HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Village Christian Lying in Wait

Village Christian High football Coach Mike Plaisance thinks he’s pulling a fast one on his rival Alpha League coaches.

Nearly every coach in the league picks L.A. Baptist--a team that was 13-0 and won the Southern Section Division X title last season--as the team to beat. Guess who started the campaign? “They went undefeated last year and won it all. They have to be the favorite,” said Plaisance, punctuating his statement with a hearty laugh.

Divert the attention, that’s his game plan. Let no one know that 14 starters return for his team, including kicker Ignacio Brache who booted a 54-yard field goal last season. Keep the spotlight on L.A. Baptist. So what if only three starters return for the Knights?

“You don’t become the heavyweight champion until you knock out the (reigning champion),” Plaisance said, laughing once more.

Don’t be fooled by Plaisance, the league’s dean of coaches, who begins his 15th season with the Crusaders. Village Christian is poised to laugh all the way to the league championship and then some.

L.A. Baptist Coach Mark Bates, who once played for Plaisance at Village Christian, sees right through his mentor’s ploy. He laughs at the suggestion that the Knights are favored.

“I don’t think so,” Bates said. “(Village Christian) is loaded.”

Among Crusader returnees are tailback Jake Funk (1,394 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns) and fullback Enrique Borja (581 yards), who formed the league’s most productive backfield last season.

And even if Funk and Borja can drive the Crusaders only as far as midfield, expect to see Brache jogging out with tee in hand to put a few points on the scoreboard.

Brache has made 61 of 65 extra points in two seasons and kicked nine field goals last year, five of which traveled 40 yards or more. Several Pacific 10 Conference colleges already have expressed interest in him.

Village Christian has a solid team, and Plaisance knows it.

But with three new coaches and a new team in the league, he relishes playing a shell game. He’s a self-confessed sneak. “My wife says that too,” he cracked.

Plaisance’s sneakiness might pay off against new coaches Gil Crook of Marshall Fundamental and Keith Patefield of Maranatha. But the league’s other three coaches--including Glenn Bell of league newcomer Kilpatrick--aren’t buying it.

Although the league balloons from four teams to six this year, it is no secret who is holding the cards.

“Village is always good,” said Bell, who has coached against the Crusaders four times in the past three years in nonleague and playoff games. Kilpatrick is a Los Angeles County-funded school for juvenile offenders in Malibu that has been a free-lance team the past two seasons.

The Mustangs never have returning players, which makes Bell’s job the toughest in the league. Western Christian Coach Reese Mitchell also refuses to play into Plaisance’s hand. He knows better.

Western Christian bowed out of the league last season because of a lack of players, but the Fighting Lancers return after a one-year absence--with about 20 players.

Mitchell, in his 11th season at Western Christian and third as head coach, knows Village Christian and L.A. Baptist set the pace.

“Working against Mike and Mark the past few years, I missed (playing them),” Mitchell said. “They’ve had some outstanding teams. I missed that last year.”

Alpha League at a Glance

1993 STANDINGS OVERALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH L.A. Baptist 13-0 3-0 Village Christian Village Christian 7-4 2-1 L.A. Baptist Maranatha 4-5 1-2 Maranatha Marshall Fund. 0-9 0-3 *Kilpatrick Marshall Fundamental **Western Christian

* First year in the league

** Returns to league after one-year absence

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Enrique Borja Village Christian FB 5-11 190 Sr. Ignacio Brache Village Christian K 5-11 180 Sr. Dave Clark L.A. Baptist OL/DL 6-3 257 Jr. Mike Ferree Western Christian QB/DB 6-1 180 Sr. Jake Funk Village Christian TB 5-10 175 Sr. Adrian Kaali-Nagy L.A. Baptist WR/DB 5-9 160 Sr. Tony Marek L.A. Baptist TE/LB 6-2 203 Sr. Mario Qualls Kilpatrick RB 5-9 185 Sr. Surfy Taylor Maranatha RB/DB 5-6 160 Sr. Patrick Walker Marshall Fundamental RB/DB 6-2 175 Sr.