Getting Past Gonzales No Easy Task : High schools: Newport Harbor senior linebacker gives his all when tackling an opponent.

It is not enough that Steve Gonzales tackles people.

No, Gonzales does more than drag ball carriers to the ground.

He levels them.

Gonzales is an inside linebacker for Newport Harbor, and every time a runner tries to get past him, he knocks him over. On a team whose strength is defense, Gonzales is the powder in the keg.

Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Brinkley says Gonzales is the best tackler/hitter he has seen, pound for pound.

“I think he hits about as hard as anyone I’ve ever had, and most people who play us respect him for his ability to hit,” Brinkley said. “He’s definitely a guy who gets around the football. At the end of a game, if we need to shut someone down, he’ll make the tackles. He understands the role he has with us. He’s one of our leaders, and the other kids look to him to make the big play, the big hit.”

Landing the big hit is one thing Gonzales does very well. He is plenty strong. Another thing he does plenty well is lift weights. He has qualified at 190 pounds for the U.S. Weightlifting Federation’s Junior National Championships next March in St. Joseph, Mo.

He can clean and jerk 286 pounds, and he has cleared 220 pounds in the snatch. He has cleaned 312 pounds, but has not yet jerked it. He squats about 420 pounds and bench presses 315.

“For his body weight, it’s not too bad,” Newport Harbor receiver and strength and conditioning coach Tony Ciarelli said. “There are a lot of guys in other programs who bench more than he does. But he’s a natural for the Olympic lifts; they take a good amount of strength, but they also take a good amount of speed and coordination, and Steve is very coordinated, very flexible and very explosive.”

When people talk about Gonzales, it seems they are forever using combustible terms.

“His explosiveness, his ability to land a blow, is his strength,” Brinkley said. “He’s very quick and very explosive, and that’s why he’s such a good lifter. He can get from Point A to Point B in a hurry. His speed is not bad, but for five or 10 yards, he is extremely quick.”

The Sailors have taken advantage of Gonzales’ explosiveness. Their defensive line is not as big as it has been in the past, and so Newport Harbor has used its blitz package more often. Gonzales, a senior, has made 17 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this season. He has three sacks and recorded one safety. The Sailors have allowed only 76 points (10.9 per game) this season.

Tonight, Gonzales and his teammates face one of their biggest challenges when they meet Irvine, the team that beat the Sailors, 30-8, in last year’s Division IV championship game. It will be an opportunity for Newport Harbor to exact a measure of revenge: Irvine is 6-1, 4-0 in the Sea View League; the Sailors are 6-1, 3-1.

And Gonzales relishes the opportunity to face two of the county’s best offensive players, quarterback Mike Phelps and running back Tony Mathis.

“You live for that,” Gonzales said. “You’re testing yourself, seeing if you can play with the best. It’s the kind of game where you lay it all out.”

And try to lay them all out. By kickoff against Irvine, Gonzales expects to be operating on a level greater than usual: “I’ll take my game up a notch.”

Gonzales began his varsity career as a sophomore outside linebacker. He was moved inside last year so he could go from sideline to sideline and opposing runners couldn’t run away from him. He is the third in a string of outstanding linebackers developed by Sailor Coach Bo Larson. Darin Mangnall (1991) starts at Occidental, and Jeff Sanita (1992) is at USC but not playing.

“We’ve produced some good inside linebackers and Steve fits the mold,” Brinkley said.

Gonzales’ probable college route will include a community college and a shift to safety because of his size (6-1, 195). He still must pass his SAT entrance exams, but he has received letters from UCLA, Washington State and Fresno State.

It is his play on defense that they covet, though an injury to Wade Tift this season forced Gonzales to play on offense, too. He has carried the ball 44 times this season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

“I liked playing offense, but I didn’t like going both ways,” Gonzales said. “I like to concentrate more on my defense. But Wade went down and I was the one who had to step up.”

Tift was hurt in the first quarter against Saddleback, a team any potential league champion must beat. Gonzales stepped in and scored two touchdowns. He also made some big tackles in the late going of a 21-17 victory.

And after making those plays, Gonzales did not stand over his opponent and gloat. That’s not his style.

“I talk,” he said, “with my helmet.”