These Teams Aren’t Out of Their League

Ask almost anyone and they’ll tell you the same thing: They’re surprised.

Surprised that the Suburban League’s two best teams, Lakewood Mayfair and La Mirada--seeded No. 1 and No. 3 in the Southern Section Division VI football playoffs--aren’t in the semifinals Friday night.

The playoffs were expected to result in a showdown between teams from the Sea View and Suburban leagues. After all, Mayfair was the Division IX champion last year and the Sea View League, 22-6-2 in nonleague games this season, has won a section title every year since 1991.

But the Empire League, 14-16 in nonleague games this season, flexed its muscles in the second round. Loara and Kennedy are facing off against Sea View League opponents for the right to play for the section championship next week.

Loara knocked off fourth-seeded Tustin last week, 6-3, and Kennedy upended La Mirada, 21-14.

Coupled with Irvine’s upset of Mayfair, 9-7, only second-seeded Newport Harbor, with its 35-16 defeat of Villa Park, has played to form.

Taking a look at how these teams survived to play Friday, some patterns emerge.

Fourth-quarter press: Neither Kennedy nor Loara consistently blew through their opponents the way Mayfair and La Mirada had. Irvine had a tough game every week in the Sea View League and had six regular-season games decided by 10 points or less.

By having to execute in the fourth quarter to be successful, these teams were well-equipped to meet the challenge they faced in the quarterfinals.

Kennedy scored twice in the fourth quarter to beat La Mirada, 21-14. Loara recovered a fumble, then scored with 3:07 left to defeat Tustin, 6-3. Irvine blocked a field goal as time expired to win, 9-7.

“When you’re playing the good competition our [Sea View] league and the Empire League offers, the kids have to understand they’re going to have to come from behind to win a game,” said Coach Bruce Ingalls, whose Laguna Hills team played three of the four remaining teams.

“If they’re used to being ahead and all of a sudden they’re behind . . . the momentum changes so fast. If you can’t handle those changes, it can be devastating.”

Going into the fourth quarter last week against Kennedy, La Mirada (9-3) had played only one close game all season, a 13-7 loss to Fountain Valley. Kennedy tied the score two minutes into the fourth quarter, then Eric Mull intercepted a pass and ran 24 yards for a touchdown. The Fighting Irish scored two touchdowns in 13 seconds.

“It’s easy to call second and eight and stick with the ground game when you’re up 30-0 in the fourth quarter,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said. “It’s not just the players [who need to be pushed], it’s coaches too. I think most coaches would like a few battles before they have one in the playoffs.”

Been there, done that: Mater Dei and Los Alamitos, seeded second and fourth and still alive in the Division I playoffs, are as good or better than any team in Division VI. Kennedy played Los Alamitos, and Loara and Irvine each played Mater Dei.

“Teams like Mater Dei and Los Alamitos set the benchmark,” said Los Amigos Coach David Olson, whose team was defeated by Mayfair, 46-6. Los Amigos also played Laguna Hills from the Sea View League and lost, 35-14.

The byproduct of playing a tough nonleague schedule?

“We have a lot of respect for Mayfair,” Henigan said, “but we’re not intimidated by a lot of people.”

That’s a key part of the equation, Kennedy Coach Mitch Olson said.

“We go in on Monday, and sometimes [players] think that we, as coaches, are pulling their leg when we tell them that they can play with [a very good team],” Olson said. “And when you’ve done it, it’s a good thing for the program. We’re totally honest with our kids as to whether we think we can win.”

Olson called playing a power like Los Alamitos “a no-lose situation.” Either the team plays well and uses the performance as a springboard, or flaws are exposed and it’s a building block toward improvement.

“I loved playing Mater Dei, not so much for their talent, but for their coaching staff,” Henigan said. “If you have flaws, [Bruce Rollinson] and his staff will expose those flaws. Same thing with Marijon Ancich when he was with Tustin. And though he doesn’t have a lot of [talented players], Jerry Witte at Saddleback.

“There are so many good coaches in Orange County, your kids have to be well-coached and ready to play.”

Five of Irvine’s opponents are still alive in the playoffs.

Los Amigos’ Olson says playing in a league that’s competitive from top to bottom has an additional benefit: “Kids have to come to play every single week. You get in the playoffs, you have to come to play every single week.

“For good coaches and programs, they can keep a team consistent over a three- or four-week period because they’re used to doing it. In the Suburban League, you have Mayfair and La Mirada [who played in the last game of the season] and then it drops off.”

In defense of defense: Ingalls, whose preparation for Laguna Hills’ game against Loara included watching videotape of the Saxons’ game against Kennedy, has noticed a common thread among the four remaining Division VI teams: “They all played pretty good defense.”

* Irvine held Mayfair’s Michael Williams, who had rushed for 1,912 yards and 45 touchdowns in 11 games, to 69 yards in 25 carries and blocked a potential game-winning field goal.

* Loara held Tustin’s Branden Malcom, who had rushed for 1,585 yards and 23 touchdowns, to 85 yards in 21 carries and intercepted a pass in the end zone.

* Kennedy held La Mirada 22 points below its regular season scoring average and scored a defensive touchdown.

* Newport Harbor held Villa Park’s Marquis Colvin, who had rushed for 2,088 yards and 32 touchdowns, to 41 yards in 14 carries.

Weight and see: Loara’s recent rise in football coincided with its new weight room. The Saxons’ junior class has enjoyed the full benefits their entire high school careers.

Newport Harbor has long set the standard in weight training. Irvine and Kennedy also put an emphasis on it.

“Physically, they’re a lot stronger than they have been in the past, and that helps us endurance-wise,” Loara Coach John deFries said of his players. “Newport Harbor, Esperanza, Fountain Valley--the reason those guys are good is because they have great weight programs. We just started this thing and are starting to reap the benefits.”

Ingalls says physical strength is more than an offensive lineman pushing a defensive tackle out of the way of a running back.

“You better have the strength, and be physical enough to get through the season,” he said. “The only way to do that is to have good off-season conditioning programs.

“You need that strength and conditioning to get through the fourth quarter, you need it to get through the regular season, and you need it to get through the playoffs.

“We’re setting up our off-season program already.”

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Loara (10-2) at Irvine (9-2-1) 7 p.m. Friday

Kennedy (9-3) at Newport Harbor (11-0-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday