Adversity Is Nothing New at Leuzinger : Preps: Recent death of football player served only to underscore a series of emotional events at school.

On the morning of Oct. 5, the Leuzinger High football team attended the funeral of teammate Marvin Chincilla. That afternoon, Coach Fred Boehm held practice in preparation for a game against Morningside three days later.

The events typify the emotional strain many Leuzinger players have become familiar with. The Lawndale school has been beset by problems in recent years, ranging from a gang-related shooting in September to race-related skirmishes. As a result, Leuzinger’s image has taken a beating and players frequently are forced to deal with more than x’s and o’s.

“It’s hard, but we’ve just got to get out there and get back to normal,” said senior defensive end Rudy Casillas, who was a close friend of Chincilla.

Aaron Williams, a junior who plays tight end and linebacker, said he tries not to dwell on the violence.

“I don’t want it to affect me to the point where I’m not giving my all on the football field,” Williams said. “Things happen for a reason.”

Chincilla, a senior defensive end, was expected to play a significant role for Leuzinger after spending last season as a reserve. But on Sept. 18 he was shot in the neck in a gang-related incident, Sgt. Stanley White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

He died Sept. 28. His killer is still at large, White said.

“He was just a team guy and loved to be a part of the team and was liked by everybody,” said Boehm, whose team opens Bay League play tonight against Peninsula at Leuzinger.

Chincillas’s slaying and events such as the Sept. 20 on-campus shooting of senior Justin Sagato, a former football player, have damaged Leuzinger’s image as a safe school and have prompted some parents to send their sons and daughters to other schools, Boehm said.

A spokesperson for the Centinela Valley Union High School District said 81 students who would have attended Leuzinger this year were granted permits to attend schools outside the district. That total included 24 incoming freshmen. In addition, more than 100 incoming freshmen requested but were denied permits to leave the district.

“We have to change the image of this school,” Boehm said. “Everything that has happened here has gotten us publicity. It’s not justified as far as the football team is concerned. Our kids feel safe here, and our kids like (the school).”

Leuzinger coaches and players say the school’s image has a variety of effects, including how their opponents view them.

“They think we’re a bad group of guys,” Williams said. “They think we won’t play with any sportsmanship. But we pat each other on the butt and say ‘good play.’ We don’t talk trash or anything like that.”

Steve Carnes, a former teacher and football coach at Leuzinger, concurs with Boehm, saying Leuzinger’s image hasn’t done the school justice.

“A lot of the parents don’t understand that the caliber of teacher there is very high,” said Carnes, the athletic director at Mission Viejo High. “Sometimes people don’t realize that what goes on outside a school is completely different than what goes on inside.”

According to Boehm, the bad publicity is starting to affect the Olympians’ lower-level football teams. He said the freshman team, which normally carries 45 to 50 players, is down to 20 this season and has struggled.

“You have to have a program where your freshman team feeds your sophomore team, and your sophomore team feeds your varsity,” Boehm said. “One of the major problems we’re having right now is that I have to carry so many sophomores on the varsity just to have a varsity team, and therefore our sophomore team is depleted.”

Players said they can’t blame parents for wanting their kids to attend school elsewhere.

“If I was an incoming freshman, I might second-guess coming here,” Williams said. “I might think, ‘Well that school is kind of bad. They’ve had riots and other stuff.’ But no school is perfect.”

Casillas, who grew up across the street from Leuzinger and whose brothers attended the school, can see where people get their misconceptions.

“If I was coming here and didn’t grow up here, I would be scared,” Casillas said. “They don’t know what it’s like. If I had to go to Compton or something I’d be scared. But, I hear that Compton really isn’t as bad as it seems.”

Even if Leuzinger isn’t as bad as it’s portrayed, Carnes believes it has serious problems.

“I liked the school and loved the kids, but there are some problems there,” Carnes said. “The problems need to be addressed, and until they are in a firm and severe manner, they will have problems there.”

Parental support is one area that needs improvement, Boehm said.

“Most of our kids don’t have anybody in the stands,” Boehm said. “There are a few kids who have real supportive families, but for the most part the kids don’t get much help.”

For many of the players, the camaraderie of playing on the football team helps pull them through difficult times.

“The past few years I played, I haven’t seen a team that is this close,” Casillas said. “We’re a team, and you can actually call us that. We all hang out together and we’re all getting through this together.”