FOOTBALL ’92 : THE HIGH SCHOOLS: CITY SECTION : VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE : TEAM CAPSULES

MID-VALLEY LEAGUE (4-A)

Birmingham COACH: Chick Epstein, 13th season LAST SEASON: 7-3; 3rd in league, 5-2 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Option quarterback Vince Lampkin, who threw for 746 yards and ran for 470 last season, has gone on to Ventura College, leaving big shoes to fill. Epstein is hoping that senior Casey Doherty (5-foot-11, 160), up from the B team, can fill the void. “He’s the only one we’re looking at,” Epstein said. “We just want him to hand the ball off.” Returning is senior running back Paul Holt (6-2, 210), who will get Doherty’s handoffs “about 40 times a game.” Holt rushed for 253 yards in 59 carries and scored four touchdowns last season. Senior Scott Valdez (6-0, 180), an all-conference linebacker who has caught the eye of several NCAA Division I colleges, will move to free safety and flanker. Valdez picked off four passes in 1991 and returned two for touchdowns. Also returning is senior linebacker Greg Breyers (6-1, 178) and senior wide receiver-defensive back Tony Serpas (5-9, 165). Junior returning starter Maiko Savaria (6-1, 315) will anchor the offensive line at center. Working beside Savaria will be senior tackle John Morris (5-11, 330), senior guard Joe Dell (5-11, 190), and sophomore guard David San Vicente (6-4, 275). Sophomore Marvin Powell (6-3, 190) will start at defensive end and play some at tight end. OUTLOOK: Only five of the 11 returning lettermen were starters. The Braves are lacking in the skill positions, but Epstein is up to the task of rebuilding. Epstein, the veteran coach of the conference, is well aware that the team to beat is Sylmar. “They’re the best team in the City,” he said.

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Poly COACH: Fred Cuccia, 4th season LAST SEASON: 8-3; 2nd in league, 6-1 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Before Cuccia took over in 1989, Poly was best known as the league doormat. Not anymore. Poly, which won the City 3-A Division title in 1990, has challenged Sylmar for the league title the past two years. Expect more of the same in 1992. About the only thing Poly is lacking is leadership. “We’re still waiting for someone to step up and be the commander-in-chief type player,” Cuccia said. Twelve starters return. Head and shoulders above the rest is senior guard Lonny Neuhaus (6-6, 297). Neuhaus began playing football only last year, but he is being touted in recruiting magazines as a sure-fire NCAA Division I prospect. Most of the Pacific 10 Conference schools have taken notice. Senior running back Ronald Botley (5-7, 170), the conference’s most productive returning back, rushed for 849 yards in 122 carries and scored 14 touchdowns last year. Senior Donte Arrington (6-0, 160), who picked off a conference-high five interceptions, is a returning defensive back and wide receiver. Other returning starters include senior defensive back Danny Martinez (5-10, 185), senior guard Raul Arreola (6-2, 250), and senior linebackers Boomer Jackson (6-0, 180) and Myron McFarland (5-11, 190). Helping out on the line will be junior Robert Epperson (6-5, 265) at strong tackle. Cuccia has been overwhelmed by junior Anthony Muse (6-2, 180), who will assume duties of quarterback and kicker. “He’s got tremendous talent,” Cuccia said. “He can throw it 60-70 yards no problem. The most gifted player I think I’ve ever had.” Muse’s targets are also newcomers: junior receivers Patrick Reed (6-0, 175) and Kevin McGee (5-10, 165). Senior Steve Flores (6-7, 250) will start at tackle. OUTLOOK: With the large number of returning starters, the Parrots should continue their winning ways in 1992. But, like every other coach in the league, Cuccia is picking Sylmar as the team to beat. Poly is undoubtedly Sylmar’s toughest competition for the league title. It might come down to winner-take-all game Nov. 13, when Sylmar and Poly meet in the league finale.

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Sylmar COACH: Jeff Engilman, 6th season LAST SEASON: 10-2; 1st in league, 7-0 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Many of Engilman’s blue-chip players (Tobaise Brookins, Brian Roberson, Manny Vasquez, Danny Kelly) have graduated, but an impressive core remains. In fact, three senior Spartans have been touted in recruiting magazines as the top Division I prospects in the country. Washington, among others, has expressed interest in George Brazil (6-3, 225) and Tyrone Pierce (6-3, 230). Both will play linebacker and tight end. The third blue-chip prospect is Art Larrea (6-4, 305), an offensive tackle and nose guard who has attracted the interest of USC. Brookins (1,605 yards, 25 touchdowns last year) has moved on to Washington, but there are three capable backs wanting to fill his shoes. Junior Tyrone Crenshaw (5-11, 180) rushed for 383 yards in 55 carries in Brookins’ shadow last season. Also competing for the job is Cleveland transfer Ibn Bilal (6-0, 185), a senior, and senior Gabriel Rodriguez (5-10, 165), both of whom will start in the secondary. Senior Deon Price (6-3, 190), who averaged 15.2 points a game for the basketball team, has not played football in two years, but Engilman thinks he is talented enough to start at quarterback. Senior wide receiver John Giatanis (5-10, 160) returns. Junior wide receiver-defensive back Dwight Patton (5-11, 170) is a “speed burner.” Engilman inherited two senior San Fernando transfers who should make an impact: middle linebacker Anthony Murray (6-2, 210) and strong safety Michael Anderson (6-2, 190). Returning linemen include seniors Mike Ballestero (6-1, 250), Juan Martinez (6-1, 245), and Juan Gonzalez (6-3, 285). OUTLOOK: Sylmar, the two-time defending league champion, has not lost a league or conference game in two years. The Spartans routed highly regarded San Fernando, 31-7, before an estimated 8,000 in the City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal last year, helping support Engilman’s opinion that Sylmar “was the best (City) team in the Valley last year.” Many would agree that 1992 will mean more of the same.

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Van Nuys COACH: George Engbrecht, 1st season LAST SEASON: 5-4; 1st in Mid-Valley League, 4-3 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Wolves, who move into the tougher East Valley League this year, will find it next to impossible to repeat as league champion. Sylmar, Poly and Birmingham have a better mix of experience and talent than Van Nuys. The Wolves are young and inexperienced. How young? The starting offensive tackles are sophomores. Anthony Patricio (6-3, 255) and Wesley Dickson (6-2, 270) have the size to throw some linemen around, but time will tell how quickly they catch on. Also working the line will be senior center Chris Hernandez (5-11, 230), junior guard Miguel Romo (6-1, 235), and senior guard Adam Broda (6-2, 195). Senior Bill Calhoun (6-0, 180), who has been the Wolves’ quarterback for the past two seasons, is moving to tailback to make room for senior John Peterson (6-0, 190). Peterson was an inside linebacker last season, but Engbrecht thinks the Wolves’ offense will be more potent with Calhoun and Peterson in the backfield. Senior Efrain Martinez (5-7, 165) is a returning all-conference linebacker who also will play at fullback. Junior defensive back Mike Delgado (5-8, 150) and senior Ernesto Gutierrez (5-6, 175)--a fullback, linebacker and nose guard--are returning. Wide receiver-defensive back Tasheeri Walker (5-9, 150) is a senior transfer from Santa Monica. OUTLOOK: This is Engbrecht’s first season as a varsity coach, but he has been a student and coach of the game for 20 years. His son, Chad, was the starting quarterback at Canyon last year. Engbrecht has been coaching at the B level at North Hollywood and Van Nuys since the early 1970s. In the 1988 and ’89 seasons, Engbrecht’s Van Nuys teams went 13-1 in conference play. He does not expect the same outcome this season, but he remains hopeful. “If my linemen come about, we could be a team to be reckoned with,” he said. “If they don’t, it will be a long year.”