Rival Coaches Preparing for a Block Party

It’s a football game pitting two coaches who have been around the block. The same block, it seems.

The intersectional pairing between Cleveland and Royal highs at Moorpark College tonight came about because Cleveland co-Coach Everett Macy and Royal Coach Gene Uebelhardt live on the same block in Moorpark.

“It’s the Hatfields and the McCoys,” Macy said.

Though the coaches live near each other, they haven’t exactly been volunteering information.

“We lied about how bad each of us is,” Macy said. “Typical coach stuff.”

Last year, Cleveland pulled off a 14-6 upset, recording one of its two victories.

ALPHA LEAGUE

Dinner for 57

Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance likes to plan ahead. Things tend to run more smoothly that way.

So, in anticipation of the Crusaders’ 3 1/2-hour trip to Mojave for a nonleague game tonight, Plaisance called the Denny’s restaurant in the desert community to make sure his entourage of 57 players and coaches could be accommodated for dinner.

Was the manager happy to get the business?

“Are you kidding?” asked Plaisance. “When is he gonna get a busload of people that want to eat in Mojave?”

MARMONTE LEAGUE

Standing Tall

Standout quarterbacks have become a fixture in the Marmonte League. Wayne Cook of Newbury Park (UCLA), Eric Bennett of Simi Valley (Nevada) and Ryan Fien of Royal (UCLA) are among the former league passers who have moved on to Division I schools.

Despite their departure, the talent level is still high.

After two games, league quarterbacks hold down three of the top four spots among area passers. Not surprisingly, senior Keith Smith of Newbury Park, an All-Southern Section Division III quarterback who passed for a Ventura County-record 3,318 yards last season, sits atop the list with 675 yards.

Following No. 2 Zack Hernandez (636 yards) of L.A. Baptist are seniors Jeremie Watkins of Simi Valley (592) and Kevin Crook of Westlake (539).

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Before Thousand Oaks’ game with Hart last week, Lancer Coach Bob Richards expressed concern about the Indians’ size along the offensive line, which averages 6-feet-4, 252 pounds. “We’ve lined up our defensive line against (soda) machines so they can get a feel for what they’re going to face against Hart,” Richards joked. “The only problem is that the (soda) machines won’t move as much as their line will.” The Indians’ offensive line moved swift enough to keep the Lancer defense on its heels throughout Hart’s 24-17 nonleague victory.

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Some league coaches figured Simi Valley would struggle on offense after the graduation of Bennett and receivers Aaron Whitley, Bryan Kalbfus and Tom Herman.

However, offense has been a strong point for the Pioneers. After opening with a 22-21 loss to Ventura, Simi Valley routed Granada Hills, 35-0. Receiver Ken Huggins has emerged as one of the area’s top deep threats, catching 14 passes for an area-leading 333 yards (a 23.8-yard average) with three touchdowns.

Pioneer receiver Paul Boerem is tied for fifth among area Southern Section receivers with 10 catches for 129 yards. “They don’t have all the flash and the speed that some guys do, but they run great routes, they have great hands and they read defenses well,” Simi Valley Coach Roger McCamy said.

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After consecutive 3-7 seasons, Westlake Coach Jim Benkert seems to have the Warriors back on track. Westlake, 8-2-1 in 1990, is 2-0 after victories over Buena and Ventura.

The Warriors--ranked eighth in The Times’ regional poll--play Hart (No. 6) tonight. Although a nonleague encounter, the game is of great importance to Westlake, Benkert said.

“We’ve played two good football teams, but this is definitely a big one for us,” Benkert said. “We’re trying to establish ourself as a good team, and playing a good game against Hart will help.”

CHANNEL LEAGUE

Mum’s the Word

There were no parties and not much fanfare.

Actually, few at Rio Mesa said much after John Reardon’s 150th win (21-3 over Camarillo last week)--and that’s just fine with the longtime Spartan coach.

Reardon, in his 26th season, is Ventura County’s all-time leader in football victories at 150-115-4. Rio Mesa is 2-0, and while Reardon is pleased with his personal accomplishment, he wants the Spartans to think only about the team’s goals.

“It’s exciting, but that’s not the most important thing,” he said. “This is one of the better teams I’ve had in the past 10 years, and I want the kids to be the story. That’s what this is all about.”

Said Spartan assistant George Contreras: “John doesn’t want to make a big thing out of it. I’m real happy for him, and everyone else is, but he wants to keep all of that on the back burner.”

SANTA FE LEAGUE

It Sure Beats 0-23

St. Genevieve, which snapped a 23-game losing streak in the final game of 1992, is inches from a three-game winning streak.

The Valiants beat Cathedral, 20-0, last season, then opened 1993 with an 18-14 loss to Oak Park and followed with a 17-14 victory over Paraclete. In the Oak Park game, St. Genevieve had an extra-point try and a field-goal attempt blocked. Another field-goal try hit the crossbar.

Although Coach Richard Fong would prefer to be 2-0, 1-1 is no reason for depression at St. Genevieve.

“It’s better than being 0-2,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a strange feeling.”

DEL REY LEAGUE

Vengeance Is Theirs

For Alemany, this is a season of vengeance. At least, the Indians hope it is.

After a 1-8-1 campaign in 1992, Alemany has some embarrassing losses to avenge. The Indians took care of one of the defeats last week with a 14-8 upset of Crescenta Valley.

“I’m sure they did (take us lightly),” Alemany Coach Pat Degnan said of Crescenta Valley. “They beat us, 33-10, last year, but they might have forgotten it was 17-10 going to the fourth quarter.

“The nice thing about it is the win came early in the year and now the kids believe they can win. That’s going to do a lot for their confidence.”

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Learning to Lead

Learning the nuances of Hart’s run-and-shoot offense was challenging for senior quarterback Mike Kocicka, a transfer from Crescenta Valley. But that was child’s play compared to assuming the team’s mantle of leadership--a role expected of Indian quarterbacks.

Kocicka was frustrated throughout Hart’s game against Thousand Oaks last week. The stress showed as he missed one open receiver after another.

“I had a hard time,” he said. “I just didn’t know what was wrong. I kept overthrowing guys.”

After a few encouraging words from offensive coordinator Dean Herrington, however, Kocicka took control with the game on the line. He threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jason Medearis in the third quarter and scrambled for 12 yards on fourth and 11 with 2 minutes 41 seconds remaining to secure the Indians’ 24-17 victory.

“I had a tough game at times,” Kocicka said, “but I’m happy I came through when I had to. That’s when it counts the most.”

MID-VALLEY LEAGUE

Highs and Lows

North Hollywood’s new run-and-shoot offense--rarely seen among City Section teams--has produced some inflated statistics for a couple of Huskies. Quarterback Alvaro Castillo (17 of 34, 346 yards) has thrown twice as many touchdowns (six) as any other area City passer, while wide receiver Ryan Jones--with six catches--is sporting a whopping 39.8 yards-per-catch average.

The offense, however, is not the problem. It’s the defense that needs a boost. After two games, only Granada Hills among 17 area City teams had allowed more yardage than North Hollywood (1-1), which is giving up nearly 400 yards a game. That fact is not lost on North Hollywood Coach Gary Gray.

“Our defense has worried us all year,” Gray said. “We’ve got to make adjustments. I guess the only way to do it is to have (our best players) go two ways.”

Staff writers Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Paige A. Leech and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.

Good Hands

Newbury Park senior receiver Leodes Van Buren--The Times’ 1992 Ventura County lineman of the year--is taking aim at the Southern Section records of J.K. McKay (Bishop Amat, 1968-70). Van Buren this season has 21 receptions for 332 yards and four touchdowns. Here is a McKay-Van Buren comparison:

Category McKay Van Buren Receptions, career 207 188 Yardage, career 3,389 3,087 TD receptions, career 48 29 TD receptions, season 29 14* Yardage, season 1,741 1,331*

* Van Buren’s totals for 1992, his best season in each category.