Broken Hand Doesn’t Stop Him for Long

Kevin Feterik inherited one of the Southland’s optimum duties this summer when he became starting quarterback at Los Alamitos.

The Griffins entered the season with a 35-game unbeaten streak, including three consecutive Southern Section titles. They’ve earned those victories primarily behind one of the area’s most proficient passing attacks.

Being the quarterback at Los Alamitos means getting to pass at least 30 times a game and finishing the season with 2,000 or more yards.

Feterik, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior, was off to a promising start in the season opener last Friday against La Palma Kennedy when he fell on his left throwing hand and suffered a broken bone. The break is in the middle of his hand below the ring finger and is expected to heal in two to three weeks.

When he left the game in the second quarter, Feterik had completed 18 of 20 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. After the injury, Feterik stayed in the game and finished the series with four more completions, including a 20-yard touchdown pass.

“He’s got ice in those veins,” said Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes. “If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he would’ve finished with over 500 yards.”

Feterik, 16, was replaced by sophomore Sean Stein, who helped the team extend its unbeaten streak to 36 games with a 24-14 victory.

The Feterik family was busy Monday, conferring with doctors. Kevin will not have to wear a cast, and he hopes the healing process will be speeded by acupuncture.

“We’re trying to mesh together the best of Western and Eastern medicine,” said Terri Feterik, Kevin’s mother. “We want this to heal as quickly as possible.”

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The revolving door for football coaches at Playa del Rey St. Bernard continued in full swing last week.

Mike Noonan, who coached the Vikings to a Southern Section playoff berth last year, walked off the job Tuesday--three days before the team’s season opener against Culver City.

Jim McClune, St. Bernard’s athletic director, said he was not given a reason for the resignation and that Noonan also quit his teaching post at the school.

“Perhaps he was having some personal problems that no one knew about, but he seemed to be happy and doing a fine job,” McClune said. “The timing was really lousy.”

Noonan was unavailable for comment. He replaced Tom Strickland in August of 1993 after Strickland quit one week before the start of practice.

Longtime assistant James Swain will take over coaching duties in the interim. McClune, who has already received numerous inquiries, said a permanent replacement should be hired before Christmas vacation.

Culver City defeated St. Bernard, 26-12, Friday night.

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It was a tough coaching debut for Larry Mohr, who replaced Harry Welch at Canyon Country Canyon earlier this year. Welch won three Southern Section titles in 12 seasons at the school.

The Cowboys, who compete in Division II, lost their opener to Righetti, a Division VII team, 37-22, Friday night.

Host Righetti ended a 12-game losing streak.

“It was ugly, a tough night,” Mohr said. “This team has a lot to learn. For one thing, we’re not going to show up and beat people just because we’re the Cowboys.”

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The California Interscholastic Federation, the state’s high school athletic governing body, is expected to return to financial stability this school year.

The organization had to dip into its reserves last year because it was without any corporate sponsorship. The outlook brightened during the summer when Toyota Motorsales USA Inc. signed on as a title sponsor in July. Since then, other companies have joined.

“We expect to meet and possibly exceed our goal of raising $1 million this year,” said Bob Seagren of Marketing and Financial Management Enterprises of Woodland Hills, which is representing the CIF in marketing endeavors.

Toyota replaces Reebok, which bowed out in July of 1993, as title sponsor. Details of the contract are still being worked out, but it is believed to be worth at least $1.5 million over three years.

Toyota joins Vons Inc., Tombstone Pizza and Herff Jones as corporate sponsors. Seagren said deals with Dial and ShasCo Inc. are pending but that each is expected to contribute a minimum of $100,000 per year.

The estimated $1 million will be split proportionately among the CIF’s 10 sections.

“It is our intent and aim to get the money back into the schools as soon as possible,” said Margaret Davis, CIF associate commissioner.

Prep Notes

The state’s longest losing streaks continued in the opening week of the season. Huntington Beach Ocean View ran its winless streak to 30 games with a 50-6 loss to Costa Mesa, while Los Angeles Jordan increased its streak to 27 games with a 21-19 loss to Harbor City Narbonne. Jordan’s loss spoiled the coaching debut of Willie Brown, a three-time Super Bowl winner as a player and coach with the Raiders. “It was the first game of the season and the kids played hard,” Brown said. . . . Ryan Williams of Bellflower St. John Bosco turned in one of the weekend’s top performances in a 48-10 victory over Huntington Beach. Williams rushed for 268 yards in 10 carries, including touchdown runs of 80, 76, and 44 yards. He also scored on a 99-yard kickoff return.

Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS I 1-0 1 2. Los Alamitos SS I 1-0 2 3. Mater Dei SS I 1-0 3 4. Muir SS II 1-0 5 5. Esperanza SS I 1-0 6 6. Westlake SS III 1-0 11 7. Loyola SS I 1-0 9 8. Antelope Valley SS I 1-0 8 9. Irvine SS V 1-0 10 10. Hart SS II 1-0 14 11. LB Jordan SS I 1-0 15 12. Sylmar City 4-A 1-0 12 13. Trabuco Hills SS I 1-0 17 14. LB Poly SS I 1-0 18 15. St. Paul SS I 1-0 16 16. Eisenhower SS I 0-1 4 17. Fontana SS I 1-0 NR 18. Dorsey City 4-A 1-0 NR 19. Paramount SS II 1-0 19 20. Crespi SS I 1-0 NR