Serra League Is Getting Y2K-Ready

If it seems that Santa Margarita, Servite and Mater Dei are playing soccer as if there’s no tomorrow, it’s probably because they are. Santa Margarita has played 15 games, Servite 17 and Mater Dei a whopping 20 in 26 days.

No, Santa Margarita Coach Curt Bauer, Mater Dei Coach Martin Stringer and Servite Coach Mike Lussier are not so terrified of Y2K that they’re trying to finish their seasons before 2000. They simply want to give their teams as much work as possible before the Serra League begins. With a four-team league and only two rounds of games, the Serra League season will consist of only six games.

“We’re over halfway done and the season hasn’t even started,” Bauer said.

Bauer and the other three coaches could have played a three-round, nine-game schedule, but they all voted against it.

Bauer said that two games each against third-ranked Mater Dei, seventh-ranked Servite and traditionally strong Bellflower St. John Bosco are more than enough.

“What’s that third game going to be like and whose home game is it?” Bauer asked. “I think that would be pretty ugly.”

The alternative, though, is playing nonleague schedules that resemble those of NBA teams.

The overload of games has caused injuries and illnesses to pile up. Throughout the Mustang Tournament, Bauer played without four starters--forward Jonathan Nebot (ankle), midfielder Ryan Curtis (calf) and defender Mike Losordo (flu) and forward Matt Holtrust (flu). Defender Mike Meek is back after missing the first three weeks with a broken foot.

SMITH VS. SMITH

The first meeting between the coaching Smith brothers, Jason and Kevin, will have to wait. Kevin held up his end as Huntington Beach defeated Esperanza, 3-0, in the Marina Tournament quarterfinals. But Jason’s second-ranked Fountain Valley team was upset by Katella, 1-1 on penalty kicks, in another quarterfinal.

“We’d have seen them soon enough anyway,” Jason said. “If you have a choice, you’d rather not see a Sunset League team before you have to.”

And if Jason Smith had a choice, he’d rather have high-scoring forward Cliff McKinley in his lineup. But Smith held McKinley out of the Katella game after he bruised his knee during a 6-0 second-round victory over Loara. McKinley has 16 goals in the Barons’ first 10 games.

“We need to get him healthy for league,” Smith said. “He’s hurt. He can’t kick the ball and he can’t run. It’s just not worth risking it.”

The brotherly duel will take place Jan. 8 at Orange Coast College. The Sunset League normally plays its games on Wednesdays and Fridays. But the league, in trying to promote itself, has scheduled the second games of the first round Jan. 8 and named it “Sunset Saturday.”

“The cough drop game,” as one coach called the Smith brothers matchup, starts at 10. Edison vs. Marina is at noon and Esperanza vs. Los Alamitos starts at 2.

If you have an item or idea for the boys’ soccer report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at david.mckibben@latimes.com