Small Schools Face Big-Time Obstacles : Athletics: Finding a place to play--and getting there--are only two of the many challenges.

Bert Esposito started the fall with eight footballs--two of which were actually new--a box of athletic tape and a shallow-pockets philosophy.

On that, his Southern California Christian football team ran, and passed.

Game day found the Flames--all 16 of them--at Esposito’s house. They would cram their equipment and bodies into five vehicles and head for the stadium--even for home games.

That meant driving to Brea-Olinda, Orange Lutheran or Western, depending on which high school field was available. One time, home was Peralta Junior High School.

When the season was over, Esposito had spent a whopping $500 for equipment and all the Flames had to show for it was a Southern Section Division X championship.

“I’m truly amazed how we ran things,” said Esposito, who is also the school’s athletic director. “We really don’t have an athletic budget. We spend money as we get it, and only if we have to. By the grace of God, it worked.

“Boy, but you’re not suppose to be able to win a championship like that.”

Such is life on the bottom rung of the Southern Section ladder, where schools with fewer than 200 students try to survive athletically.

With smaller enrollments, smaller teams and smaller budgets, these schools have less to work with. Few have adequate financial resources, even fewer have athletic facilities. All have problems.

“You think at a small school, it would be easier to run an athletic program,” said David Bartelt, athletic director at Cal Lutheran in Huntington Beach. “But I believe it’s twice the work. Last year, our basketball teams used five different gyms for home games.”

Or, to put it simply: “At this level it’s not a headache, it’s a nightmare,” said Ray Clifton, athletic director at Liberty Christian in Huntington Beach.

Yet these schools seem to make do. Somehow.

There are nine high schools in Orange County with enrollments of less than 200. All are private schools.

None of them offer all of the 24 sports that the Southern Section sanctions. The closest is St. Margaret’s in San Juan Capistrano, which fields 11 teams.

“Our policy is to field a team where there’s a demand,” St. Margaret’s Athletic Director Brady Lock said. “A few years back, a bunch of our kids wanted to play soccer and there seemed to be enough of an interest, so we started soccer.”

Participation is not a problem.

Bartelt estimates that 80% of the students at Cal Lutheran play at least one sport. Clifton said that of the 42 boys at Liberty Christian, 28 play sports, and 14 of those play three sports.

“As coaches, we have to share athletes,” said Clifton, who also coaches baseball. “We have only so many kids. At Ocean View, they cut more kids from their baseball program then I will have try out.”

In an age of specialization, three-sport athletes are a luxury that most schools can’t afford. Athletes are being groomed in year-round programs, which allow them little time for more than one sport or, maybe, two.

But in small schools, the two- and three-sport athlete is the backbone of the program.

“I don’t think our kids get burned out on one sport, but they may get fatigued because of the number of things they are involved in,” Clifton said. “They’re not only in sports, they are in the choir or student government. They can’t just be playing basketball all year.”

At Southern California Christian, every member of the football team will also play baseball. Most of them are playing for the basketball team.

However, even with the multi-sport participation, the smaller schools still have a number of problems.

Most of the schools that field football teams play in eight-man divisions because they don’t have the numbers to play 11-man. Even at that level, one or two injuries can cripple a team.

In 1988, Lock figured he had a pretty good football team. However, he had only 10 players, and when Trevor Durham, a standout running back and linebacker, got hurt, the bottom fell out. Durham missed four games, all of which the team lost.

“I look at the absentee list every day during football season to see if we can hold a practice,” Lock said. “At clinics, people start talking about depth charts and I chuckle. We’ve never had a depth chart.”

The lack of athletes has even caused some schools to cut back their programs.

The Southern California Christian wrestling team canceled its season. Almost all the wrestlers played football, and the wrestling season was well underway by the time the Flames’ football season was over.

Connelly, an all-girls school in Anaheim, has gone from nine sports to six to four in recent years.

“When you don’t have the numbers, your athletic teams suffer,” Connelly Athletic Director Timmerie Henry said. “We were smart to cut back to four good programs rather then run six shoddy ones.”

The problems are the same no matter how many athletic teams a school has. And the biggest problem is facilities.

At Heritage Christian in Fullerton, a home game can mean going to Whittier for football or to Garden Grove for basketball.

Baseball and softball?

“Wherever we get a field, we’ll play,” Athletic Director John Shirey said.

Athletic directors at the smaller schools agree that the most difficult part of their job is finding places for their teams to play. And don’t even talk about a practice facility.

Cal Lutheran plays its home basketball games at a gym run by the City of Newport Beach. However, the team practices on an outdoor asphalt court at the school.

“When it rains, we tell our kids it’s just a leaky gym,” said Bartelt.

Actually, Cal Lutheran is lucky. It has its own football field. Sure, it’s nothing more than a dirt patch and the goal posts are made of plumbing pipes. But, hey, it’s all theirs.

“Sometimes I’m on the phone begging just to get into a gym for some practice time,” said Mike Smith, athletic director at Claremont in Garden Grove. “I think some schools take things for granted, like an athletic field.”

Heritage Christian plays its football games at Whittier Christian High School.

Liberty Christian plays its games at an elementary school in Huntington Beach. For basketball, the school uses the First Baptist Church in Long Beach or the Huntington Valley Boys and Girls Club.

“We’re on the road so much, Willie Nelson should sing at our games,” Clifton said.

All this costs money.

Bartelt said more than half of his $13,000 athletic budget goes to facilities and game officials.

Southern California Christian used Brea-Olinda as its home football field most of the season, at a cost of $1,200 per game. In an effort to save money, Esposito played one game at Peralta Junior High School, where he only needed a permit from the City of Orange.

To save even more money, Esposito scheduled nothing but road games for the girls’ basketball team.

“I’m constantly looking for deals,” Esposito said. “Our girls’ basketball team practices at a park that costs only $5.”

Everyone at this level is into saving money. Bethel Baptist, located in Santa Ana, plays its boys’ basketball games at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center. However, they practice on outdoor courts outside the recreation center.

The indoor court costs the school approximately $2,000 per season. The outdoor courts cost $3 per hour.

Those days are behind St. Margaret’s, which finally built a $2-million gym. The school also has an athletic field for football and soccer and has a deal with the city to use a softball and baseball field.

“I certainly don’t miss having to find a gym on Friday night,” Lock said. “I remember one time we rented a gym and we had to wait for a youth recreation class to finish before we could play.”

OK, you have a place to play, for better or worse. Now the problem is getting there.

If finding facilities is the hardest part of an athletic director’s job, transportation is a close second. Few schools have their own buses, although most have vans.

But with so many teams practicing at the same time, athletes are often asked to find their own way to practices and, sometimes, games.

“The older kids drive their own cars to practice,” Shirey said. “The younger ones? They beg and plead or jump in the trunk.”

This causes athletic directors, concerned about liability problems, nothing but grief. Parents sign waivers, but that doesn’t make officials rest any easier.

“Many of our basketball players drive themselves to practice, and I get nervous every day,” Clifton said. “I’ll be a happy man when we finally build a gym.”

At Claremont, officials decided enough was enough and purchased a school bus this year. However, no one was qualified to drive it.

Smith, besides being the athletic director at Claremont, coaches the football and baseball teams. He also is an assistant coach for the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. Oh, yes, he handles all the equipment, too.

This year, his workload was significantly increased when he got a Class B driver’s license so he could drive the bus.

Can selling popcorn be too far off?

“Getting that license was the most hectic thing I’ve ever had to do,” Smith said. “I had to learn about air brakes. Believe me, I know more about air brakes then you would ever want to know.”

During basketball games, Smith assists the head coach, keeps stats, runs the clock and the scoreboard. When the game ends, he leaves the gym to open the bus, then runs back inside to make sure everything has been cleared out.

“In this job, you have to juggle things around quite a bit,” Smith said.

That includes the books.

Tough financial times have put the squeeze on all athletic programs. But the smaller schools have been hit particularly hard.

Most charge an athletic fee. At Claremont, it’s $200 for boys and $150 for girls. At Southern California Christian, it’s $50 to play one sport, $75 for more than one sport.

Tuition doesn’t help much; that is usually earmarked for academics. So everyone is looking to save.

Southern California Christian went on a fiscal diet this year. After incurring debts of approximately $5,000, the school was able to erase the debt because of a donation.

Esposito decided to go through the year without an athletic budget. The football team spent money as it made it. The gate receipts and athletic fees managed to cover the stadium rentals and officials’ fees.

The rest, well . . .

“Everyone did their own part,” Esposito said. “The kids bought their own cleats and mouthpieces. When we got the money, we’d go buy tape. We didn’t tape kids for practice unless it was for an injury.”

In the end, the Flames spent spent $500 on equipment and transportation and won a football title.

Mater Dei, which won the Division I championship, budgeted $50,000 for equipment and transportation for its football program this season. Irvine, which won the Division II title, budgeted $13,400.

“I guess it goes to show, it’s nice to have money, but it can be done without it,” Esposito said.

Competing in the Small Time

A look at the athletic programs of Orange County’s high school with enrollments of less than 200: Bethel Baptist

Location: Santa Ana.

Enrollment: 90.

Sports: Five. Boys--basketball, volleyball; Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Fred Morales.

Coaches: Fred Morales (boys’ basketball, boys’ volleyball, girls’ basketball), Gerry Stotler (girls’ volleyball), girls’ softball position vacant.

Tuition: $145 per month.

Athletic Budget: no budget at start of school year. Cal Lutheran

Location: Huntington Beach.

Enrollment: 60.

Sports: Six. Boys--football (eight-man), basketball, baseball; Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: David Bartelt.

Coaches: David Bartelt (football, boys’ basketball, baseball), Bob Faust (girls’ volleyball), Julie Rardin (softball), Margaret Gullixson (girls’ basketball).

Tuition: $2,200 to $3,600 per year.

Athletic Budget: $20,000. Claremont

Location: Garden Grove.

Enrollment: 120.

Sports: Six. Boys--football basketball, baseball; Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Mike Smith.

Coaches: Mike Smith (football, baseball, assistant for boys’ and girls’ basketball); Tom Duttine (girls’ basketball); Russell Ray (boys’ basketball, boys’ volleyball); girls’ softball position vacant.

Tuition: $5,000 per year.

Athletic Budget: $7,000. Connelly

Location: Anaheim.

Enrollment: 160 (all girls).

Sports: Four--basketball, softball, tennis and volleyball.

Athletic Director: Timmerie Henry.

Coaches: Timmerie Henry (basketball, softball), Carleen Koscielac (volleyball); Joe Salsar (tennis).

Tuition: $4,900 per year.

Athletic Budget: $10,000. Heritage Christian

Location: Fullerton.

Enrollment: 60.

Sports: Six. Boys--baseball, basketball, football (eight-man); Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: John Shirey.

Coaches: Irene Offinga (volleyball); Jim Weems (football); John Caldie (boys’ basketball); Mike Larson (girls’ basketball); Gary Drabek (softball); Baseball coaching position vacant.

Tuition: $310 per month.

Athletic Budget: $11,000. Liberty Christian

Location: Huntington Beach.

Enrollment: 92.

Sports: Six. Boys--baseball, basketball, football (eight-man); Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Ray Clifton.

Coaches: Ray Clifton (baseball); Joe Cupp (football), Rudy Sass (boys’ basketball, softball), Jim Gaine (volleyball), Joe Weddle (girls’ basketball).

Tuition: $2,500 per year.

Athletic Budget: No budget at start of school year. Pacific Shores

Location: Laguna Hills.

Enrollment: 36.

Sports: Four. Boys--basketball, co-ed baseball; Girls--basketball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Rich Zanelli.

Coaches: Rich Zanelli (baseball, boys’ basketball), Scarlett McKee (volleyball), Karen Schmitt (girls’ basketball).

Tuition: $550 per month.

Athletic Budget: Not available. St. Margaret’s

Location: San Juan Capistrano.

Enrollment: 160.

Sports: 11. Boys--baseball, basketball, cross-country, football (8-man), soccer, volleyball; Girls--basketball, cross-country, softball, soccer, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Brady Lock.

Coaches: Brady Lock (football, boys’ volleyball, girls’ basketball), Rick Bauer (boys’ basketball), Mike Hays (baseball), Sabrina Jensen (boys’ and girls’ cross-country), Vicki Gentry (girls’ volleyball), Laura Baker (softball), Sid Bradshaw (boys’ soccer), Nasser Bahrozyan (girls’ soccer).

Tuition: $6,375 per year.

Athletic Budget: $40,000. St. Michael’s Prep

Location: Orange.

Enrollment: 53 (all boys).

Sports: Two--baseball, basketball.

Athletic Director: John Dignan.

Coach: John Dignan (baseball, basketball).

Tuition: $3,500 per year (includes room and board).

Athletic Budget: No budget at start of school year. Southern California Christian

Location: Orange.

Enrollment: 150.

Sports: Six. Boys--baseball, basketball, football; Girls--basketball, softball, volleyball.

Athletic Director: Bert Esposito.

Coaches: Bert Esposito (baseball, football), J.T. Cameron (boys’ basketball), Ed Felton (softball), Mike Lum (volleyball), Dave Zylstra (girls’ basketball).

Tuition: $299.55 per month.

Athletic Budget: No budget at start of school year.

NOTE: Southern Section has 24 sports.