Achievers Under

* With more returning starters than any team in the Marmonte League, Royal was supposed to be among the most savvy and physical teams in the region. But a victory over Ventura is the only highlight so far, and Royal has all but blown any chance of competing for the Marmonte title by losing its first two league games.

* How can a team with a 4-1 record and a starting quarterback who has passed for 1,447 yards and 15 touchdowns be underachieving? Nick Czernek of Newbury Park has completed only 45.4% of his passes and had 12 intercepted, coming off a season in which he completed 60.1% and passed for a region-leading 3,358 yards.

Of course, Czernek is not solely to blame. Only one Panther offensive lineman has varsity experience and three of Czernek’s receivers from 1997 are playing in college.

“Eight of those interceptions bounced off our receivers’ hands and we’ve had more passes dropped than we did all last season,” Coach George Hurley said. But quarterbacks get the lion’s share of the glory, so they must take the heat as well.

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* Highland’s passing game, once one of the region’s most prolific . . . isn’t any more. The Bulldogs have passed for 260 yards, with nine interceptions and only three touchdowns in five games.

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* St. Bonaventure, which was expected to win its third consecutive Tri-Valley League title and make a run deep into the postseason, is 2-3. Chris Lombardo, coming off a stellar sophomore campaign, has passed for only six touchdowns, with four interceptions. Jesse Kirk, who last season rushed for 1,268 yards and 14 touchdowns, has only 320 yards and six touchdowns. He was benched last week. “It’s miserable over here,” Coach Jon Mack said.