Passing Lane

By STEVE HENSON

Oct. 25, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The constellation is unmistakable.

Connect five shooting stars like a pass route along the 101 freeway, beginning in Agoura, heading through Westlake, making an inside move into Thousand Oaks then fading off to Newbury Park and ending in the fertile pay dirt of Camarillo.

The consternation is unmerciful.

Opposing coaches wrack their brains trying to contain a quintet of Marmonte League quarterbacks unmatched in any league in the state. And defensive backs brace themselves for an unrelenting aerial assault.

The conclusion is unmitigated.

“It’s inevitable that you’ll get burned on some plays, just like you see in NFL games,” said Westlake’s Bret Young, one of the league’s best cornerbacks. “You can’t get down, because you have to be ready for the next play.”

Rarely is a league dealt even a pair of quarterbacks as talented as the five of a kind fanned out along that Ventura highway. Talk about holding all the cards.

“This is a great year for a defensive coordinator to take a sabbatical,” Newbury Park Coach George Hurley said.

Barring an extended vacation, there is no escaping three-year starters Chris Czernek of Newbury Park, Scott McEwan of Thousand Oaks and Joe Borchard of Camarillo, and second-year starters Casey Preston of Westlake and Ryan McCann of Agoura.

They combine to crank out more than 1,000 yards passing every week. Last season they accounted for 10,813 yards and 97 touchdowns. And they are on pace to easily eclipse those numbers: After six games, they have combined for 7,190 yards and 64 touchdowns.

No one is suggesting these quarterbacks are ready for Sunday games, but under the formula used by the NFL, their passing ratings range from McEwan’s 131.5 to Borchard’s 89.0, in the range of NFL leader Brett Favre’s 101.90.

And their stellar stats carry over into the classroom: All carry grade-point averages of better than 3.0.

“From what I can see, each of them has improved significantly since last season,” said Carl Thompson, the Camarillo coach. “They are smart as well as talented and can beat you several ways.”

Camarillo recently witnessed firsthand the maturation of McCann, the only junior among the five. The left-handed passer completed his first 14 attempts and Agoura took a 35-7 third-quarter lead.

Borchard orchestrated an incredible comeback, however, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another in the Scorpions’ 41-35 victory.

Extraordinary? Of course.

Unexpected? Not at all.

All five quarterbacks possess the quick-strike ability of an airborne virus.

A few weeks ago, Czernek led Newbury Park down the field in the final minute to defeat Buena, 37-34, and McEwan passed for a touchdown and ran for one in the last minute and a half of a dramatic 36-35 comeback over Hart.

A week later, Westlake beat Hart, 26-24, when Preston unloaded a 43-yard fourth-quarter scoring bomb.

Last week, Czernek set a Ventura County record by passing for 426 yards in a 48-40 victory over Agoura. McCann kept his team in the game by rushing for two touchdowns and passing for one.

Meanwhile, McEwan, a model of efficiency, was nine of 12 for 207 yards and passed and ran for touchdowns in a 25-21 victory over Westlake. Preston was no slacker, passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Borchard passed for three touchdowns in a victory over Simi Valley the same night.

“These quarterbacks are making it a fan’s year,” Thousand Oaks Coach Mike Kelly said. “There have been great games, and there will be several more. It makes it fun.”

Bound by tight spirals, each quarterback counts the others as friends. Preston and McCann played youth baseball together. Borchard and Czernek attend college games together. McEwan, McCann and Borchard take private passing lessons together.

And all soar, like their passes, to lofty heights at a marquee position. Up, up and away, the sky is the limit.

An aerial view of each, running east to west from Agoura to Camarillo:

* McCann had company in his misery last season when Agoura struggled to a 2-8 record: Nearly the entire team was inexperienced.

The Chargers ended on a high note, upsetting Westlake, and the quarterback finished with numbers that rivaled those of Czernek, Borchard and McEwan during their sophomore seasons: 1,309 yards passing and 13 touchdowns.

A year later, the team is improved, opening 3-3, and so is McCann, who at a sturdy 6 foot 3 will be highly recruited next season. Already, USC gives him tickets to home games and he receives frequent calls from Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas and Ohio State.

“He has a great release and throws a really smooth ball,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “I’m very impressed with McCann.”

Solid coaching has accelerated his development. Agoura Coach Charlie Wegher is a former quarterback, and McCann spends an hour every Sunday with private quarterback coach Steve Clarkson, who also works with McEwan and Borchard.

“I’ve improved mentally, I read coverages better, I feel more poised,” McCann said. “I’ve learned that throwing the ball is about one-quarter of quarterbacking.”

* Preston is a winner. His teammates see it in his eyes.

“The way Casey takes over the huddle, we just know something positive is going to happen,” said Elliot Kane, a Westlake wide receiver.

With Preston, the only thing up in the air is his passes. He is confident and decisive.

“Casey has a great arm, but you have to look beyond his physical ability and recognize his knowledge of the offense,” Benkert said. “He has a grasp of what the defense will give us. I can’t tell you how many times he has gone to the second or third receiver.

“Mentally, he is far above any quarterback I’ve coached.”

That would include Preston’s brother, Todd, who set most Westlake passing records in 1989-90 before playing at Moorpark College and Cincinnati. Casey was a ball boy when Todd played at Westlake.

“I’ve been a quarterback since I was seven,” Casey said. “I’m one of the most competitive guys you’ll ever meet.”

At a tad above 6 feet, Preston is a marginal Division I prospect. He receives letters from several Pacific 10 Conference schools and wants to continue playing.

“A lot of colleges out there could plug in Casey Preston and win football games,” Benkert said.

* McEwan is a prototype college quarterback, 6 feet 3, strong-armed and fast. And he runs 4.6 in the 40 with a scholarship to UCLA tucked in his back pocket.

After wowing UCLA Coach Bob Toledo during a one-day camp last spring, McEwan was called into the coach’s office and an offer was tendered. McEwan mulled it over for, oh, about 10 seconds and decided he’d be a Bruin into the next century.

“I threw a couple of long outs on a line and showed good footwork, and Coach Toledo told me that was what he was looking for,” McEwan said.

The early commitment allows McEwan to focus on leading Thousand Oaks to victories rather than concerning himself with gaudy statistics. Thousand Oaks is 5-0-1.

“Scott is completely unselfish,” Kelly said. “His leadership is a great strength to our team.”

The Lancers strive for a balanced offense, and McEwan has thrown only 99 passes, far fewer than the others. However, his passing rating of 131.5 is the highest.

McEwan averages nearly 20 yards per completion, has 11 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.

A relative newcomer to football--he didn’t begin playing until junior high--McEwan has improved markedly since becoming the starter as a sophomore. Now he is a seasoned veteran who has great touch, throws the deep pass accurately and can scramble out of trouble.

“We have a young line and one reason we haven’t thrown as much as we’d like is that Scott wasn’t getting time,” Kelly said. “But our line has made great improvement.”

* Czernek, slightly under 6 feet and lacking speed, is the consummate overachiever. Last season he set state records with 4,362 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes in leading Newbury Park to a 13-1 record, but many credited the numbers to his outstanding quartet of receivers.

Only receiver Patrick Reddick has returned and he’s missed two games because of injuries. Yet Czernek is right on target, averaging more than 300 yards passing a game in leading Newbury Park to a 5-1 record.

His consistency is remarkable: Czernek has averaged 316 yards passing in 20 games the past two seasons.

“Chris has adjusted his play to a new group of receivers without showing a bit of frustration,” said Hurley, the Newbury Park coach. “He is so calm. He never gets rattled and never shows frustration.”

Despite his gargantuan numbers, Czernek’s lack of size has limited his appeal to recruiters. Nevada and Brigham Young are the only Division I schools to show significant interest.

“It makes me madder and makes me play better,” Czernek said. “My arm will get stronger and I have the desire to keep playing football. All I need is a chance.”

Czernek makes believers of opponents, including Agoura defensive coordinator Bob Blechen, who knows something about the game: At age 61, he is playing his 47th season of organized football.

“I think I’m going to call Boston College and tell them they’ve got the reincarnation of Doug Flutie out here in Newbury Park,” Blechen said. “That kid has the touch and the poise of an outstanding college quarterback.”

* Borchard is perhaps the best pure athlete of the five, and he possesses the strongest arm. He carries a 4.0 GPA and is hotly pursued by Stanford, among other top universities.

He hasn’t been surrounded by the greatest talent at Camarillo, and the Scorpions’ defense is porous, forcing Borchard to frequently play catch-up.

Based on the past three weeks--an upset over Newbury Park followed by the comeback against Agoura and a victory over Simi Valley--he clearly is getting the hang of it.

“These are the most fun weeks of my life,” he said. “My line is coming around and my receivers are open.”

The ball usually finds them, although they don’t always hang on. Borchard’s passing rating is the lowest of the five, primarily because his completion percentage is around 50%. He throws with so much velocity that most receivers have difficulty catching the ball.

One who doesn’t is Mike Anger, second in the region with 50 receptions for 706 yards and nine touchdowns.

“I make a cut and I’d better have my hands up because the ball is there,” Anger said. “I feel like if I beat my man, Joe will find me.”

Borchard is easily found. In the winter he’s on the basketball court and in the spring he’s on the baseball field, a legitimate three-sport standout. He is projected to be taken in the June major league draft as an outfielder or pitcher.

“My options are open, but I do want to go to college, and I do want to keep playing football,” he said. “My best days are ahead.”

The best defense against these quarterbacks is a quality offense--during practice as well as games. Pity Simi Valley, Royal and Channel Islands, Marmonte League teams unable during practice to simulate McEwan, et al.

Simi Valley’s David Krewson, an excellent baseball player, is inexperienced at quarterback, as is Channel Islands senior Nick Ciari. Royal junior Braden Fien is rapidly improving but lacks the arm strength of the top quarterbacks.

During practice, McEwan is Borchard, Preston is Czernek, McCann is McEwan, and so on.

“Scott runs our scout team offense, so our first-team defense gets tested,” Kelly said. “He gets the ball downfield the way Borchard or Preston do.”

Give any of the five time and, no doubt, the ball will be downfield. A strong pass rush is essential to containing them.

None are game-breaking runners, although McEwan and Borchard scramble well. Only Preston has positive career rushing yardage, a paltry nine yards in 88 carries.

“Pressure is essential, and as coaches we’ve tried to think of ways to force bad throws and get to the passers,” Benkert said.

So far, the pressure is reciprocated, simply thrown back in the face of any defense.

“We’re all doing the same thing, trying to beat whatever scheme they come up with,” Czernek said.

In league and in the same league, Borchard, Czernek, McCann, McEwan and Preston are adversaries yet also comrades in arms.

“There’s something of a rivalry among us, but we’ve taken the time to get to know each other because the respect is there,” Borchard said. “It’s hard to believe there will ever be this many good quarterbacks in the same league again.”

The lineup of Marmonte League quarterbacks runs from west to east: Joe Borchard of Camarillo, Chris Czernek of Newbury Park, Scott McEwan of Thousand Oaks, Casey Preston of Westlake and Ryan McCann of Agoura.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

QUARTERBACK COMPARISON

The top five quarterbacks in the Marmonte League are ranked through six games in 1996 using the NFL formula for passing efficiency. Also, a look at each player’s career statistics.

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Player, School PA PC I Pct TD YDS Rating Scott McEwan, Thousand Oaks 99 60 2 60.6 11 1195 131.5 Casey Preston, Westlake 156 89 6 57.1 15 1599 108.2 Chris Czernek, Newbury Park 230 133 7 57.8 15 1954 94.5 Ryan McCann, Agoura 109 59 6 54.1 9 1007 90.3 Joe Borchard, Camarillo 183 93 6 50.8 14 1433 89.0

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CAREER STATISTICS

Scott McEwan, Thousand Oaks, senior

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Year PA PC I Pct TD Yds 1996 99 60 2 60.6 11 1195 1995 237 122 10 51.5 13 1854 1994 116 58 8 50.0 2 720 Totals 452 240 20 53.1 26 3769

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Casey Preston, Westlake, senior

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Year PA PC I Pct TD Yds 1996 156 89 6 57.1 15 1599 1995 190 99 7 52.1 12 1323 Totals 346 188 13 54.3 27 2922

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Chris Czernek, Newbury Park, senior

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