HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

It’s a ritual played out on fields every fall weekend.

Ball boys in oversized jerseys stand on the sidelines, watch the action and dream of the time they will one day play high school football.

As a youngster, John Elway was a ball boy for his father Jack’s teams at Cal State Northridge. Former San Francisco 49er and California Coach Tom Holmoe was a ball boy at Crescenta Valley.

Juniors Neil Gunn, Gregg Herrera and Derek Wilde are living out their dreams this season at Village Christian High.

All three were Crusader ball boys.

Gunn, Village Christian’s second-year quarterback, began as a third-grader in 1991. Herrera, the long snapper, joined the program in ’92 and Wilde, a receiver, came along in ’93.

“We would be on the sidelines, passing the ball around and we would talk about what it would be like some day to all be playing,” Gunn said.

Said Herrera: “We just couldn’t wait until we got our chance.”

That chance came this season, when Herrera and Wilde were promoted to the varsity.

“We’ve all grown up together,” Wilde said of the three, who have attended the Sun Valley school since kindergarten. “We’re like a family.”

Before the season, Coach Mike Plaisance came across a photo of the trio from 1994, with each wearing Village Christian jerseys.

“I said, ‘Who are these little knuckleheads?’ ” Plaisance said. “Then I said, ‘Wait, they’re my starting quarterback, receiver and long snapper.’ The years go by so fast.”

Not everything has been perfect, however. The Crusaders, who play Brentwood tonight in a nonleague game at Kennedy, are 0-3.

Maybe that’s an omen.

Gunn reminded his coach this week that Village Christian was 1-4-1 in 1991, and the team rallied to advance to the division semifinals.

“That’s one of the many advantages,” Plaisance said. “They remember the glory days and they want to help bring back that tradition.”

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The tale of the tape was unfavorable this week for Littlerock.

St. Bernard, this week’s opponent, played in Edmonton, Canada, last week, a game that would have created scouting problems for most schools.

But not for Littlerock.

Hubie Huberdeau, a Lobo assistant last season, now lives in Edmonton and agreed to film the game and send the tape back to his former school.

It arrived Wednesday in less than desirable condition.

“He mailed it in a regular envelope and it got here in about 14 pieces,” said Coach Jim Bauer of Littlerock. “Our plans turned out to be all for naught.”