Morse Ready, Willing, Able to Carry Burden of Success : Division 3-A: History shows this team can repeat. However other teams are lining up to take their best shot.

The pressure is on Morse High School as it begins its quest for a third San Diego Section 3-A football title in four years.

History is on the side of the Tigers, who have reached the finals at Jack Murphy Stadium the past four years. No other 3-A team has been to the finals more than three consecutive times.

It will be tough for Morse to repeat that kind of success.

“There’s more pressure on this team this year than there was last year,” Morse Coach John Shacklett said. “We’ve played one game already and we have a 15-game winning streak. The players want to keep that going. They want to repeat.”

Do the Tigers have the emotional makeup to handle the pressure that will accompany them to the section finals on Dec. 14?, should they get that far?

“That’s what we have to wait and see about,” Shacklett said.

Some other questions:

Will Morse repeat?

Everyone will be gunning for them, but the Tigers can come right back, beginning with Gary Taylor, the state’s leading rusher. Taylor, who would have gained more than 2,625 yards if he hadn’t been stopped by reaching the end zone 31 times, is joined in the backfield by last year’s starting fullback, Conan Smith, who scored 15 times.

Taylor’s twin brother, Cary, also an outstanding athlete, steps in at quarterback to replace The Times’ player of the year, Teddy Lawrence.

Who should be No.1?

Morse, of course.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t,” Shacklett said. “I think it’s for us to lose and for someone else to knock us off. Whether or not we’re the best team in the county or not, that remains to be seen.”

Who will challenge?

Orange Glen is the team that Shacklett likes in the North County. The Patriots faced Morse in the finals in 1988 and 1990. The Patriots return five starters on offense and four on defense, including Omar Navarro, who passed 2,746 yards and 18 touchdowns. His leading receiver, Kris Plash, who caught 71 passes for 942 yards, also returns. Oh, the offensive line averages 255 pounds. But any Palomar League team still must go through Rancho Buena Vista.

Point Loma is a good pick to challenge Morse for the City Eastern League title. The Pointers have eight starters back on defense, led by defensive ends La’Roi Glover (6-3, 276), and David Cunningham (6-0, 200), linebacker Pico Gonzalez (6-3, 230) and cornerback Michael Driver (6-3, 185). On average, the Pointers allowed just 9.3 points per game. On most nights, that kind of effort will present a pretty good challenge.

Will Chad Davis make a difference at Mira Mesa?

Davis passed for 2,187 yards last year, threw 17 touchdown passes and had only four interceptions despite 292 passes. Todd Marinovich’s record for career passing yardage (9,182) is in sight. Over three years, Davis has completed 485 of 783 passes for 6,953 yards, 57 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

This is Davis’ third high school in three years. Palm Springs High had lost 19 in a row before Davis arrived and were 18-4 in the two seasons Davis was quarterback; Torrey Pines was 2-8 before Davis, 4-5-1 with him, and the Falcons appeared in the playoffs for the first time in six years. Unlike other teams in need of an overhaul by head coach/offensive coordinator Bob Davis, Chad’s father, Mira Mesa had a successful, run-oriented program. Mira Mesa was 9-3 last year with the section’s ninth-best scoring offense. Davis won’t need to be a miracle-worker. The Marauders return four offensive linemen and the other skill players are suited to a passing attack.

Yeah, he’ll make a difference.

Who’s the darkhorse?

“(Fallbrook has) always had good passers or good receivers or good backs, but they’ve never had it all at one time,” Torrey Pines Coach Ed Burke said. “And this year they have something they’ve never had, breakaway speed. They’ve never had it together at one time like they do this year. I think they have the potential to be the best offense (Coach Tom Pack’s) ever had. Speed kills.”

That’s the consensus, ranging from Shacklett to Rancho Buena Vista’s Craig Bell to Orange Glen’s Rob Gilster. Pack says his quarterback, junior John Dutton, has good vision and a strong arm and is “cut from the same mold as Mike Turiace, Jaime Miramontes and Scott Barrick, three all-county quarterbacks.”

So the run-and-shoot has the gun; it also has the run. Halfback Tony Burton rushed for 1,163 yards and slotback Craig Person caught 17 passes for 252 yards. Person also returned a kickoff 91 yards and a punt 55 yards for touchdowns, while Burton had an 88 kickoff return. They’re dangerous on special teams.