In-Your-Face Fontana Should Roll Up Another Championship

It’s a sturdy limb, and so we’ll climb out onto it.

Since 1980, teams from the Citrus Belt League, based in the Riverside-San Bernardino area, have played in the Southern Section Division I championship game five times.

Twice--in 1984 and 1989--league teams played each other for the title. And in 1990, the Citrus Belt again will show off its hard-nosed, run-right-at-’em-and-over-’em football.

No. 1-seeded Eisenhower and Fontana, the defending division champion, are the league’s best.

Which brings us back to that limb.

The 1990 Division I champion:

Fontana.

The reasons are many.

--Tradition: Coach Dick Bruich has led Fontana to two of the past three division championships.

--Fans: An obsessive following makes Fontana one of the most difficult places for visiting teams to win.

--Smash-mouth football: The Steelers average about 300 yards rushing per game. Defense: Fontana has five shutouts and has allowed only 68 points.

Fontana was ranked sixth in USA Today’s national poll and had a 23-game winning streak dating to 1988 before losing to Eisenhower, 16-7, last week.

The loss dropped Fontana to the No. 3 seeding in the playoffs and elevated Eisenhower to No. 1.

If Fontana should stumble, the next best bets could be:

Top-seeded Eisenhower (10-0) is having the best season in school history. The Eagles’ victory last Friday was their first over Fontana in 12 years, and fans celebrated by tearing down one goal post and bending another.

Second-seeded Bishop Amat (8-1) has lost only to Carson, the No. 1-ranked City Section team. The Lancers went undefeated and won the Angelus League championship by outscoring the opposition, 123-48.

The local favorite:

Edison, seeded fourth, has been picked by some newspapers to reach the final. The reasoning is not faulty. The Chargers (9-1) have won seven in a row since a 15-14 loss to Capistrano Valley.

Quarterback Josh Gingrich has turned the offense into a consistent force. Gingrich has passed for 2,271 yards, completing 55.3% of his passes, and 20 touchdowns. Mike Cunningham has 49 receptions for 815 yards.

“I like (the newspapers’) assessment,” said David White, Edison coach. “That’s our goal, to make it to the Big A. We feel we have a shot at it.”

And speaking of teams with better - than - average shots, keep an eye on:

Loyola (8-2) and Canyon Country Canyon (9-1).

Looking for upsets? These two figure to be the field’s biggest spoilers.

Loyola should get past Long Beach Jordan (5-5) in the first round, setting up a matchup with Fontana the next week.

Canyon Country Canyon should beat Westminster (5-4-1), which sets up a showdown with Bishop Amat.

No such upset luck for these three:

Ocean View (5-3-1) plays Eisenhower in the first round. “We’re going to show up to try to pull off the biggest upset around,” said Howard Isom, Ocean View coach.

Mater Dei (5-5) opens against Long Beach Poly (6-4). This figures to be one of the most competitive first-round games. But it will take a huge rushing game from the talented Derek Sparks (1,114 yards in 164 carries) for Mater Dei to win.

Westminster (5-4-1) plays host to Canyon Country Canyon. The Lions have fashioned a winning second half of the season based on their ground game. Running backs Lucas Jones and Vance Senteno helped Westminster to a 4-1-1 Sunset League record. But the season will probably end Friday for the Lions.

DIVISION I

Defending Champion: Fontana.

First-Round Schedule: Friday, 7:30 p.m.--Ocean View (5-3-1) at Eisenhower (10-0); Mater Dei (5-5) vs. Long Beach Poly (6-4) at Veterans Stadium; Long Beach Wilson (6-3-1) at Quartz Hill (8-2); Rubidoux (4-6) vs. Edison (9-1) at Orange Coast College; Palmdale (4-6) at Fontana (9-1); Loyola (8-2) at Long Beach Jordan (5-5); Canyon Country Canyon (9-1) at Westminster (5-4-1); Lakewood (5-5) at Bishop Amat (8-1).

Top Teams: Bishop Amat, Edison, Eisenhower, Fontana.

Dark Horse: Mater Dei.

Best Draw: Eisenhower.

Worst Draw: Loyola probably will meet third-seeded Fontana in the second round.

Key Players: Scott Fields, RB, Bishop Amat; Jason Patterson, RB/DE, Bishop Amat; Mike Cunningham, WR/DB, Josh Gingrich, QB, Edison; Clay Hattabaugh, lineman, Fontana; Robert Loya, lineman, Fontana; Johnny Nanson, QB, Long Beach Jordan; Derek Sparks, RB, Mater Dei.

Noteworthy: No school has repeated as champion since Servite in 1982-83. An Orange County team hasn’t played in the division’s championship game since Fountain Valley defeated Bishop Amat, 31-24, in 1988. Edison’s Gingrich threw for a county-leading 2,271 yards. Fontana had a 23-game winning streak stopped when it lost to Eisenhower, 16-7, last Friday. Eisenhower has given up just 79 points this season. Bishop Amat’s only loss was to Carson, the City Section’s top-ranked team, 37-26.