Esperanza Steadies Itself for Careful Final Steps

The stepping-stone philosophy of Esperanza football Coach Gary Meek has only a couple more rocks to go. At the end of the path, a second consecutive Southern Section Division III championship.

But now the going gets tricky.

The playoffs begin Friday, and every team has the Aztecs in its sights. Esperanza has been ranked No. 1 in Division III since the season started and has done nothing to convince people otherwise.

“To win the championship, sooner or later you’re going to face Esperanza,” Crespi Coach Tim Lins said. “They are the team to beat.”

The Aztecs have lived with that assessment all season. However, they’ve followed their coach’s seven-step plan, and that has been enough.

At the beginning of the season, Meek set a list of goals for the team, small steps, such as winning their first game. After each goal is accomplished, it is crossed off a chart that hangs in the locker room.

“That has kept the team focused,” Meek said. “It’s hard to tell the kids that the goal is to win the (Southern Section) title. That’s too far down the line. We gave them short-term goals to build up to that.”

There are only two goals left--reaching the semifinals and winning the championship.

The Aztecs, who have won 24 consecutive games, appear to have all the talent needed to take care of those last two.

Tackle Travis Kirschke leads a defense that has given up only 56 points, and has held six teams to one touchdown or less. The Aztecs’ front seven tend to manhandle opponents.

The offense is conservative, but effective. At times, the Aztecs have merely bulldozed opponents. Running back Garrick Emry is the team’s leading rusher, with 894 yards.

Even Meek acknowledges there is plenty of talent. What concerns him are the intangibles.

“Luck has a lot to do with it,” Meek said. “Everything has to fall just right and you have to stay healthy. That happened for us last year.”

Waiting in the wings in case the Aztecs falter are several good teams, although none appear to be as dominant as Esperanza.

--Crespi breezed through the tough Mission League undefeated. The Celts have a balanced offense, led by senior quarterback Cody Smith, who has more than 1,600 yards passing, and junior running back Tori Lee, a 1,000-yard rusher.

--El Modena was the second-ranked team most of the season, before losing to Orange. Still, the Vanguards have plenty of talent with quarterback Jose Prado (1,526 yards passing) and linebacker Gavin Brown.

--Hawthorne, champion of the Bay League, is probably the quickest team in the the division. The Cougars are led on offense by running back Morrell Ollis, who has more than 1,400 yards rushing and is averaging nine yards a carry.

“I think there are several teams in this division who have come on strong at the end,” Hawthorne Coach Dan Robbins said.

The hottest of which may be Hart, which was 2-3 in nonleague games, then swept through the Foothill League unbeaten. With senior quarterback Ryan Connors, the Indians have a dangerous offense. Connors has passed for 29 touchdowns and more than 2,800 yards this season.

Division III

Last year’s champion--Esperanza (14-0 in 1990).

Top teams--Esperanza (10-0), Hawthorne (8-2), Hart (7-3) and El Modena (9-1).

Dark horse: Los Alamitos (8-2).

Key players: Derek Charles, Hart, wide receiver, 68 catches for 960 yards and 18 touchdowns; Ryan Conners, Hart, quarterback, 3,193 passing yards and 34 touchdowns; Garrick Emry, Esperanza, running back, 13 touchdowns; Travis Kirschke, Esperanza, defensive tackle, can dominate on the line; Bryant Jackson, Loara, defensive tackle, an intimidating force at 295 pounds; Morell Ollis, Hawthorne, running back, 1,500 rushing yards; Jose Prado, El Modena, quarterback, key to the Vanguards’ chances with 1,539 passing yards and 17 touchdowns; George Sagen, Los Alamitos, wide receiver, county receiving leader with 55 catches for 732 yards; Cody Smith, Crespi, quarterback, 1,868 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.

Noteworthy: Last season, Esperanza’s 38-35 victory over Hart in the semifinals was easily one of the best games of the year. The Aztecs won in the final three seconds. Both schools have several top players returning and could meet again in the championship game.