Speed Gives Brown Many Options : Prep football: Rancho Alamitos quarterback has talent enough to excel at several positions.

Sooner or later during a Rancho Alamitos football game, someone watching Marshall Brown carry the ball will say it:

“If he turns the corner, he’s gone.”

They are usually right. Few high school quarterbacks run the option with the same efficiency or scramble for yardage the way Brown does. When he breaks loose past the line of scrimmage and turns up the jets, there’s little chance a defensive player could catch him without a Ferrari.

Brown, a converted wide receiver being recruited by some colleges as a flanker, knows the odds well. He’s not boastful, but he’s keenly aware of his talent and the challenge it represents for opposing teams trying to contain not only him but also tailback Jeff Byrd and fullback Leon Vickers. The three form the most explosive backfield in the county.

“Every time I see a chance for me to run the ball, I get excited,” said Brown, a senior in his second season at quarterback. “In my league (Garden Grove), I’m pretty sure that if I turn the corner, there’s a good chance I might be gone. But I don’t know about teams like Mission Viejo because I’ve never seen them play.”

It’s safe to say Mission Viejo knows about Brown. The Diablos, 2-0 and ranked third in the county, travel to Bolsa Grande High tonight to meet No. 6 Rancho Alamitos (1-1) in what should be an exciting nonleague game. But in case Mission Viejo has trouble with the scouting film--that blur streaking by the screen is probably Brown--here are a few notes of interest:

*In the season opener two weeks ago, a 42-0 victory over Troy later forfeited by Rancho Alamitos for using an ineligible player, Brown ran for 106 yards in 13 carries (7.3-yard average) and completed five of seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, on a 35-yard pass play to Vickers.

*Last Friday, Brown led all rushers with 172 yards in 13 carries (13.2 yards per carry) and one touchdown in a 34-3 victory over Costa Mesa. His two-game rushing total ranks seventh in the county. He has completed nine of 12 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

With Brown directing the attack, the Vaqueros have lost only twice on the field the last two seasons.

Once a four-sport athlete with 10.0 speed over 100 yards--he also plays baseball and basketball but has given up track--Brown is the component that makes the Rancho Alamitos backfield so successful. When defenses key on Byrd or Vickers, Brown makes them pay. And if those same defenses make the mistake of focusing exclusively on the Vaquero running game, Brown can take advantage with his accurate arm.

“He’s such a weapon by un-design,” Pacifica Coach Bill Craven said. “He’ll make things happen by ad-lib because he’s such a great athlete.”

But, surprisingly, if Rancho Alamitos Coach Mark Miller had another reliable quarterback, he would move Brown back to wide receiver. He averaged 25.2 yards per catch during his sophomore season.

“His greatest asset as a football player are his hands, which he doesn’t get to show,” Miller said.

Several Division I colleges have noticed. Some are pursuing Brown as a quarterback (Oregon State), others as a flanker (Arizona State), and some as a cornerback (Nebraska, UCLA). He also has played safety for the Vaqueros the last three years, so switching to the defense full time wouldn’t bother Brown. The offers, he said, are there, and so are his grades. It’s now a matter of passing his core classes and the Scholastic Aptitude Test in October.

“Arizona State has already offered me a scholarship,” Brown said.

That would be a big payoff for Brown, even though he would have to switch positions again. He wasn’t thrilled about moving to quarterback but has developed nicely at the position and says he’s a lot more comfortable there this year. The statistics back him up.

“I didn’t like it (quarterbacking),” said Brown, who replaced graduated Chris Singletary at the position. “I wasn’t scared, but I wasn’t experienced, and I didn’t feel I had enough time to get ready for it. . . . This year I feel like I know how to read the defenses better.”

And how to leave them in the dust once he turns those corners.