SCC’s Football Program Is Rebuilding on the Fly

To say the football program at Southern California Christian is not on the same scale as Mater Dei’s would be an understatement.

A huge understatement

When it comes to facilities and equipment, the Flames can’t even match up with St. Margaret’s, their opponent Saturday night.

The SCC “campus” is on an acre of land behind the Orange Mall and consists of four double-wide portable classrooms. The school was forced to move there after the Orange Unified School District reclaimed the campus on Orange Olive Road, which it had rented to SCC, in order to renovate it and open an elementary school next September.

Student population: 105. Number of students playing varsity football this season: 15. And only five of them have any previous football experience.

SCC officials considered canceling the 1998 season because the coach who had been hired, Brad Hollenback, backed out. Alan Degenhardt read about the school’s situation in the newspaper, applied for the job, and got it.

“I honestly felt I was being led by God to come here and coach,” said Degenhardt, who was hired Aug. 30.

And what did he think after he saw the school and the four players who showed up for his first practice? “That God can also be a comedian.”

But Degenhardt, who has coached freshman football and baseball at Marina, said he is relishing the opportunity to teach the game.

“Even though we keep things simple, in some ways it’s easier to teach them because their minds aren’t cluttered with other learned formations,” Degenhardt said.

“And their learning approach is different. Instead of Pop Warner, their frame of reference is video games. So their questions are not ‘football’ questions. It’s more, ‘How do I beat this game?’ rather than, ‘How do I run over this guy?’ ”

Considering there was no money in the budget for assistant coaches, Degenhardt wasn’t sure what kind of help he could get to help him build a program.

A couple of weeks ago, Degenhardt got a call he never expected.

Former Ram and Washington Redskin wide receiver Henry Ellard, who lives in Orange, also had read about SCC’s plight. He initially asked school officials about the head coaching position. But discovering it was filled, he called Degenhardt to volunteer his services.

“It took me a whole second to say yes,” Degenhardt said.

“Coaching is something I’d eventually like to do,” said Ellard, who finished his 15-year career fifth on the NFL’s all-time receiving list with 807 receptions (for 13,662 yards). His 16.9 yards per catch average is better than the four receivers ahead of him--Jerry Rice, Art Monk, Steve Largent and Andre Reed.

“I know I could have gone to many different places. But I wanted to start somewhere where I felt I could really help. I wanted to enjoy it,” he said.

Senior running back Mike Bejach, who scored the team’s first touchdown, is one of those who is playing football for the first time. “Baseball and basketball are my sports,” he said. “But the principal said they needed guys to come out. So I thought, why not?”

Bejach said he and his teammates realize they are not in a typical football situation.

“Most of us see this as an adventure,” he said. “At least for me it is something new. I’m having a good time so far.”

But it hasn’t been easy. Because the school year did not begin until Sept. 21, it took time to gather enough players. SCC had to forfeit its first two games because it did not get in the 14 days of practice required by the Southern Section.

The Flames played their first game last week, against the junior varsity team from Palos Verdes Chadwick. There was not enough money to charter a bus, so it was up to the players to provide transportation. Game time was 3:45 p.m. The Flames arrived by 3:30, stretched for 10 minutes, scored on their first drive and went on to win, 20-8.

There was another light moment to remind Degenhardt of the unusual circumstances he and his team must endure.

“We didn’t have any phones or headsets,” Degenhardt said. “So I was shouting the plays as we lined up. A kid on the chain crew must have been a Chadwick student, because whatever I said he would yell it to their defense. I went over and told him, ‘Hey, they can know what’s coming, but they still have to stop it.’

“Finally the referee told him to cut it out.”

Games against JV teams do not count toward the overall record of varsity teams, so SCC is still looking for its first victory on the field since defeating La Verne Lutheran, 34-6, in October of 1996. (The Flames did have a forfeit victory over Riverside Bethel Christian in last year’s season opener.)

Degenhardt makes no promises for this season. When you only have 15 players, you take things as they come.

“If the kids take any lesson from the season,” Degenhardt said, “I want them to know that if you have a goal and work hard toward it, you can achieve the goal. But you have to deal with adversity and not give up.

“I realize every coach says that. But I also think these kids can do something that would be beyond most people’s belief. To come together with no experience, and if we somehow can continue to win, it could be a Disney movie.”