New League Offers Hope for Bell-Jeff, St. Genevieve

For the first time in five years, Bell-Jeff and St. Genevieve highs won’t fight it out in the cellar of the San Fernando League.

Guaranteed.

Bell-Jeff and St. Genevieve are not in the San Fernando League this year. They are back in the Santa Fe League. And if Bell-Jeff Coach Doug Woodlief and St. Genevieve Coach Richard Fong are looking for something positive on which to hang their hopes, how about this?:

In 1987, the last time the two teams were in the Santa Fe League, St. Genevieve (6-5) and Bell-Jeff (5-4-1) posted winning records. They spent the following four seasons in the San Fernando League, combining for a meager 10-65-1 record.

The teams combined for only one win last year, Bell-Jeff whipping St. Genevieve, 34-7.

“We had some success in the Santa Fe League and we probably moved a little prematurely,” Woodlief said. “We got in there and started playing a schedule that was perhaps a little too big for us.”

In the San Fernando League, St. Genevieve and Bell-Jeff had to compete against teams such as St. Francis and Harvard-Westlake, which are now in the Division IV Mission League.

The change to a lower classification might help St. Genevieve and Bell-Jeff return to respectability. The San Fernando League was Division VII. The Santa Fe League is Division X.

The hope for both teams is that they will fit in better in the Santa Fe League. They join La Salle, which did not field a football team last year, and Daniel Murphy, Cathedral and Salesian, small all-boys schools.

Lesser competition might help, but St. Genevieve has seen its share of misfortune even before playing a game in the new league.

During a summer passing league tournament, Ivan Garcia, the returning starter at quarterback, happened to be standing behind Fong on the sideline when a tight end was needed. Fong sent in Garcia to play tight end.

Garcia took a forearm in the eye, and the resultant wound required 18 stitches. Garcia has not been able to practice in pads since. He still has double vision and might need surgery, which would sideline him until at least the sixth or seventh week, Fong said.

In addition, several veteran offensive linemen have been declared academically ineligible. The new offensive line has one senior.

As for Bell-Jeff, the Guards have one returning starter on offense, center Hector Peralta. There are only four returnees on the team.

“The last four years haven’t brought a lot of people to the program,” Woodlief said. “It’s going to take two or three games before we see how we’re going to go.”

SANTA FE LEAGUE

FINAL 1991 STANDINGS PROJECTED FINISH Murphy 8-2, 4-0 Murphy Cantwell* 5-5-1, 3-1 Cathedral Cathedral 8-3, 2-2 Salesian Salesian 3-7, 1-3 St. Genevieve** Mary Star* 1-8, 0-4 Bell-Jeff** La Salle***

* Denotes teams that have moved to the Camino Real League.

** Denotes teams that played in the San Fernando League last season.

*** Did not field a team last season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht Wt Class Michael Barragan Salesian RB-LB 5-7 180 Sr. Jim Gonzalez Salesian DB-WR 6-2 190 Sr. Jeremy Iaccino St. Genevieve WR-CB 5-8 165 Sr. Jesse Llamas Bell-Jeff RB 6-1 185 Jr. Jeff Martinez Salesian S 5-10 170 Jr. Ben Moreno Cathedral LB 5-11 170 Sr. Hector Peralta Bell-Jeff C 5-10 190 Sr. Gibbons St. Paul Murphy DB 5-8 145 Jr. Gerald Valdivia Cathedral QB 6-0 185 Sr. Luis Williams Murphy RB 5-8 155 Sr.