going to have to run the ball a little bit.”

Keith McDonald, who led Esperanza to the Division III championship, will start at quarterback. Mike Sullivan, who helped Sunny Hills win the Division VI championship, beat out Trammell for the tailback position.

The North’s secondary is expected to get a workout. Kennedy’s Vince Church, a finalist at the State track and field meet in the triple jump, appears to be the only defensive back capable of defending the South’s talented receivers.

All-Star Notes

The North leads the series, 17-11-2, despite losing the past four years. Area sportswriters listed the South as 17-point favorites when the rosters were announced. . . . South Coach Eric Patton, a prep All-American at Mater Dei, played for the South team that lost, 49-8, in 1968. George Dena, an assistant at Brea, was the head coach for the North team in 1968. . . . The two biggest players in each camp will attend UCLA in the fall. Karl Schroller, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive tackle, is the South’s big man. James Christensen, a 6-4, 295-pound offensive tackle, is the North’s big guy. . . . South tight end Green Greenwalt of Newport Harbor injured his right knee in a scrimmage last week and will not suit up tonight. . . . Ulysses Trammell will attend Orange Coast College, where he will move from tailback to wide receiver. . . . Orange Coast football Coach Bill Workman, comparing the teams, said, “The difference in talent is noticeable.”

The North’s Roster

OFFENSIVE STARTERS

Name Position School Ht. Wt. Reid Pullen Tight End Esperanza 6-2 208 Charles Gipson Wide Receiver Loara 6-0 178 Youssef Semaan Wide Receiver Cypress 5-11 180 Chad Richter Tackle Esperanza 6-2 230 James Christensen Tackle Servite 6-4 295 Jeff Hicks Guard Sunny Hills 6-1 200 Eric O’Connor Guard Servite 6-3 243 Carl Habis Center Loara 5-10 215 Keith McDonald Quarterback Esperanza 6-2 195 Ryan Bremer Fullback Pacifica 6-2 195 Mike Sullivan Tailback Sunny Hills 6-0 180 Armando Orizaba Kicker Katella 5-5 149

DEFENSIVE STARTERS

Name Position School Ht. Wt. Leonard Sims Tackle Rancho Alamitos 6-2 230 Brian Pearsall Tackle Villa Park 6-2 245 Ismael Lopez Guard Anaheim 5-10 210 J.R. Sauni Guard Orange 6-1 220 Joey Hernandez Linebacker Fullerton 5-11 190 David Parkinson Linebacker Servite 6-2 205 Chris Singletary Linebacker Rancho Alamitos 6-2 220 Chris Maroney Linebacker Pacifica 6-1 180 Mike Buonaro Cornerback Brea-Olinda 6-0 185 Vince Church Cornerback Kennedy 5-9 170 Mike Ryan Free Safety Brea-Olinda 6-2 175 Ryan Bremer Punter Pacifica 6-2 195

OTHER NORTH PLAYERS: John Collins (quarterback) Los Alamitos; Kenny Overby (fullback) Sunny Hills; Ulysses Trammel (tailback) Rancho Alamitos; Mark Lightfoot (wide receiver) Orange; Steve Bosich (offensive lineman) Canyon; Justin Stewart (offensive lineman) Los Alamitos; Rich Gutierrez (defensive lineman) Esperanza; Rob Logoteta (defensive lineman) Brea-Olinda; Jim Peterson (linebacker) Fullerton; Matt Smith (linebacker) La Habra; George Garcia (defensive end) Canyon; Tim Gray (defensive back) El Modena, and Hien Nguyen (defensive back) Savanna.

The South’s Roster

OFFENSIVE STARTERS

Name Position School Ht. Wt. Randy Karliner Tight End Ocean View 6-1 203 Dave Poltl Wide Receiver Capistrano Valley 5-10 170 Mike Cunningham Wide Receiver Edison 6-1 178 Ricky Ellis Wide Receiver Mater Dei 5-8 155 Karl Schroller Tackle Fountain Valley 6-7 280 Mark Welker Tackle Mission Viejo 6-3 238 David Ackerman Guard Foothill 6-2 245 Chris Rae Guard Westminster 6-4 230 Jesse Gomez Center Santa Ana 6-3 250 Rob Johnson Quarterback El Toro 6-4 205 Derek Sparks Tailback Mater Dei 6-1 220 Doug Roberson Kicker Mission Viejo 5-8 160

DEFENSIVE STARTERS

Name Position School Ht. Wt. Rick Rice Tackle Marina 6-3 264 Jeremy Hogue Tackle El Toro 6-5 260 Noa Pua Nose Guard Santiago 6-3 215 Beau LeBreton Linebacker Mission Viejo 6-0 195 Mike Silvey Linebacker Mater Dei 6-0 195 Brian Haas Linebacker El Toro 6-2 220 Motor Mosebrook Linebacker Capistrano Valley 6-0 200 Bernie Chapman Cornerback Capistrano Valley 6-2 185 Keith Burke Cornerback Edison 6-0 180 Jeremy Brion Free Safety Capistrano Valley 6-1 205 Quoc Pham Strong Safety Costa Mesa 5-10 180 Randy Karliner Punter Ocean View 6-1 203

OTHER SOUTH PLAYERS: Josh Gingrich (quarterback) Edison; Visko Ancich (fullback) Tustin; Marwan Saba (tailback) Laguna Hills; Vance Senteno (tailback) Westminster; Michael Castleberry (wide receiver) Santa Ana Valley; George Greenwalt (tight end) Newport Harbor; Bill Hargrove (offensive lineman) Irvine; Al Sermeno (offensive lineman) Trabuco Hills; Ryan Mummert (center) Santa Margarita; Frank Marvitz (defensive lineman) Marina; Aaron Gutridge (linebacker) Tustin; Craig Reynolds (linebacker) La Quinta, and Greg Webb (linebacker) Irvine.