Rivals Employing Pass-Fail System : Moorpark, Valley Gear Up for 3-on-2 in Battle of Dueling Quarterbacks

Who’s No. 1?

Does it matter?

Five quarterbacks probably will play Saturday night when Moorpark and Valley colleges meet, but the No. 1 quarterback for each team might not be as important as the No. 2 or, in the case of Moorpark, the No. 3.

Who finishes might be more important.

Three quarterbacks are expected to play for Moorpark. Valley used a two-quarterback system--sophomores Trendell Williams and Mark Mengoni alternating--extensively in its opener Saturday against Mt. San Antonio, a 50-18 loss, and both are expected to play in the Western State Conference game beginning at 7:30 at Moorpark.

One Valley assistant describes them as No. 1 and No. 1, and Coach Chuck Ferrero says, “You could call it 1 and 1A.”

Williams was the offensive player of the year in the Western State Conference Southern Division last season. He is one of Valley’s most highly recruited players, yet against Mt. SAC, Mengoni took over for Williams before the end of the first half, and they alternated in the second half.

Looking for a quarterback controversy, or quarreling quarterbacks? Well, these guys are about as controversial as toast.

“It’s almost a weird deal because they’re such nice kids,” Ferrero said. “They’re competitive, but they’re really mature. There’s no self-centeredness.”

With both in their sophomore seasons, Ferrero wants to get them some exposure and says each is too good to be relegated to the bench.

The two share time in practice. “He never separates us; everything is equal,” Williams said.

Ferrero says that usually when players compete for a position, “I’ve got one of them hoping the other gets hurt, but not these guys.”

When it comes to one-upmanship, Williams and Mengoni confine their participation to lavishly praising each other. When Williams is asked what he does well as a quarterback, Mengoni quickly interjects, “Everything.” Williams is nearly as quick to bring up Mengoni’s game-winning touchdown pass against Santa Monica last season.

“Me and Mark are real good friends,” Williams said. “If I can’t do it, Mark can come in the game. . . . If I’m messing up, I’m mad at myself, but I would cheer Mark on and when he comes to the sidelines, we talk about what’s going on during the game.”

Against Mt. San Antonio, Williams threw three interceptions before Mengoni replaced him.

“Trendell is our starting quarterback,” Ferrero said. “The thing that makes a difference is that Mark knows his role, but he also knows I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Williams has played quarterback since his sophomore year at Dominguez High, but Mengoni, a 1987 Grant High graduate, played defensive back in high school.

Mengoni (6-foot, 175 pounds) is a survivor. He came to Valley after spending a year and a half at UC Davis, where he redshirted but did not play. Mengoni began at the bottom of the Valley quarterback depth chart in 1989, but by the end of the season, he and Williams were the only quarterbacks on the team. Mengoni completed 21 of 43 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season.

Williams (6-1, 195) took a year off from school after graduating from high school in 1988. During the ’89 regular season, he threw for 1,107 yards and four touchdowns and was first-team All-Southern Division. However, Williams missed time because of injuries, and Mengoni picked up the slack.

“Last year we complemented each other really well,” Mengoni said. “When it came down to just the two of us left, it was a lot more comfortable.”

Williams probably is a better passer and superior at reading coverages, but Mengoni might have a stronger arm and is faster.

“It’s not like when your starter comes out of the game, your whole offense changes,” Williams said. “Everything stays the same whether me or Mark is in the game. I feel the team believes in both of us.”

Williams and Mengoni struggled against Mt. San Antonio, backpedaling more than Michael Jackson.

The Moorpark scouting report “pretty much said they were both running for their lives,” said Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner.

Neither quarterback was particularly proficient. Williams completed eight of 15 for 169 yards and a touchdown but was bedeviled by interceptions. Mengoni completed four of 17 and thew one interception.

“It wasn’t their fault,” Ferrero said. “When you’re throwing every down and (defensive linemen) are coming up the field 100 miles an hour, you’re going to be on your heels.”

Moorpark’s defense has a tendency to put quarterbacks on their heels as well. Last year, Moorpark defeated Valley, 23-0, the first time the Monarchs had been shut out since 1986.

“There’s a little revenge factor,” said Williams, who completed 10 of 18 for 91 yards and had one interception against Moorpark last season. “We self-destructed. They have a good defense. They sit back there, and they wait for you to make the mistakes.”

With two sophomore quarterbacks, Ferrero has expanded his offense, combining a multiple-receiver spread passing game with a power I running offense.

“Coach said if we weren’t returning, the offense would be cut in half,” Mengoni said.

Mengoni says Moorpark is a bigger rival for Valley than Pierce, and Valley hardly can afford to go 0-2 entering tough games against Glendale and Ventura.

Ferrero would not predict how playing time would be divided between Williams and Mengoni but said that he does not like splitting it quarter by quarter. Bittner, however, divided his quarterbacks’ playing time by quarter in the Raiders’ 38-3 win over East Los Angeles in their opener.

Starter Kris Dutra, a sophomore, played the first and third quarters. Freshman Chris Gadomski played the second quarter, and freshman Del Marine the fourth.

Bittner had a pleasantly frustrating experience when none played poorly enough to knock themselves out of contention for playing time.

“You try to let them play until the picture becomes clear,” Bittner said. “I had sort of hoped to narrow it down to two.”

Dutra completed four of five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Gadomski completed three of six for 14 yards, and Marine was two for two for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

Some coaches shy away from rotating quarterbacks, but Bittner said, “The nice thing that comes out of that is that you can put some real pressure on them to work on their mechanics.”