Glendale Puts Up a Strong Front in Its Bid for a Title

It is not a huge offensive line and its head coach does not tout any NCAA Division I prospects.

So if the Glendale High football team is going to successfully defend its Pacific League title--the school’s first since 1980--against the likes of Muir, Arcadia and Pasadena, the Dynamiters’ offensive front will have to produce another superb season.

Tailback Pathon Rucker grabbed most of the kudos last year when Glendale went undefeated before being upset by Camarillo, 33-8, in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior rushed for 1,878 yards and 29 touchdowns (he scored 31 overall), but he had plenty of help along the way.

“Pathon is a heck of a football player,” Crescenta Valley Coach Jim Beckenhauer said. “He can cut extremely well, and he sees the field extremely well. But if it was just him, and their offensive line was questionable, they wouldn’t be that dangerous.”

Doug Smith, entering his first year as head coach at Arcadia after 20 years as an assistant at the school (1970-89), concurred.

“I didn’t see Pathon play last year, but he was very good as a sophomore,” said Smith, who did not coach last year. “He has gotten huge since then, but we did certain things on defense that we felt worked against him as a sophomore. Of course, that was against a different team with a different offensive line.”

Mike Morris, Muir’s first-year coach, had heard a lot about Glendale’s 23-8 victory over Muir last year, when the Mustangs played without four starters because of injuries and disciplinary reasons. But after watching film of that game, Morris said the presence of those starters would not have made a difference.

“Glendale just dominated that game on both sides of the line,” Morris said. “The score could have been much worse.”

Unfortunately for Glendale’s opponents, the Dynamiter line appears to be rock solid again with no chinks in its armor.

The Dynamiters have three returning all-league offensive linemen in Max Ocon (6-0, 225), Yon Ge Mun (5-11, 270) and Hairo Torossian (5-11, 230). Mun and Torossian were second-team picks.

Ocon and Torossian have moved to their more natural positions of tight end and fullback, respectively, this season because of Glendale’s depth.

Glendale Coach Don Shoemaker considers the fullback position to be a vital ingredient in Glendale’s I formation.

Hector Maya not only rushed for 674 yards and nine touchdowns as a fullback last year, he provided excellent interference for Rucker.

“Hector did a great job at fullback last year,” Shoemaker said. “We’re hopeful that Hairo can be equally effective.”

Shoemaker has no doubts about the ability of his offensive line. “The line is definitely quicker and more experienced,” he said. “I think they can be better than last year.”

Shoemaker’s optimism stems from the fact that the Dynamiter offensive front not only has quality but quantity too. Shoemaker lists 10 players as major components in Glendale’s blocking scheme.

In addition to the aforementioned trio, he can count on seniors Yoshi Yamawaki (6-0, 210) and Jayson Spangler (6-1, 215), all-league selections on the defensive line last year who also play on the offensive front.

There also are seniors Alvin Santos (6-2, 265), Jeff Mungull (6-3, 245) and Alfonso Varella (6-1, 190), along with juniors Keith Hopkins (5-11, 230) and Brian Flette (6-1, 195).

Santos and Mungull will be limited to playing tackle, but the others are interchangeable, giving Shoemaker and his coaching staff an array of lineups from which to choose.

“In the past, we’ve had to have kids who could play more than one position out of necessity,” Shoemaker said. “Now it’s a big asset.”

And a big headache for the rest of the league.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

FINAL 1990 STANDINGS PROJECTED FINISH Glendale 10-1, 5-0 Glendale Muir 8-4, 4-1 Muir Arcadia 5-6, 3-2 Pasadena Pasadena 4-6, 2-3 Arcadia Crescenta Valley 4-6, 1-4 Crescenta Valley Hoover 2-8, 0-5 Hoover

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Class Jon Berg Crescenta Valley NT 5-8 165 Jr. Andy Colbert Muir QB/DB 5-9 165 Jr. Chris Kalaleh Hoover WR 6-1 170 Sr. Brett Miller Crescenta Valley WR 6-0 170 Jr. Derrick Norman Muir TE/LB 6-1 200 Jr. Max Ocon Glendale TE/LB 6-0 225 Sr. Pathon Rucker Glendale RB/DB 6-0 190 Sr. Kevin Schramm Arcadia QB 6-3 190 Sr. Stacy Townsend Pasadena QB 5-11 175 Sr. Yoshi Yamawaki Glendale OL/LB 6-0 210 Sr.