A New Style but Results Are the Same at Paraclete

Joe Martin appreciates greatly that his coach, Jeff Cortez, is “trying to put Paraclete on the map.”

But if the Lancaster parochial school is on the football map, Cortez must share the credit with his players and his predecessor.

Paraclete has won four consecutive Southern Section titles--one in Division XI and three in Division XII.

More impressive, the Spirits have done it with two different coaches and two vastly different game plans.

Cortez arrived last year after four seasons as an assistant at Encino Crespi. He put the run-oriented wing T into the playbook and scrapped the pro-set passing offense Steve Hagerty used for eight seasons in developing Paraclete into a small-school power.

“We were going to win it or lose it my way,” Cortez said. “I just couldn’t be true to myself and do the other guy’s stuff.”

Curtis Brown and Erick Jackson benefited most. Brown, a four-year varsity starter with 6,166 career yards, has rushed for 647 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Jackson, who gained 1,239 yards a year ago, has rushed for 513 with six touchdowns.

“When we switched the offense, it made a lot of teammates frustrated,” Brown said. “But they got used to it after awhile because nothing beats winning a [section] championship, and after we won, there were no complaints.”

The Spirits are undefeated after five games and have 18 consecutive victories--new coach, new offense, same dominance.

Martin, Brown and Geoff Phelan played for Hagerty and Cortez. Most pleasing to them is that Cortez beefed up Paraclete’s schedule.

The Spirits have victories over Division III West Hills Chaminade, 26-22, and Quartz Hill, 19-13 in overtime, and Division VIII Fontana Kaiser, 22-14.

“We finally had a chance to play those Division III schools that everyone in the Antelope Valley was talking about,” Brown said. “We’re surrounded by six Division III Golden League schools, and they were always talking about how we never played anyone. We finally got a chance to play teams like Chaminade and Quartz Hill, and got a chance to prove that even though we’re a small Division XII school, we have a lot of talent and heart.”

Paraclete has five consecutive league titles (the last three in the Alpha League) and 21 consecutive victories in league. The Spirits try to add to those streaks tonight against Pasadena Poly at Muir High.

Perfect, so far: There are 27 teams in the Southern Section that are undefeated and untied. With losses last weekend by La Puente Bishop Amat of the Del Rey League and Fountain Valley in the Sunset, only two leagues can boast two teams with perfect records: Montebello and Alhambra of the Division VII Almont and Temple City and San Marino of the Division X Rio Hondo are 6-0.

Temple City plays at San Marino on Friday in one showdown. If Montebello and Alhambra win on Friday, it will be a battle of unbeaten teams Oct. 26.

Riverside Arlington (6-0) hasn’t won more than six games in a season since winning the Division IV championship in 1990.

Colton, also in Division V with Arlington, is 6-0.

Tustin tumbles: One of the more improbable victories last week was Westminster’s 42-41 win against Tustin in a Golden West League game. It was the first time Tustin, the four-time defending league champion, has lost in league play since 1998. Tustin (3-3) was coming off a 36-33 victory over Santa Margarita, one of The Times’ top 25 teams.

For Westminster (2-4), which lost, 72-0, to Tustin last season, it was the Lions’ first victory over the Tillers since 1994.

Block party: When it comes to unlikely victors, Oxnard Rio Mesa deserves attention too. Under its first-year coach, Randy Block, the Spartans are 4-2 overall and upset Camarillo, 33-27, in a Pacific View League opener on Friday. The victory ended an eight-game losing streak in league, and came against a team that shared the league title last year. It is Rio Mesa’s first four-victory season since it finished 4-6 in 1997. The Spartans, 1-9 last season, were 7-24 the past three seasons.

Block’s streak-busters get another test Friday in a nonleague game against undefeated Goleta Dos Pueblos.