NEW STARTSThe turnover game continues for high...

NEW STARTS

The turnover game continues for high school football teams this fall. Fifteen of 37 Southeast and Long Beach area schools have new coaches, continuing a trend that has remained fairly constant for more than a decade.

Many coaches cite poor working conditions, low wages and long hours as some of the reasons for not staying on jobs longer.

“Some of the guys get burned out, others use the job to move on to better ones,” said Whittier High Coach Mike Fitch, a six-year veteran.

Fitch said constant changes create turmoil in some programs.

“If you’ve had two coaches in four years,” he said, “those poor quarterbacks have to learn a new system again and again. That’s tough.”

St. Anthony’s Dave Radford has been a coach at three Long Beach schools over the last 25 years. He said many coaches enter the profession with the lone purpose of teaching students how to play football. In reality, though, teaching is just a small part of the job.

“As a head coach you get tired of doing everything but football,” he said. “Coaches have to deal with getting assistants certified, the budget, fund raising, player eligibility. It’s a lot like having a real job.”

Radford said schools that retain the same staff for long periods of time generally provide more support to help coaches spend more time coaching and less time dealing with distractions. He credits officials at those schools for setting priorities appropriately.

“Some administrators want to win on Friday night, but from Monday to Thursday they’re thinking about other things,” he said.

Consistency helps build stable programs.

“At least in my situation,” Fitch said, “even if the kids don’t like you, they know things are going to remain the same each year, that you will be there every day and they won’t have to deal with too much change.”

OUT OF THE BLOCKS

It was a rough opener last week for the area’s new coaches. Only four won games. One of those was Marijon Ancich, whose return to St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs was marked by a 39-0 rout of Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.

Ancich coached the Swordsmen for 20 years, then left for the college ranks in 1981. He has never lost an opener at St. Paul.

FIRST ONE DOWN

Former Downey Vikings Coach Phil Dunaway had a rude awakening in his first game as coach at Lakewood. Peninsula High of Rolling Hills Estates scored on two of its first three possessions and rolled to a 20-8 victory. The Lancers’ lone highlight was a 19-yard scoring pass from Marquis Nave to Kevin Quijano late in the second quarter. Lakewood had a minus-11 yards rushing.

Dunaway was appointed Lancer coach less than two months ago when Mark Rose resigned to take a teaching job in Santa Maria.

WHERE’S THE BEACH?

Huntington Beach High was all set to host Downey last Thursday in a season opener. But Downey officials thought the game was to be played on Friday. By the time the mistake was discovered, the Vikings could not make the 7:30 p.m. start. The game was rescheduled for Saturday, and Huntington Beach, one of the top teams in Orange County, defeated the Vikings, 28-12, to spoil the debut of first-year Coach Grant Warhurst.

Note to Downey officials: Your game this week, according to the schedule you supplied to the CIF Southern Section office, is at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Schurr.

SAINTS BENCHED

Termites, dry rot, splinters. The bleachers at Clark Avenue Field in Long Beach were in such disarray earlier this summer that St. Anthony High officials faced a dilemma: Either spend money to fix them or dole out even more money to rent a stadium for the Saints to play in this season.

It did not take much thought on the part of the school football booster club. With the football team providing the labor, Clark Avenue Field looked like new when the Saints played Valley Christian on Friday. It took two weekends to refurbish the 2,000-seat stadium, which is just south of Del Amo Boulevard, and cost about $10,000 in materials, according to Coach Dave Radford.

“We gave up a couple of practices to work at the stadium,” Radford said. “We had crews working from 6 in the morning until 10 at night.”

Some supplies were donated and others were bought, Radford said, but much of the money to rebuild the stadium was raised by the players through candy sales. Booster club members Jim Davis and Tom Walsh coordinated the effort.

The Saints celebrated the stadium, but not the game--Valley Christian won, 20-15.

SECTION VS. SECTION

When Poly plays host to Banning High of Wilmington at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Veterans Stadium, it will afford fans one of the few opportunities this season to see an intersectional game.

California is divided into 10 autonomous geographic zones. The Southern Section, which includes the Southeast/Long Beach area, is the state’s largest with more than 500 schools. Yet the debate has been raging for years about which of the three sections in Southern California--Southern, City or San Diego--is strongest.

Because of the demise of the Reebok Bowl, there will not be a postseason game in 1993 matching City and Southern Section champions, further fueling the debate. Since the southern portion of the state was split up in the early 1960s, no postseason championship game has ever included a San Diego Section team.

Lynwood appears to be the area’s intersectional ambassador. The Knights play host to San Diego Southwest at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Last week, Lynwood, a Southern Section team, defeated the City’s Granada Hills, 28-7. In another intersectional clash, Bell Gardens defeated neighborhood rival Bell, 14-6.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The Long Beach City College football team, which plays Golden West at 7 p.m. Saturday at LeBard Stadium in Costa Mesa, was ranked No. 20 in a state preseason poll conducted by Cal-Hi Sports Magazine. It was the highest rating for a Viking team in more than two decades, and the team celebrated with a 28-14 victory over Fullerton College on Saturday.

Middle linebacker Ben Pritchard anchored the defense with 13 unassisted tackles and cornerback Rod Mathews blocked a punt. However, Coach Larry Reisbig was not happy with the defensive effort.

“We missed tackle after tackle after tackle,” he said. “I’ve never seen so many missed tackles.”

Former Wilson High running back Kevin McKenzie carried for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Warren Long made a leaping catch of a pass from Ray Domingo for a touchdown in the second half.

“He made some really pretty catches,” Reisbig said of Long.

Golden West, which upset El Camino, 30-23, last week, is favored after running up 233 yards rushing. Golden West was unranked in the preseason poll.

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Cerritos College, which tied Rancho Santiago of Santa Ana, 28-28, last week, plays host to second-ranked Saddleback of Mission Viejo at 7 p.m. Saturday. Against Rancho, Falcon running back Dione Tyler carried 16 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Larry Haney passed for 264 yards and two scores. Receiver Craig Allen caught five passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive tackle Mark Schulist intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.

Saddleback defeated Santa Monica, 37-7, last week, and is favored.

Saddleback Coach Ken Swearingen recorded his 242nd coaching victory last week. A 32-year veteran, he ranks first in the nation in victories among community college coaches.

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Rio Hondo plays Grossmont in El Cajon at 3 p.m. Saturday after winning its opener for the second consecutive year, 33-28, over San Diego Mesa. Darnell Rubin collected 244 all-purpose yards, including an 85-yard punt return and a 53-yard pass reception. Running back Nelson James scored three times. Defensively, the Roadrunners forced seven San Diego turnovers.

“Grossmont is rebuilding just as we are, so I believe it will be a close game,” Roadrunners Coach Al Prukop said.

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Compton College, which was 0-10 in 1992, opens its season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Victor Valley.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Cal State Long Beach women’s volleyball team begins defense of its Big West Conference title at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Nevada. But the big match will be Saturday when the undefeated 49ers (6-0) play host to the University of the Pacific from Stockton. In a close vote, the Tigers were the preseason pick of Big West coaches over Long Beach to win the conference title.

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The American Volleyball Coaches Assn. has named Nichelle Burton of Cal State Long Beach the national player of the week for her performance in two victories last week. The 5-foot-10 junior hit a combined .535 against Colorado and Notre Dame. An outside hitter, Burton tallied 42 kills with only four errors in 71 chances.

PREP POTPOURRI

Former Bellflower High football tailback Enrique Bozman, who transferred to Los Alamitos High, rushed for 153 yards on 16 carries in the Griffins’ 37-0 rout of Jordan.

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Gahr High of Cerritos defeated California, 30-0, and equaled its total number of wins last year. The Gladiators were 1-9 in 1992, but veteran Coach Darrel Walsh has returned after several years off. Gahr plays at Artesia at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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When Carson lost its football game to Bishop Amat of La Puente at Veterans Stadium on Friday night, it marked the first time in the school’s 31-year history that the Colts have been shut out in back-to-back games. Carson ended the season last year with a 17-0 loss to Sylmar in the City Section 4-A Division title game.

ELSEWHERE

Dr. Pete Fischer, a neonatologist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower, was smiling Sunday after Pete Sampras won the U.S. Open tennis championship. Fischer coached Sampras, 22, for nine years.

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The Montebello-based L.A. Salsa finished fourth in the American Professional Soccer League and limps into the playoffs having lost eight of its last nine matches. The Salsa opens the playoffs Saturday at league champion Vancouver. Colorado and Tampa Bay meet in the other semifinal.

THEY SAID IT

St. Anthony Coach Dave Radford on the volunteers who helped rebuild Clark Avenue Field this summer: “There weren’t any chiefs on this job. We had moms, dads, family members and players working their eyeballs out.”

Rio Hondo College Coach Al Prukop on his team’s performance after it blew a large first-half lead, then came from behind to defeat San Diego Mesa, 33-28: “That was a good gut check for us.”

El Camino College Coach John Featherstone, after Golden West, which plays host to Long Beach City College this week, upset El Camino: “I give Golden West lots of credit. They outplayed us in all facets of the game.”

St. Paul’s Marijon Ancich on his successful return as Swordsmen coach: “It was really an important win for us to get this program started off on the right foot, but we’ve got to get a lot better to be on the field with some of the teams we play.” Coach Gary Kimbrell of Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates, which defeated Lakewood, 20-8, on losing standout quarterback and defensive back Brian Reed with a broken ankle: “He was having a Ronnie Lott, Kenny Easley type of game, knocking the heck out of people.”

BRIEFLY

Former women’s volleyball Coach Dixie Grimmett has been appointed acting administrator of women’s sports at Cal State Long Beach. Grimmett coached the volleyball team from 1972 to 1984 and had a record of 251-169, including a 33-0 mark in 1972. . . . The Women’s Professional Billiards Assn. tournament at the Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens features many of the top-ranked players in the world. It begins today and runs through Sunday. There is a $30,000 purse. . . . A pair of newcomers have joined cross-country Coach Andy Sythe at Cal State Long Beach. They are Rick Tussing and Paul Cook. They assisted on the 49ers’ track team with middle- and long-distance runners. . . . The Millikan High girls volleyball team ranks No. 1 in the Southern Section Division II. . . . After 25 years, the Whitmont League has changed its name to the Del Rio League. The six-team alignment includes California, Santa Fe, El Rancho, Whittier, Pioneer and La Serna high schools. . . . Jordan has lost 30 of 40 football games since 1989. . . . Jake Viano, a pitcher on the Long Beach City College baseball team, was selected to the all-state team. . . . Everything from a lock of Timmy Lewis’ hair to autographed T-shirts brought in more than $4,000 at an auction to defray costs for the families of players on the world champion Long Beach Little League All-Stars. An All-Star hat decorated with souvenir trading pins was the big ticket at $350. The fund-raising goal is $40,000. Information: Sandy Lewis at (310) 498-2334. . . . The city of Los Alamitos has a program for women who want to learn how to play soccer. Classes are Tuesday through Nov. 2 and are open to women who live in neighboring cities. There is a $16 fee. Information: (310) 430-1073.

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Spotlight will appear on Thursday during the football season. Statistics, information or comments are accepted from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays. (310) 403-4121.