Quest to Impress

By DAVE DESMOND

June 24, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

LONG BEACH —

In three seasons at Westlake High, Zac Wasserman passed for 8,000 yards and 90 touchdowns, led his team to a Southern Section championship and earned a scholarship to national power Penn State.

What else can he possibly prove?

Plenty, if you ask him.

“I still have doubts once in a while,” said Wasserman, who will start at quarterback tonight for California in the California-Texas Shrine All-Star Classic at Cerritos College.

“I always feel like I have something to prove, and this is another challenge.”

This week, players from both teams have worked out at Long Beach State, participated in social and educational functions and done everything they can to impress their teammates.

Standing out in this crowd is no easy task, with 69 of the 70 players having signed with Division I programs, but Wasserman has done it.

“I wish I had Zac’s arm,” said teammate Nate Ray, who threw for 3,722 yards last season for Colfax High, was named the Sacramento area’s offensive player of the year and signed with Fresno State. “If I did, I’d be a more complete QB.”

Critics claim Wasserman is not a complete quarterback because of a lack of mobility, something that might not be exposed tonight in a game that limits pass rushers to five and prohibits inside linebackers from blitzing.

“For some reason, that’s been an issue for some people,” he said. “But at Westlake, I wasn’t taught to run. I was always told that the whole purpose of a quarterback was to throw the ball.

“I’m not going to tell you that I’m a 4.4 [40-yard] guy because I’m not. But I can get out of trouble if I need to.”

Wasserman, 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds, will have plenty of protection tonight, dropping back behind a line of top prospects that could average 6-6 and 290.

“It’s weird,” he said. “At Westlake, I seemed to be looking down on my linemen. Here, I am looking up at everybody. Every single guy is absolutely huge.”

So is everyone on a Texas defense bent on ending a five-game losing streak to California.

But no defensive pressure can match the personal challenge Wasserman has faced from teammates since practice began last Saturday.

They’ve all read about his accomplishments, seen his name among the state’s career leaders in passing and touchdowns.

It’s again time to back it up.

“Everyone here is a great player,” said Jim Benkert, who coached Wasserman for three seasons at Westlake and is guiding the California team. “With Zac, there may be added pressure because he is thought of as one of the best and he has to live up to that standard in front of all the other talented guys.”

It’s a mission Wasserman accepts in stride.

“I’m looking forward to this,” he said. “Part of this game is about seeing how you measure up.”

It’s also about bonding.

In between two-a-day practices this week, the teams toured Universal Studios, sunned at Manhattan Beach and visited sick children at the Shriners Hospital for Children.

At the hospital, Wasserman, linebacker Jordan Lampos of Westlake and linebacker-fullback Patrick Norton of Hart met a 13-year-old burn victim.

They chatted and played cards and video games with the boy, brightening his day and learning a little about themselves in the process.

Which is exactly what the Shriners have in mind each year when scheduling the hospital visits.

“I always took for granted that I could walk and do simple things,” Wasserman said. “You go to that hospital and it makes you understand just how lucky you are. It opens your eyes.”

Come game time at 7 p.m., it will be Wasserman’s turn to open others’ eyes.

“This is a perfect opportunity and the best way to end my career,” he said.

* Interstate football all-star games are growing in popularity throughout the nation. D13

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

* WHAT:

California-Texas Shrine All-Star Classic

* WHEN:

Tonight at 7

(Fox Sports Net 2)

* WHERE:

Cerritos College

* TICKETS: