Montclair Preps Gives Up Its Independence

Montclair Prep has a new-look boys’ soccer team. Literally and figuratively.

“Last year we had a Brazilian coach with us who had uniforms made,” Coach Ken Erenberg said. “They had the school crest on them, but instead of the school’s name they had the name of our principal, Dr. V.E. Simpson. Every team we played thought they were a riot.”

Opponents didn’t laugh too hard, because Montclair Prep had a record of 9-4-1 as an independent. This season, the Mounties, 2-3 against tougher competition, should be better.

Montclair Prep had a solid program under Erenberg in 1994-95 but the team folded the following season after he moved to Chicago.

Erenberg, a goalkeeper for El Camino Real in the late 1980s, returned last year and revived the team.

This season, the Mounties have increased their schedule from 14 to 20 games and are playing in the Delphic League. Among the team’s 21 players are seven nationalities. Erenberg also helped the school start a girls’ program.

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Reseda, defending boys’ City Section champion, got off to a 3-0 start before slumping last week when it defeated Calabasas but lost to Servite, Pasadena Poly and previously winless Poly.

The Regents have talented but often emotionally immature players, and their instability was never demonstrated better than last Friday when Carlos Morales, the team’s captain and All-American midfielder, was ejected for a flagrant foul with seven minutes remaining against Poly.

Reseda, which lost, 2-0, had just surrendered the second goal when Morales leveled Joel Martinez, leaving the Parrot midfielder writhing in pain.

“He’s got to learn to make things better, not worse, when we’re in trouble,” said Terry Davila, Reseda’s co-coach. “Then he’ll show he’s a complete player. We needed leaders to put out the fire and he dumped gasoline all over it.”

Morales, a 5-foot-6, 125-pound senior, hopes to play in Europe after he graduates. He is a member of the U.S. under-18 national team.

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Bryan Jackson, who would have been a junior at La Canada and the Spartans’ best player, will not return to the school until the second half of his senior year, Coach Lou Bilowitz of La Canada said.

Jackson, a midfielder who missed much of the last high school season because of a leg injury, is participating in a residential U.S. Soccer program for promising teenage players at the Bolletieri Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla. His absence has weakened La Canada, but Bilowitz is ecstatic for Jackson.

“He may be the best player ever in my program and not having him has a big effect,” said Bilowitz, who has won three Southern Section titles and in 1996 sent nine players to NCAA Division I teams.

“But this kid has a chance to live his dream and it’s much more important he do that than us having some extra victories. I hope to see Bryan’s name listed as a World Cup or Olympic player one day.”

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Top 5

Ranking of regional high schools by The Times’ sportsswriters:

Boys

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RK LW Team (league) REC 1 3 Birmingham (NW Valley) 3-0-1 2 NR Rio Mesa (Pacific View) 5-1-2 3 2 El Camino Real (NW Valley) 5-1-0 4 4 Thousand Oaks (Marmonte) 3-1-3 5 5 Monroe (Valley Pac-8) 3-0-0

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