CENTRAL LEAGUE PREVIEW : Lincoln Again Will Be Tough to Stop
Teams in the City Central League once played in front of 30,000 fans on Friday nights at Balboa Stadium. That was 30 years ago.
Now the league that used to be the city’s football garden spot plays most of its games on Friday afternoons against a backdrop of sparsely populated bleachers. Most of its teams see only a setting autumn sun and distant playoff dreams on the coastal horizon.
This year, five of six schools had more than 30 players report for August workouts. In the Central League, that is good news. More cause for optimism: Three head coaches with two years’ experience or less appear committed to rebuilding their programs.
Serra, a team that suffered for years in the powerhouse City Eastern League, joins the Central, which sent two teams (Lincoln and Crawford) to the section 2-A championship game in 1985 but has since been on a downward spiral.
With Serra, the Central might have a new playoff contender. The Conquistadors were 5-5 during the regular season in 1991. Only Lincoln (7-4) and San Diego (6-4-1) finished with winning records last year. Most of the coaches anticipate improvement.
Lincoln, San Diego, Crawford and Serra all lost in the first round of the playoffs last year. Also noteworthy is the fact all six of San Diego’s victories came against losing teams.
Central League teams (excluding Serra) also have more success playing each other than nonleague opponents, against which they had a 9-18-2 record in 1991. Seventeen of those nonleague opponents, in fact, had losing records.
The hard times in the Central, however, have not affected one school: Lincoln.
Benefiting from an open enrollment, the Hornets pump out Division I prospects, play a tough nonleague schedule and coast to the league championship almost yearly.
“I guess we’ve won the league seven of the last eight years,” said Lincoln Coach Vic Player. “We don’t keep track.” CRAWFORD COLTS Coach: Jeff Olivero, 2nd year 1991 Record: 3-7-1, 2-2 Starters Returning: 11
Crawford returns quarterback Dominic Mosler, who passed for more than 1,300 yards last year, and the best receiving tandem in the league in Michael Bell (49 receptions) and Altie Parker. Bell has 4.6 speed in the 40, Parker 4.7. But the Colts will contend only if Mosler (5-8, 145) has enough protection to deliver the ball.
“It’s a matter of what the people around them can do,” said Olivero. “We lack depth. We’re green up front. Skill-wise, we’re as sophisticated as anybody.”
Olivero said his 34-man roster is the largest in years, but 10 are sophomores who have been promoted for blocking and tackling duty.
The Colts will be strong at linebacker with Chad Suitonu (6-1, 210), Marco Delrio (5-10, 205) and junior Robbie Wadas. Chris Mfikawa (5-8, 272) could make an impact at nose tackle. HOOVER CARDINALS Coach: John Johnson, 11th year 1991 Record: 2-7-1, 1-2-1 Starters Returning: 6
With its 25-man roster, Hoover won’t have any depth and will have to use five of its returning starters on both offense and defense. The Cardinals would have had eight returners, but guard Mike Concepcion moved to Los Angeles and tight end Renny Razor moved to Japan.
This to the lament of Anthony Hardy and Dan Bjorklund, who are battling for the quarterback position. Bjorklund and Hardy are both 5-8, 165, and will play behind a line that averages 5-9, 171 with only one returning starter: junior Jeff Schroeder.
Key players will be linebacker/tailback Jaime Blake, a junior who runs the 40 in 4.5 and had big offensive games last year, and linebacker/tight end Courtney Crawford (6-1, 195). Said Johnson, “This could be a real good ballclub, or we could be in real trouble. At least these kids like football, they like school, they like to wear the jersey.” LINCOLN HORNETS Coach: Vic Player, 7th year 1991 Record: 7-4, 4-0 Starters Returning: 10
With all its experience, speed and enough size to dwarf a typical Central League foe, the Hornets should win it again. Lining up behind a six-man front that averages 6-2, 220, is Akili Smith (6-3, 195), the league’s premier quarterback with 1,346 passing yards in 1991, and Jimmy Greene, a returning starter at running back. Each scored two touchdowns in a 34-24 loss at Kahuku (Hawaii) Saturday.
Wide receiver Darren Hall, with 4.4 speed, is faster than former Hornets Patrick Rowe and Scott Hammond were at his age. DeAngelo Johnson (6-1 1/2, 240), George Jackson (6-1, 235), Glenn Harmon (6-0, 215) and junior Terrell Cade (6-4, 195) are returning linemen. The defense includes all-league lineman Ben Lilo (5-10, 200) and three returning defensive backs: Mike Williams, Rashee Johnson and Charles Cooper.
“We have size and numbers, things we’re are not accustomed to,” Player said. “We won’t have the level of speed we had last year. But we have enough kids that run 4.6 that we’ll have our speed.” MADISON WARHAWKS Coach: Steve Jacobacci, 3rd year 1991 Record: 0-9-1, 0-3-1 Starters Returning: 12
Madison has lots of experience. Everybody is back on the offensive line. But Jacobacci wants to be sure the Warhawks don’t carry any baggage from last season. So he’s working on their psyche.
“I’ve challenged them in a sense, because of what happened last year,” he said. “It was hard, real real hard. It’s time to put last year away and go on.”
The season included three one-point losses, which were no doubt harder to digest than the 62-0 defeat to Morse.
Quarterback Fred Brooks, a senior, is the team’s best athlete. He has two receivers with 4.7 speed in Jerry Young and Marques Roberts and a promising tight end in Dan Serritella (6-3, 190). But with 20 linemen, led by veterans Pat Hertig and Jeff Campbell, look for Madison to grind it. SAN DIEGO CAVERS Coach: Bob Perone, 1st year 1991 Record: 6-4-1, 2-2 Starters Returning: 4
The Cavers pitched shutouts in their first three games in 1991, built a 6-0-1 record, then plummeted when the competition stiffened. They lost their final four games then their coach, Art Anderson, quit for personal reasons in late June.
One of their best linemen, Ansen Caires (6-3, 272), transferred to Point Loma. Returning quarterback Jacque Jones spent the summer playing baseball and might not be ready. Contending with it all is an off-campus coach: Perone, 65.
But Perone is used to coaching teams with no experience. For the past 12 years, he has led San Diego’s junior varsity, Central League champion the past two seasons. The Cavers will rally around linebacker Marlon McWilson, kicker/defensive back Pablo Ornelas and tackle Josh Liberty (6-3, 260). Receivers Andre Ponce and John Espinal also return.
“There was a lot of confusion on this team last year,” said Perone, who is restoring the wing-T offense. “But it’s very together now.” SERRA CONQUISTADORS Coach: Skip Coons, 4th year 1991 Record: 5-6, 1-3 in City Eastern Starters Returning: 8
One would think getting out of the 3-A Eastern League would be a boon to Serra. But Coons is not sure what to expect from a team that had all but eight of its 21 expected returning starters relocated by the Navy during the off-season.
“It might be a better situation for our youngsters,” Coons said. “The lines in the Eastern League are as big as pro lines. But I wouldn’t consider it a gift going to the Central League. As it stands now, they may be stronger (than they have been).”
One player the Navy did pluck is 6-3, 200-pound tight end/linebacker Eddie Hinton, an All-Eastern Leaguer with 4.6 speed. The Conquistadors also have center Gabe Ayala (6-0, 250), halfback Billy Dill (4.5 in the 40) and linebacker Isaac Coons (6-2, 175), the coach’s son.
22 to Watch
Tops in the City Central League
Pos Name School Yr. C Gabe Ayala Serra Sr. WR Michael Bell Crawford Sr. LB Jaime Blake Hoover Jr. QB Fred Brooks Madison Sr. C Jeff Campbell Madison Sr. LB Isaac Coons Serra Sr. DB Charles Cooper Lincoln Sr. LB Courtney Crawford Hoover Sr. LB Marco Delrio Crawford Sr. RB Billy Dill Serra Jr. RB Jimmy Greene Lincoln Jr. WR Darren Hall Lincoln Sr. TE Eddie Hinton Serra Sr. OL DeAngelo Johnson Lincoln Sr. OL Josh Liberty San Diego Sr. DL Ben Lilo Lincoln Sr. LB Marlon McWilson San Diego Sr. QB Dominic Mosler Crawford Sr. K Pablo Ornelas San Diego Sr. WR Altie Parker Crawford Jr. QB Akili Smith Lincoln Sr. LB Chad Suitonu Crawford Sr.
