Don’t Expect Another Year of Unexpected Standings

Status quo took a beating last season in the Sunset League. In a twist, Westminster High School was favored to win over traditional champions Edison, Fountain Valley and Marina.

By season’s end, however, the final standings were just twisted.

Consider:

--Westminster, ranked No. 1 in the Big Five Conference preseason poll and picked to win the Sunset League title, finished third.

--Edison, which had the best overall record at 8-3, finished second.

--And Marina, which lost all five of its nonleague games, won the championship by going undefeated in league play.

“Last year was unusual for our league,” said Mike Milner, Fountain Valley coach. “I don’t think it was as strong as it has been in the past.”

Fountain Valley finished with a 2-8 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, going 2-3 in the league.

However, Sunset League coaches are expecting a return to normalcy this season with Edison and Fountain Valley fighting for the title.

“This season, the league should be pretty balanced, which causes some concern,” Milner said. “We have to be ready every week.”

Dave White, Edison’s second-year coach, agrees.

“Our league has a lot of parity,” White said. “I don’t see anyone going 14-0 and winning the Big Five (Conference).”

Fountain Valley, which White said is “a notch above” other Sunset League teams, should be vastly improved and more experienced than the past two seasons.

Milner has 16 starters back, including his quarterback, both running backs, the wide receivers and two offensive linemen.

“(Our returning starters) have gained tremendous experience and maturity over last year,” Milner said.

The Barons’ improvement may not be immediately apparent, however, since they face a difficult nonleague schedule with Mater Dei, El Toro, Mission Viejo, Servite and Long Beach Poly.

The consensus among Sunset League coaches is that Edison and Fountain Valley are the top teams.

Four say Edison will win the league championship.

One picks Fountain Valley.

All consider third place to be a wide-open race. However, Huntington Beach is the team most frequently mentioned to take the league’s No. 3 playoff berth.

Here is a closer look at the Sunset League:

EDISON

4-1, 8-3 (Second in league)

The Chargers’ strength is at running back, where Kaleaph Carter and junior Gus Miranda have considerable experience.

Carter is the only Charger who made all-league last season, but he’ll be the league’s top player. A three-year starter, Carter has rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his career and is considered one of the top backs in Orange County.

Carter also is the Chargers’ starting linebacker. Coach Dave White says he’s the strongest player on the roster and one of the fastest.

He was second in the state track and field meet in the shotput with a best of 63-feet and also placed third in the Sunset League 110-meter hurdles last spring.

Miranda gained 1,000 yards on the sophomore team before being moved to the varsity midway through last season.

Edison plays a tough nonleague schedule once again, opening against El Modena, and playing Capistrano Valley and Mater Dei. Santa Monica, which gave Edison its only nonleague defeat last season, is also on the schedule.

White, in his second season as coach, said the Chargers are relatively inexperienced at several key positions. They have 25 lettermen returning, but only four were starters. However, the sophomore team was 10-0 last season and Greg Angelovic, the quarterback, will be the varsity starter.

Other key personnel: wide receiver Chip Hanlon, offensive tackle Mark Fely and guard Rob Simonson.

Top newcomers: tight end Brian Ryder, receivers Scott Jarrett and Patrick Reilly and linebacker Kevin Roberts.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY

2-3, 2-8 (Fourth in league)

Edison’s White said this is the team to beat; However, the Barons again had a very un-Fountain Valley-like season last year, going 2-3 for the second consecutive time, the first two losing seasons in Coach Mike Milner’s eight as Baron coach.

David Henigan threw for almost 1,000 yards as a sophomore and Milner believes he has improved considerably over last season.

“I think he’ll be even better, especially with a stronger supporting cast,” Milner said. “He has the ability to make things happen and not make the bad plays.”

Mike Osborne and Mike Maga, starters last season, are the Barons’ top receivers. Osborne was an all-league selection.

The Barons have a strong group of running backs, including tailback Derek Teuscher, a speedy three-year starter.

Other key personnel: kicker Derek Mahoney, defensive tackle Reza Mehdizadeh and fullback Ray Luckey.

Top newcomers: fullback/linebacker Eli Del Gallo, cornerback Rick Mock and center Glen Christy.

HUNTINGTON BEACH

1-4, 3-7 (Fifth in league)

The Oilers could break up the Edison-Fountain Valley tandem at the top of the league.

Huntington Beach has 14 starters returning, and Coach George Pascoe believes his team will be in the chase for a playoff berth.

Jason McGehee, a fullback, was the Oilers’ top rusher with 665 yards. Skip Murray, who started with McGehee in the backfield, also returns.

McGehee and Murray will run behind a huge offensive line, weighing 265, 250, 205, 250 and 230 pounds. The Oilers relied on the rushing game almost exclusively last season. They passed for an average of only 42 yards per game.

Other key personnel: offensive tackle Steve Orrico and wide receiver/defensive back Rick Brunings.

Top newcomers: wide receiver Andy Thompson, safety/halfback Kevin Dickey and defensive back/wide receiver Doug Cunningham.

MARINA

5-0, 5-6 (First in league)

Coach Chris Ramsey won the league title in his first season last year, but a number of factors will hinder the Vikings’ chances to repeat. Two of Ramsey’s best players, quarterback Rick Vanderriet and fullback Sean Magula, have graduated. Only three starters return, including tailback Jeff Robbins, who played in only two games last season because of a stress fracture. A versatile player, Robbins, who was a tight end and reserve quarterback, also will play free safety this season.

David Schultz, a sophomore, will start at quarterback. Derrick Watkins, George Rey and Hector Ramirez anchor the offensive line, one of the Vikings’ strengths, according to Ramsey.

The Vikings also have a difficult nonleague schedule, facing Esperanza, Servite and Foothill.

Other key personnel: defensive end/fullback Marcus Carles and defensive tackle John Taylor.

Top newcomers: cornerback Mike Lapper and defensive tackle Gene Untalan.

OCEAN VIEW

0-5, 2-8 (Sixth in league)

Second-year Coach Guy Carrozza hopes the Seahawks can improve their back-to-back 2-8 seasons, but he knows how tough this league can be.

He spent eight seasons as an assistant at Fountain Valley, but he hasn’t been able to transfer the Barons’ success to Ocean View.

Carrozza believes the Seahawks’ strengths are at quarterback and wide receiver. Vic Gutierrez, a reserve quarterback last season, and Tommy Wind fill those spots.

A lack of depth on the offensive and defensive lines concerns Carrozza.

Other key personnel: kicker/punter Matt Bertram, running back John Beaubien and offensive tackle John Petersen.

Top newcomer: linebacker Jeff Cottrill.

WESTMINSTER

3-2, 5-5-1 (Third in league)

So far, the Lions are off to a better start than last season. They got a jump on things by beating host Robert E. Lee of Springfield, Va., 14-0, last Thursday.

In 1986, the Lions were the Big Five’s top-ranked team to start the season, but they were 1-2-1 in their first four games.

Stan Clark has joined Jack Bowman as Lion co-coach, replacing Jim O’Hara, who died of a heart attack last December.

This season, Westminster will once again have big offensive and defensive lines and should be one of the county’s most physical teams.

The defense was a big reason the Lions won their opener last week. Ray Smith, a three-year starter at linebacker, returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Other key personnel: running back/defensive back Brian O’Hara and wide receiver/defensive back Ben Mendoza.

Top newcomer: quarterback Bob Elliott.