Drive or Fly, That Is the Question : Jeremiah Harris, above left, displays the Golden League rule, but would it pass the test in the Marmonte League’s rarified air where quarterbacks like Scott McEwan, above right, are king?

Any league with Tony Walker deserves the utmost respect, so don’t expect any trashing of the Golden League here.

But c’mon. Those schools, surrounded by yawning stretches of high desert, compare to the sophisticated passing teams of the Marmonte League like stagecoaches to supersonic jets.

The Golden is grounded, huffing and puffing in dangerously thin air. Three yards and a clump of yucca.

The Marmonte has no fear of heights, spinning through defenses like a Tazmanian devil. Three thousand yards and a cloud of exhaust fumes.

Numbers don’t lie. The three Marmonte teams alive in the Division III playoffs have combined for 9,129 passing yards, completing 576 of 1,052 passes for 83 touchdowns.

That’s the high school football equivalent of Michael Jordan’s exploits in Space Jam. High-flying and otherworldly.

Meanwhile, back at the dirt ranch, the trio of Golden teams in the Division II playoffs have combined for 3,683 passing yards, completing 227 of 465 passes for 41 touchdowns.

Those are embarrassing totals for a league so close to Edwards Air Force Base.

In a race across America, the Marmonte teams would go from Malibu to Manhattan before the Golden teams reached Truth or Consequences, N.M.

Truth: A passing attack does not a football team make. The Golden triangle of Antelope Valley, Palmdale and Highland would stand a chance against the Marmonte passing passel of Camarillo, Westlake and Newbury Park.

Consequences: Even in victory, the Golden teams are boring, even figuring in the electrifying runs of Antelope Valley’s Walker.

Win or lose, Marmonte teams entertain.

Set aside the Marmonte scores of 54-51, 48-40, 47-35, 32-31, etc., in league play. Let Exhibit A be the first round of the playoffs.

Camarillo, with supremely athletic Joe Borchard throwing for four touchdowns, knocked the pass out of Pasadena, 54-14.

Westlake, with super-poised Casey Preston throwing for four touchdowns, air-mailed a victory over Crescenta Valley, 34-0.

Newbury Park, with sharp-shooting Chris Czernek throwing 50 passes out of shotgun formation, toppled Ventura, 7-0, on a quagmire of a field.

Meanwhile, Antelope Valley’s Justin Mobley and Palmdale’s Jeremy Coleman each threw six piddling passes. Highland’s Camy Smith completed eight of 19 passes for 81 yards.

Grand Golden total: 209 passing yards.

OK, so the teams that threw six passes won by scores of 48-22 and 31-14, while Highland struggled to win, 31-28. The point isn’t that teams must pass to win, but that teams that pass and win are atop the entertainment department.

As for which league is better, no one knows for sure. Anyone who claims to know has spent too much time in Littlerock.

(Note to Littlerock Coach Jim Bauer: Your outstanding playing and coaching accomplishments when you were a tried-and-true Ventura County guy have not been forgotten. Rip the Marmonte League all you want. You can return to civilization as soon as you develop a passing attack.)

Comparing common opponents is sometimes helpful. The only team faced by Marmonte and Golden playoff teams is Hart, an excellent and entertaining team in its own right.

Marmonte teams Westlake and Thousand Oaks both defeated the Indians in close games. Hart defeated Palmdale, 27-14.

This may or may not pass for proof that the Marmonte reigns supreme.

But Camarillo, Westlake and Newbury Park will continue to do their passing on the field, thank you very much.