His Biggest Obstacle May Be Poor Health

It seems as if each time Orange Coast tailback William League overcomes one physical problem, another one comes up.

As each week goes by, OCC Coach Bill Workman wonders how much of his team’s game plan should center on League.

When healthy, League is the top back in the Mission Conference and one of the best in the state. But that has been only a little more than half the time during his 1 1/2 seasons with the Orange Coast program.

League, a sophomore from Moreno Valley Rancho Verde High, was bothered by a couple of leg injuries last season. But he finished with 931 yards, thanks to his speed and keen instincts.

League missed his chance to go past 1,000 yards when a sprained ankle kept him from playing in the final game.

This year Orange Coast has a much better offensive line and expectations were higher for League and the team.

He was a preseason J.C. Grid-Wire All-American and was featured on the cover of OCC’s media guide along with defensive end Mark Mollner. But the media guide cover has turned out to be a jinx.

Mollner has a cast on his ankle because of two stress factures and is expected to miss at least two more games.

League suffered a hamstring injury and carried the ball three times for five yards in a 31-0 loss to Golden West Saturday.

It’s questionable if he’ll play Saturday when OCC hosts Fullerton Saturday at 7 in a Mission Conference Central Division game.

“We need William at full speed,” Workman said. Despite being limited by injuries, League is second in the conference with 501 yards.

League started slowly this season, gaining 51 yards as OCC was beaten by Saddleback, 59-20, in the season opener.

“I guess I just wasn’t ready for that game,” League said, “and I got stuck. That’s what happens when you’re not ready to play. . . . The coaches said I didn’t run hard so that means I wasn’t ready to play.”

In the next three games, he showed what makes him such a vital part of the offense.

He had 175 yards in a 20-17 victory over Pasadena, then 79 in a 48-7 loss to Mt. San Antonio. League had 191 yards in 19 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to El Camino.

“The El Camino coaches told us that no one had ever run like that against them,” Workman said.

But in a lot of ways, the El Camino game turned out to be League’s most frustrating performance.

He had 175 yards in the first half but started to have breathing problems related to allergies and asthma. He had also failed to drink enough water during the half that included a 75-yard touchdown run and became dehydrated.

He spent much of the second half on the sideline getting fluids and was only able to play one series.

Despite all the setbacks, League has 1,432 yards in his OCC career, fifth on the college’s all-time list.

“I just need to take care of business,” League said. “If I do what my family and the trainers say and I eat right and get into better shape, all this will take care of itself.”