Thousand Oaks’ Armor Pierced by Invisible Opponent : Prep football: In an unusual turn, much-respected Lancer program beset with controversy and turmoil.

The arrival of each fall seems to bring a heavy dose of optimism to Thousand Oaks High, home of one of the region’s most successful football programs.

Thousand Oaks has had only nine losing seasons since it opened in 1962 and with its 12 league titles in that span often is the program by which Ventura County teams are measured. When coaches undertake the task of reviving struggling programs, as Gene Uebelhardt did at Royal in 1988, they often dream of one day looking the Lancers in the eyes.

“When we took over this program four years ago, Thousand Oaks was the best program in Ventura County,” Uebelhardt said. “We wanted to be like them some day.”

Perhaps it is because of its success that Thousand Oaks has managed, for the most part, to steer clear of the controversies and turmoil that sometimes plague other programs. The Lancers, it seemed, were shielded from nettlesome problems.

“Thousand Oaks has been blessed with talented kids who have a tremendous work ethic,” assistant Dan Murphy said. “We’ve also had the same staff for about 10 years, and that allows us to develop continuity that a lot of programs don’t have.”

The Lancers entered this season with perhaps as much optimism as in the fall of 1987, when they began a season that ended with a school-record 12 wins and a Southern Section Coastal Conference title. This season, Thousand Oaks was looking forward to reaping the benefits of an offensive line that averages 240 pounds--its largest in history--and senior running back Cory Bowen, who had rushed for 1,257 yards as a junior.

But the Lancers soon discovered they were not immune to adversity.

They endured a controversial quarterback change at midseason that led to an uprising of parents and supporters. Six starters have been injured, including three who were sidelined for the year.

“It’s definitely been a unique year,” Thousand Oaks Coach Bob Richards said. “We’ve had a lot of little things like injuries and personnel changes that have kept us from gaining any continuity.”

Despite their problems, the Lancers (10-1, 6-1 and second in the Marmonte League) have found their way to the second round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs and Friday will play host to Dominguez (9-2). Their running game again has been exceptional: Bowen has rushed for 1,599 yards and fullback Quincy Jacobs has rushed for 1,087. But the road has had a few potholes.

First, there was the quarterback change four games into the season.

Senior Ernie Foli had attempted to fill the shoes of Scott Peterson, who set nine school records before he graduated in June and accepted a scholarship offer from New Mexico. Foli and offensive coordinator Paul Gomes often were at odds--the wounds, coaches say, since have healed--and Foli completed only 13 of 33 passes for 184 yards through four games.

Enter Trevor Thompson, a talented sophomore who threw seven touchdowns in his first two games for the junior varsity. “He is our quarterback of the future,” Gomes said at the time of the change.

The future became the present. Thompson and Foli alternated series on Sept. 11, then Thompson earned his first start the next week and was nine of 16 for 121 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-21 win over Channel Islands.

Foli’s supporters questioned the decision-making of the coaching staff. Several unsigned letters that attacked Gomes’ integrity and coaching ability were sent to school administrators and to The Times.

Included in those letters were accusations that Gomes verbally abused players. “(Gomes) . . . allows illegal hits on the player,” one letter states. “He informs players not to get on his wrong side. If they do get on his wrong side, they know this means some sort of retaliation on Gomes’ part.”

Gomes, in his eighth year as offensive coordinator and 13th on the varsity staff, scoffs at the charges. “Our coaching techniques and philosophies will not change,” he said. “When things have to change at Thousand Oaks, I and the rest of us will have to leave. Ultimately, what we do is correct and we will follow through until the end.”

But the end seemed near. The turmoil led to team dissension and created a distraction on the football field.

“We had reached our lowest low,” Gomes said. “For a while there, I thought things were going to get real ugly.”

The verbal and written complaints were taken to administrators but were quickly dismissed.

“They were negligible,” Thousand Oaks Principal Lance Erie said. “They were misperceptions. I have a great deal of respect for the way Paul deals with kids. He understands what we’re trying to accomplish and has my full support. Paul is a big reason why we’ve been successful.”

In a show of unity, the coaching staff drafted and signed a letter.

“Basically, it said that we are behind each other 100%,” Gomes said. “We support everything that happened this year. We all stand united, and what happens to one coach happens to all of us.”

Injuries added to the tension. Senior wide receiver Eric Houston, an NCAA Division I prospect, did not play because of a knee injury that led to reconstructive surgery. Defensive back Chris Barone had a back problem that was diagnosed as a congenital disorder, ending his season. Quarterback Thompson sustained a season-ending broken leg Nov. 1, in just his third start.

Starters Ryan Molina (linebacker), Eric Benson (offensive tackle) and Jamal Nichols (wide receiver) also have missed several games because of injuries.

Although some parents still attend practices and keep a watchful eye on Gomes, the team’s troubles seem to be in its rear-view mirror. Since Foli returned as quarterback after Thompson’s injury, he is 21 of 38 for 287 yards and three touchdowns. “There’s a reason for everything, although I sure don’t understand it when it happens,” Richards said. “Maybe a year or five years down the road we’ll understand it.”

For now, Gomes recalls the 1987 season, in which Thousand Oaks won its only Southern Section title. Then, as was the case this season, the Lancers failed to win a league title. And they also overcame a controversial decision regarding the starting quarterback.

“It’s been a real emotional year, and a lot of it has come from parents that have put things out of perspective,” Murphy said. “It was something we had to overcome.”

And Gomes feels they have.

“I think everything has fallen into place just in time,” Gomes said. “We’re starting to do what we need to do. There are no real skeletons in our closet. We’ve faced the worst, and it’s time to get on with it.”