PREP FOOTBALL ’95 / MISSION LEAGUE : SOUTHERN SECTION

FACTS AND FIGURES: Good luck finding anyone who doesn’t expect Notre Dame, defending Division III champion, to win a third consecutive league title. . . .The Knights’ returning players include an experienced quarterback and running back, as well as two players among the area’s top Division I prospects--two-way lineman Edgar Nava and wide receiver/defensive back Troy Garner. . . .The Knights lost nine defensive starters, but Notre Dame boasted only three returning varsity players at the start of last season. . . .Bottom line: Notre Dame has a solid program--a major reason the Knights will move to the Division I Del Rey League next season. . . .The interesting race should be for second. Chaminade, with nine returning starters, appears the most formidable of the bunch. . . .The Eagles will employ a double tight-end attack with Gabe Crecion and Pete Foy, both 6 feet 5 and weighing more than 220 pounds. . . .Serra, which played Notre Dame close in two games last season, and St. Francis, entering its third season with former Crespi Coach Bill Redell, are not far off the mark. . . .St. Francis’ fortunes ride on Darin Maxwell, who rushed for 945 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. The Golden Knights also have depth, with 14 starters returning. . . .St. Bernard and Bishop Montgomery both have new coaches.

LAST YEAR: Notre Dame’s victory over Ayala in December earned the Knights their first football championship in the school’s 47-year history. And the Knights are good enough to get there again. . . .Chaminade’s Jason Giovannettone, who should be one of the area’s best running backs, last season rushed for a league-high 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was league back of the year. Giovannettone also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the Eagles’ forgettable 72-14 nonleague loss to Bloomington. Chaminade plays at Bloomington on Oct. 6. . . .Notre Dame kicker Chris Sailer, whose long-distance ability last season accounted for 22 field goals and a scholarship to UCLA, will be a tough act to follow. But the Knights might have a replacement: Steve Lee, Sailer’s backup last season. Already a star soccer player, Lee has demonstrated good distance and accuracy in practice.

KEY RETURNERS: Notre Dame: Ryan Bowne, quarterback; Troy Garner, wide receiver/defensive back; Edgar Nava, two-way tackle. Chaminade: Jason Giovannettone, running back; Gabe Crecion, tight end. St. Francis: Darin Maxwell, running back; John Jones, linebacker. Serra: Jason Steen, linebacker.

OUTLOOK: Notre Dame should lead the way. The Knights have a 23-4 record over the past two seasons and have advanced as far as the semifinals three times in the past six years. “They’re stacked,” Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson said. . . .Lawson’s team could claim at least a share of the league title when Chaminade plays host to Notre Dame on Nov. 11, the season’s final game. Usually a good matchup, last year was an exception--Notre Dame 41, Chaminade 8.

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1994 IN REVIEW

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League Overall School W L T W L T SO Notre Dame 5 0 0 13 1 0 Chaminade 4 1 0 7 4 0 Serra 2 3 0 8 5 0 St. Bernard 2 3 0 5 5 0 St. Francis 1 4 0 4 5 1 Bishop Montgomery 1 4 0 3 7 0

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