VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : Alemany Moved Up, Must Step It Up : Preview: Indians, promoted to Division I, face the toughest schedule in the region, in and out of the Del Rey League.

It would be an understatement to say Alemany High did not want to play Division I football.

The protests reached their peak last spring, when a group of Alemany parents hired an attorney and threatened legal action if the Southern Section did not reverse course.

In the end, the Indians backed off and accepted their promotion. Now they are facing the toughest schedule in the region, with Del Rey League games against Loyola, Bishop Amat and St. Paul and nonleague games against Santa Margarita, Servite and Notre Dame.

The challenge for Coach Jim Bonds is to convince his players not to be intimidated. Notre Dame set an example last season, upsetting Loyola and finishing 10-2 in its only season in Division I.

Alemany reached the Division III semifinals last season and returns talented quarterback Casey Clausen, who has committed to Tennessee. Clausen is playing his third season under Bonds, a former UCLA and Hart quarterback who’s holding nothing back in his offensive scheme.

“Everything is in the arsenal,” Bonds said.

If Clausen can continue to raise his game--and he looked impressive in a scrimmage against Valencia last week--the Indians certainly have a chance to be competitive.

They open the season Friday night by hosting Hueneme in a game that will be televised live by Fox Sports West 2.

But how will the Indians respond against Loyola? Last season, Alemany lost, 60-20. The year before, it was 49-0.

“It’s a mind-set,” Bonds said. “That’s been our problem. We go out and the Loyola mystique intimidates us. That’s something we have to battle and get over.”

The best chance for a local team to win a section championship is in Division XII, where Paraclete is a two-time defending champion and opened its season last week with a 37-24 victory over De La Salle of Minneapolis.

“We have the potential to be as good, if not better, than the teams we’ve had in the past,” Coach Steve Hagerty said.

A good test comes Friday night, when Paraclete meets St. Bonaventure at Antelope Valley College. St. Bonaventure is a contender to win the Division XI title.

“I’m really excited,” Coach Jon Mack of St. Bonaventure said. “I really like our guys. It’s a good, good group. We’re not deep and that’s the only thing that scares me.”