Santa Monica St. Monica is creating excitement on the football field

One of the strangest success story of the 2010 football season is unfolding at Santa Monica St. Monica, which in 2008 was on a 37-game losing streak.

The school then hired a new coach, Larry Muno, whose full-time job was a fireman while also helping run the Catholic Youth Organization. In other words, Muno was a flag football coach.

He installed a wide-open passing attack in 2009, put in 5-foot-6, 130-pound Matthew Partyka as his quarterback, and the team generated excitement with its offense and won three games.

This season, St. Monica went 8-2, won the Santa Fe League championship and opens the Northeast Division playoffs Friday against Palos Verdes Chadwick at St. Bernard High.

Muno is more than a former flag football coach. He played linebacker in college. And he sure knows how to develop talent. His son, J.J., is a sophomore baseball-football standout at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, and his daughter, Susannah, is a top eighth-grade volleyball player.

And he’s the one who gave Partyka the chance to play quarterback.

“He’s a magician,” Muno said. “He’s amazingly elusive.”

Asked how he plays quarterback when he’s usually the smallest player on the field, Partyka said, “I just have a good offensive line and get the ball out of my hand pretty quickly.”

He has passed for 1,785 yards. And his top receiver is a former quarterback, 6-3 Sam Holguin.

As for the impact of Muno, Partyka said, “He brought new energy and switched the offense. It’s excited everyone.”

Double trouble

Inglewood (8-2) won the Ocean League championship behind receiver-defensive backs Derrick Woods and Patrick Onwuasor.

Woods, a junior, has also scored touchdowns at running back and as a punt returner. He can play quarterback out of the wildcat formation.

Onwuasor is equally effective catching the ball and making tackles in the secondary.

Inglewood opens action in the Western Division playoffs Friday at home against Downey.

Crespi-Servite?

If Encino Crespi pulls off an upset of Los Alamitos on Thursday in the Pac-5 playoffs, the Celts would likely play No. 2-seeded Anaheim Servite in the quarterfinals.

And that would match former Crespi coach Troy Thomas, now the coach of the Friars, against his alma mater at Crespi. At least he’d be able tell the bus driver how to get to Encino.

Two-sport standouts

The Lakewood-San Clemente Pac-5 opener is interesting in that the quarterbacks for each team are two-sport standouts.

Lakewood quarterback Tyler Schultz is a catcher for the baseball team. San Clemente junior quarterback Travis Wilson is a top volleyball player.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com