FOOTBALL ’92 : THE HIGH SCHOOLS: SOUTHERN SECTION : TEAM CAPSULES

SANTA FE LEAGUE

Bell-Jeff COACH: Doug Woodlief, 8th season LAST SEASON: 1-9; 4th in San Fernando League, 1-3 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The only returning offensive player is senior center Hector Peralta (5-foot-10, 190 pounds). The quarterback is going to be either junior Luke Barrett (6-2, 165) or senior Will Barnett (5-11, 190), with Barrett having the edge as practice began. Neither has thrown a pass in a varsity game. Junior Jesse Llamas (6-1, 185) and sophomore John Pawlick (5-11, 185) will do most of the running. The top receivers are juniors Nick Rousseau (6-2, 170) and Brian Castillo (5-9, 145). Senior Ruben Diaz (6-0, 190) and juniors Butch Santos (6-2, 240) and Marco Escobar (6-1, 260) will anchor the offensive line. On defense, the Guards are no more experienced than on offense. Peralta will play linebacker, along with seniors Mike Garcia (5-11, 190) and Louis Matorano (5-10, 175). Senior Ralph Vega (5-9, 160) will play in the secondary. Junior Albert Alvarez (5-9, 165), who is also a running back, and Pawlick also will play defense. OUTLOOK: The Guards have virtually no experience and little knowledge of any of the teams in their new league. They “battled” St. Genevieve for the cellar of the San Fernando League last year and they probably will do the same this year in the Santa Fe.

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St. Genevieve COACH: Richard Fong, 2nd season LAST SEASON: 0-9; 5th in San Fernando League, 0-4 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior Ivan Garcia (6-2, 185) would be the starting quarterback if he had not taken a forearm in the eye--requiring 18 stitches--in a summer passing tournament. Fong thought Garcia, who completed 34 of 108 passes for 408 yards last year, would be back for most of this season, but Garcia was still seeing double as practice began, raising the possibility he would require surgery, which would probably end his season. The new starter will be junior Alex Muller (6-3, 185). He will be throwing primarily to senior wide receivers Jeremy Iaccino (5-8, 165) and Tony Bermudez (6-3, 180). “If our passing game works, it’s going to be because of (Bermudez),” Fong said. The offensive line, which Fong said might have been one of the best in the area, will be led by inexperienced players because several veterans did not meet academic requirements for eligibility. One of the top defensive players will be junior safety John Arboleda (5-10, 175). “He’s the kind of kid who really likes to hit,” Fong said. Iaccino also will play defensive back. The top linebackers are seniors Iggy Sanchez (6-2, 220), who also plays offensive line, and Mark Leahy (6-3, 190). The defensive line is a question. Fong, who said he prefers smaller, quicker defensive linemen than do most coaches, might use some running backs on the defensive line. “We’ve had to get kind of creative with our personnel,” he said. OUTLOOK: St. Genevieve, winless last season, can go nowhere but up. But the Valiants have a lot going against them, specifically, the injury to Garcia and the lack of depth of the offensive line. Muller is going to need to learn how to get rid of the ball in a hurry if the Valiants are going to win.