HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW : Change in Alignment Produces Varying Degrees of Appeal : Mission League: Serra coach expects to be competitive with other teams moving up to Division III.

Mission League coaches say they’re taking quite a step this season with the league’s move from Division IV to Division III.

Come playoff time, defending league champion Notre Dame High might find itself matched against Ventura instead of Villa Park. Chaminade could take on Royal rather than Irvine. And St. Francis, which promises to be much improved in its second season under Coach Bill Redell, might be rewarded with a game against Westlake.

“It will be tougher,” Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson said. “We used to play easier teams in the playoffs. It’ll be a big step up.”

But it’s only a small stride compared to the giant leap Serra has taken. For first-year Coach Charles Nash, whose team jumped six divisions to join the Mission League this season, the step up was a doozy.

“You’re telling me,” Nash said. “I would have liked to have gone to, maybe, Division V or so.”

Instead, Serra replaces Harvard-Westlake, which, in turn, takes Serra’s place in the Division IX Camino Real League. The move should favor Harvard-Westlake, which last season was 0-5 in league play and was trounced by Notre Dame, 42-3, Chaminade, 28-7, and St. Francis, 21-3.

But don’t expect Serra, a coeducational parochial school with 450 students, to take Harvard’s place in the Mission League cellar.

“We know we’ll have our hands full, but we’ll be competitive with every team in this league,” Nash said. “We hope some of them are thinking they’re getting a doormat. They’ll find out soon enough.”

Truth is, Serra, a perennial power in divisions VII and IX, not only should be sure-footed in its new surroundings. The Cavaliers, some coaches say, are a legitimate contender to win the league title.

Ten starters return for Serra, which finished 7-4 last season and reached the second round of the playoffs. Running backs Ricky Boyer and Ademole Turner, who teamed on one of the Southern Section’s top relay teams, arguably are the league’s best backfield tandem, if not the fastest. Both are being heavily recruited, Nash said.

“They’ve always been good and they’ve always been dominant in that league,” Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said. “We don’t really know about them except for those fast guys.”

Rooney, whose team has only four returning starters, is the only league coach to have battled Serra in recent years. In 1989, Serra defeated Notre Dame, 10-3, in a Division VII semifinal en route to winning a Southern Section championship. Serra exits the Camino Real League after having won eight consecutive league titles.

Never mind the playoffs. The first step is getting through the league schedule. And getting past Serra.

“They’re going to have athletes and they’re going to be able to win,” Lawson said. “I think they bring a little more competition into this league.”

Mission League at a Glance

1993 STANDINGS OVERALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH Notre Dame 10-3 5-0 Notre Dame St. Bernard 6-5 4-1 St. Francis Chaminade 5-6 3-2 Serra Bishop Montgomery 3-7 2-3 Chaminade St. Francis 3-7 1-4 St. Bernard Harvard-Westlake 4-6 0-5 Bishop Montgomery

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Ricky Boyer Serra RB 5-9 170 Sr. Gabe Crecion Chaminade TE 6-5 205 Jr. Harry Daniels St. Francis OT/DT 6-4 275 Sr. Ross Driscoll St. Francis FB 6-0 185 Sr. David Dupetit Notre Dame LB 5-11 195 Sr. Jason Giovannettone Chaminade RB/DB 5-7 170 Jr. Mark Negrete Bishop Montgomery TE/LB 6-1 215 Sr. Greg Pollard Serra OT/DT 6-2 265 Sr. Chris Ross St. Francis TE 6-5 195 Sr. Chris Sailer Notre Dame K 5-10 175 Sr.