HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Containment of Oak Park’s Smith Foremost in Coaches’ Minds

Something was wrong.

While his team prepared to face Oak Park High last season, Carpinteria Coach Ben Hallock sensed a problem, but he could not identify it. The defense seemed to be following the game plan, but still Hallock was uneasy.

Then it hit him: running back Tarik Smith.

“He even causes us problems in practice,” Hallock said. “We weren’t taking the right angles of pursuit (against the scout team running back) because we don’t have anyone with his speed.

“We just don’t have anyone who can hit the corner like he does, so we’re not getting a true look at what we’re going to see in games. But you still have to try to prepare for him.”

Nonetheless, Carpinteria, in one of the better defensive performances against Smith, allowed him just 62 yards in 17 carries while handing Oak Park one of its two losses, 14-7.

Hallock, however, was not duped by his team’s showing.

“He’s definitely an offensive talent,” Hallock said. “You always have to remember that.”

Such is life for Tri-Valley League coaches, who are forced to concentrate on containing the gifted Oak Park senior. And though opinions differ on how to go about the task, this much is accepted: The league title might hinge on who does the best job against him.

Entering the season, Smith is ranked among the top 22 Southland recruits by SuperPrep magazine of Costa Mesa. With Smith leading the charge, Oak Park is once again the favorite to win the league title after finishing as a tri-champion last season with Carpinteria and St. Bonaventure.

“You just have to put all 11 guys on him, that should probably do it,” St. Bonaventure Coach Jon Mack joked. “Other than that, I really don’t know. I do know he’s a guy we’ll have to work very hard to defend (against).”

Coach Norris Fletcher of Bishop Diego thinks cutting off Smith’s outside avenues is the way to go.

“The key is to put a couple of quick contain guys on each side (of the line of scrimmage) so that you can force him to the inside,” Fletcher said. “Now that doesn’t mean he won’t beat you inside too, but, hopefully, it won’t be as bad.”

Hallock will try another approach.

“The best defense against him is to keep the ball away from him,” Hallock said. “You have to hang on to the ball and control the clock. He can’t hurt you if he doesn’t have the ball.”

Maybe, maybe not.

Coach Curtis Garner of league newcomer Fillmore is not so sure. Garner, whose school switched places with Moorpark, now of the Frontier League, views Smith’s mere presence as a problem.

“The tough thing is that if you key on him, that opens up other things for (Oak Park), so he’s still causing problems even without the ball,” Garner said. “It’s like a man playing with boys. . . . If he wasn’t there they’d probably be an also-ran type team.

“We played (Oak Park) in the preseason the past two years. I don’t care to remember how many yards he ran for against us.”

While it might not be a source of much comfort to Garner, his team is one of many that have fallen victim to Smith’s exploits.

Last season, the 5-foot-11, 186-pound all-league performer ran roughshod over the competition. Smith, who has been timed at 4.45 in the 40 and bench presses 280 pounds, gained 1,776 yards in 190 carries (9.3-yard average). He scored 22 touchdowns.

Over the next three months, Smith is going to be followed, yelled at, tripped up, hit, ganged up on and generally mistreated by fellow league members.

Thing is though, he probably won’t be fazed by any of it.

“For parts of some games teams will (be able to limit him), but it’s almost impossible to do it for an entire game,” Oak Park Coach Dick Billingsley said. “He’s just so strong, so fast, so powerful.”

Billingsley realizes that Smith will be priority No. 1 for his team’s opponents. He welcomes the challenge.

“If teams want to just concentrate on him that’s fine with us because we have too many weapons to be shut down if one player is stopped,” Billingsley said. “We have other guys who can step up, and that will make us a better overall football team.”

On offense, the controls will be in the capable hands of three-year starting quarterback Damian Delfino (6-2, 190). Seniors Alex Eckert (5-8, 160) and Rich Billingsley (6-0, 165), the coach’s son, are expected to Delfino’s primary receivers.

“We’re going to run the triple option out of the I and we’re going to use a lot of motion,” Billingsley said. “That only helps Tarik out even more because they won’t be able to just key on him.”

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE

FINAL 1991 STANDINGS PROJECTED FINISH St. Bonaventure 8-5, 3-1 Oak Park Oak Park 10-2, 3-1 Carpinteria Carpinteria 11-2, 3-1 St. Bonaventure Bishop Diego 4-6, 1-3 Fillmore* Moorpark** 1-9, 0-4 Bishop Diego

* Denotes school that has moved to the Tri-Valley League.

** Denotes former Tri-Valley League school.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Class Phillip Chessani Fillmore QB/LB 5-11 185 Sr. Chad Collins Oak Park OL/DL 6-1 210 Sr. Joe Cordero Carpinteria OL 6-1 270 Sr. Damian Delfino Oak Park QB 6-2 190 Sr. Gary Fermaisco Carpinteria OL 6-1 280 Sr. Pat Marasco St. Bonaventure LB/RB 5-9 180 Sr. Son Ngo Carpinteria QB 5-10 185 Sr. Benito Rivera Bishop Diego WR 5-11 165 Sr. Tarik Smith Oak Park RB/DB 5-11 186 Sr. Shane Woods Fillmore OL/LB 6-0 195 Sr.

The Terrific 22

Name School Ht. Wt. Pos. Tim Carey Los Alamitos 6-4 180 QB Pat Barnes Trabuco Hills 6-4 207 QB Aaron Flowers Artesia 6-1 170 QB Stais Boseman Morningside 6-4 190 QB Johnny Macon Downey 5-11 180 QB Sammy Knight Rubidoux 6-1 190 B Zukoni Hodges Blair 6-1 185 B Saladin McCullough Muir 6-0 185 RB Lawrence Phillips Baldwin Park 6-0 190 RB Tarik Smith Oak Park 5-11 182 RB Eliel Swinton Montclair Prep 5-10 185 RB Antonio Carrion Dorsey 5-10 160 WR George Sagen Los Alamitos 6-0 180 WR Ed Gray Riverside North 6-2 180 WR Andy Meyers Fontana 6-6 290 OL Shawn Stuart Saugus 6-4 280 OL Tyson Lingenfelter Upland 6-4 250 OL Germaine Gray Eisenhower 6-6 260 DL Travis Kirschke Esperanza 6-4 250 DL Treyvone Towns Pasadena 6-4 220 LB Kelron Sykes Lynwood 6-3 210 LB Brandon Moore Banning 6-0 195 DB