HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Escalera, Minas Don’t Size Up but They Measure Up

The smaller they are, the harder they get hit. That’s football.

But that’s OK with Jose Escalera and Ara Minas, two pint-sized but pugnacious pass-catchers who may lack size but not heart.

Escalera, a senior for Crescenta Valley High, stands 5 feet 3 inches and weighs 130 pounds. Minas, a junior for rival Glendale, is 5-4, 120. Both expect to take a licking this season. But don’t be surprised to find John Cameron Swayze standing nearby: Both players also vow to keep getting up--with the ball and, quite likely, a first down.

“I’ll get the wind knocked out of me, I know,” Minas said. “But I’ll still get up like nothing happened. I’ll look for the guy who hit me. I’ll remember that guy. And I’ll make sure I get a hit on him before the game is over.”

Adds Escalera: “If they’re willing to hit me as hard as they can, I’m willing to take it.”

Crescenta Valley and Glendale will have a difficult time measuring up in a Pacific League race likely to be led by Muir and Pasadena. Neither school has made the passing game its hallmark.

Last season, Glendale averaged only 99 passing yards a game. Crescenta Valley averaged only 60. Both ranked behind last-place Hoover (165) in passing.

Both schools figure to throw more this season. And if resilience is what it will take to earn the league’s third playoff spot, both would be wise to follow the lead of the diminutive duo.

Escalera and Minas have demonstrated sure hands and an ability to make leaping catches while taking it on the chin strap. Both promise to come through while running patterns against hostile defenders.

Escalera, a starter after spending last season returning kicks, is the smallest player in Crescenta Valley’s program.

“Shoulder pads and helmet-wise, it was hard fitting him,” Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart said. “But he’s the strongest kid in our weight club. The rumor is, no one on our team can pick him up off the ground.”

At times, Escalera has had trouble picking himself up off the ground. After a bone-crushing tackle last season, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to move again.

“For like 10 seconds, I couldn’t move my legs,” he said. “But I got up. It’s just an attitude.”

Minas, who caught six passes for 46 yards for last season’s junior varsity, is a probable starter, first-year Coach Ted Clarke said.

“He’s a junkyard dog,” Clarke said. “He’s one of those kids who’s very tough and he doesn’t let his size hold him back.”

Minas says being small means you must play big.

“They know I’m small,” Minas said. “But they know I’m tough and I won’t quit.”

Pacific League at a Glance

1993 STANDINGS OVERALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH Muir 8-3 5-0 Muir Crescenta Valley 8-3 4-1 Pasadena Pasadena 5-6 2-3 Crescenta Valley Glendale 6-4 2-3 Glendale Arcadia 3-7 2-3 Arcadia Hoover 0-10 0-5 Hoover

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Brad Bedell Arcadia OT 6-6 255 Sr. Shannon Garnett Muir OG/DT 6-0 235 Sr. Shaun Haslip Muir RB 5-11 170 Jr. Chris Hedrick Crescenta Valley RB/LB 6-0 185 Sr. Eric Hollingdur Glendale OG/DT 5-11 266 Sr. Mike Hughes Muir TE/LB 6-2 210 Jr. Chris McAlister Pasadena QB 6-3 190 Sr. Matt McCall Crescenta Valley DT 6-3 225 Sr. Lester Towns Pasadena TB/LB 6-3 235 Sr. Carlos Valadez Hoover QB 6-0 180 Sr.