THE HEIR APPARENT

There was an intriguing message left on the Sciarra phone answering machine last year by Coach Dick Vermeil of the St. Louis Rams.

“This is for J.P.,” Vermeil said. “I’m really in desperate need for a quarterback. I may have you forgo your college years and come straight to the NFL to play for me.”

John Phillip Sciarra, then an untested 15-year-old sophomore quarterback at St. Francis High, was amused at Vermeil’s plea.

“It was pretty funny,” he said, “but I knew he wasn’t serious.”

Maybe Vermeil will make another offer now that Sciarra has passed for 2,339 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior.

“They don’t need another quarterback anymore, I’ll tell you that,” Sciarra said.

OK, so Kurt Warner has taken away the Rams’ quarterback position from Sciarra, who just got his driver’s license. He has no hard feelings, though.

Sciarra, 6 feet 2 and 185 pounds, is a quarterback in training. His improvement this season has put him in position to succeed Casey Clausen, Matt Cassel, Zac Wasserman and Brandon Hance as the region’s next top quarterback prospect.

It’s not the first time a Sciarra was known for being a top quarterback. His father, John, was an option quarterback who led UCLA to a Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State in 1976 and played for Vermeil at UCLA and with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The elder Sciarra was known for his speed, but J.P. is a better passer and has the toughness and competitiveness that separates him from other junior quarterbacks.

“He took a serious pounding,” Chaminade Coach Ed Croson recalled two weeks ago when the Eagles played against Sciarra. “I’ll bet we hit him 15 times. He hung in there. That kid is a player. He’s cool and keeps coming back.”

Added St. Francis Coach Bill Redell: “He’s a competitor almost to a fault. I’m trying to get him to slide [when he takes on a linebacker] and he won’t. Probably he’s going to learn only by getting his butt kicked.”

Sciarra didn’t play tackle football until high school and initially preferred other positions to quarterback. But he became enamored with the position and the sport once he learned how much responsibility and pressure fell upon the quarterback.

“The fun part is competing,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. I want to be put on the spot and try to make things happen. If you’re going to go into the game scared not knowing what’s going to happen, then I wouldn’t suggest the game for people. You have to have confidence in yourself and your team.”

Sciarra won’t be the last family member to distinguish himself in football. He’s already touting his 8-year-old brother, Justin.

“He’s fast and has a good arm,” Sciarra said.

If Sciarra can help St. Francis (10-1) win its Southern Section Division III quarterfinal game Friday against Canyon, it would likely set up a semifinal game against unbeaten Hart (11-0) and another talented junior quarterback, Kyle Matter.

Sciarra and Matter are proven winners and the offseason should determine which one makes the most progress toward becoming an elite college prospect.

“I played the position for 14 years and coached it for 17 years, and I think he’s one of the best on the West Coast,” Redell said of Sciarra.

Now if only Sciarra, who has thick black sideburns, could help his balding coach with one small problem.

“I wish I [could] take some of his sideburns and put them on top of my head,” Redell said.

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A group of sophomore football players already have established themselves as potential college prospects:

* Chris Frome, Hart. The 6-5, 230-pound two-way tackle one day will be recognized as the Indians’ best lineman since Brian Jacobs.

* Chad Henley, Royal. The 6-2, 230-pound Henley runs a 4.8 over 40 yards and was a two-way starter on the line. His father played for the Denver Broncos in the 1970s.

* Jesse Taylor, Chaminade. Just when former Eagle tight end Gabe Crecion leaves UCLA at the end of next season, Taylor should become a hot commodity. He’s still growing at 6-2, 210 pounds, and has the coordination of his sister, Kim, a standout soccer player.

* Tim Volk, Westlake. He’s 6-2, 240 pounds and has 10 tackles for losses from his nose guard position. USC gave him recruiting tickets to attend the game against UCLA on Saturday.

* Steve Graham, L.A. Baptist. This 6-3, 210-pounder has played middle linebacker, defensive end, fullback, tight end and quarterback.

* Curtis Brown, Paraclete. He has rushed for 1,985 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. That’s powerful evidence of his skills.

* Tim Gregory, Hart. Speed matters, and Gregory’s 8.1 yards per carry makes him a running back to watch.

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Casey Markovic, a 6-5 junior guard at Bell-Jeff, was eight for eight from three-point range in the Guards’ alumni basketball game. Markovic could be among the region’s top scoring threats this season. . . .

It’s shaping up as a prolific year for City Section boys’ soccer teams. El Camino Real, Reseda and Birmingham are City title threats and can play with the best from the Southern Section. In girls’ soccer, keep an eye on Harvard-Westlake, Chaminade, Westlake and Chatsworth. . . .

Freshman Kyle Uebelhardt, the son of Royal football Coach Gene Uebelhardt, passed for 30 touchdowns for the Highlanders’ 8-2 freshman team. . . .

Justin Fargas is on the mend. The former Notre Dame running back, a redshirt this season at Michigan after surgery for a broken leg, recently ran 40 yards in 4.5 seconds. He’ll be home for Thanksgiving and plans to attend the Notre Dame-Valencia playoff game, where Valencia’s Manuel White could pass him in career yards rushing. . . .

At the conclusion of the Kennedy-Sylmar football playoff game on Thursday, a Kennedy player hugged Coach Bob Francola and said with tears, “If I had a father, I’d want him to be just like you.”

That helps explain why coaches coach.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes