This Game a First, but Will It Draw? : Prep football: The City and Southern Section champions meet tonight in a game whose future might depend on the attendance.

Despite all the talk about tonight’s inaugural CIF/Reebok Bowl at Anaheim Stadium, one big question remains: Will anyone attend?

The bowl, which matches the large-division champions from the Southern and City sections--top-ranked La Puente Bishop Amat (14-0) and No. 3 Sylmar (13-0)--for a 7:30 kickoff, is the first of its kind, even though such a game has been discussed for years. It took an offer of $50,000 from KCOP-TV, Channel 13, to move the game from the talking stages to the football field.

Channel 13 signed a five-year contract with the California Interscholastic Federation to televise the game live, but it can break the contract if the attendance and TV ratings do not meet expectations. Station officials are hoping for a crowd of 25,000 and a rating of 4 or better.

A 4 rating, the average for Channel 13’s normal Friday night movie programming, will be difficult to attain, and few high school games in the area in the last 10 years have drawn 25,000 or more.

Last week, Bishop Amat and Loyola drew 13,000 to Cerritos College for the Southern Section Division I championship. The game might have had a bigger crowd, however, had it been played as scheduled at Anaheim Stadium. It was moved to Cerritos on game day because of rain.

Sylmar’s 17-0 victory over Carson in the City 4-A title game was played before 6,000 at El Camino College.

Although the bowl game has been widely publicized since it was announced last June, there is no strong indication of what kind of reception it will receive.

Launching the game was difficult, especially because not all of the Southland schools were enthusiastic about it. Loyola, for example, said at the beginning of the season that if it won the Southern Section Division I title, it would decline an invitation to the bowl. Administrators cited a conflict with final exams for seniors as the reason, but privately they expressed concerns about extending an already lengthy season.

Bowl organizers may have breathed a sigh of relief when Bishop Amat beat Loyola last Friday, 7-3, but apparently Loyola was not the only school with doubts.

Mark Paredes, Bishop Amat’s coach, said at a media luncheon Monday that he seriously considered not playing in the bowl.

“There were a number of factors that weighed on my mind,” he said. “Some of our assistant coaches played in the City and didn’t want to coach against a City team. And after 14 games, it is difficult to get excited about another one. But in the end, I decided I wanted to be part of a tradition.”

Paredes and Jeff Engilman of Sylmar said they would have no trouble getting their teams excited about playing a week before Christmas.

“I can’t imagine any of my kids will have trouble getting up for a game that will determine the best team in Southern California,” Engilman said.

Bowl organizers could not have asked for a more attractive matchup. Bishop Amat, a Catholic school steeped in athletic tradition, has been The Times’ No. 1 team most of the season. The Lancers, coming off their first section title in 20 years, have been playing before large crowds all season.

Sylmar, competing in the City’s large division for only the second year, made believers out of many with its shutout victory over tradition-rich Carson last week.

Each bowl team features a balanced running attack and a swarming defense.

Bishop Amat is led by junior running back Rodney Sermons, who has 1,369 yards in 216 carries and 20 touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Daylon McCutcheon, who also starts at cornerback and returns punts and kickoffs, has 26 receptions for 535 yards and four touchdowns.

Sylmar relies on the rushing of junior Tyrone Crenshaw and senior Ibn Bilal. Crenshaw has 1,812 yards in 213 carries and 22 touchdowns, and Bilal 1,189 yards in 99 carries and 18 touchdowns. Quarterback Deon Price averages fewer than 10 passes a game.

The Lancers’ defense, led by senior nose guard Willhans Ili, the co-player of the year in the Del Rey League, has given up 97 points. Sylmar, with five shutouts, has given up 79.

“We’ve been overshadowed out here in the (San Fernando) Valley for a long time,” Engilman said. “But our kids have worked as hard as anybody else. They’ve had to play hard on the field to earn respect.”

Road to the Championship Game

BISHOP AMAT (14-0)

14 Carson 10 13 Damien 12 20 Long Beach Poly 12 33 Arroyo Grande 0 42 Long Beach Jordan 7 34 Crespi 7 28 St. Paul 0 34 St. John Bosco 6 28 Loyola 14 30 Alemany 13

*BISHOP AMAT (14-0) PLAYOFFS

38 Mission Viejo 0 28 Long Beach Wilson 7 28 Eisenhower 6 7 Loyola 3

*SYLMAR (13-0) *

20 Chatsworth 14 55 El Camino Real 0 13 North Hollywood 7 40 Grant 0 40 Monroe 14 26 Canoga Park 0 35 Birmingham 0 42 Van Nuys 14 34 Poly 14

*SYLMAR (13-0) PLAYOFFS

49 Venice 7 28 Crenshaw 2 27 Garfield 7 17 Carson 0