Prep football: Playing catch-up

Barry Faulkner

ANAHEIM - The 2000 season has yet to begin for the Corona del Mar

High football team and already the Sea Kings are playing catch-up.

Coach Dick Freeman’s squad, coming off a Pacific Coast League

co-championship, debuts Saturday at 7 p.m. against Cypress at Western

High. But the Centurions are already a step ahead, having defeated

Handsworth, 44-7, Saturday in North Vancouver, Canada. They led, 31-0, at

halftime.

“That’s huge,” Freeman said of Cypress’ one-game experience advantage.

“You learn so much the first time you play a game. They have had the

opportunity to get guys in position and make some adjustments.”

CdM, 3-8 a year ago, worked out a few kinks in Friday’s three-way

scrimmage with Villa Park and Pacifica. But, Freeman believes, there is

still much to be learned about this group, which returns two offensive

starters, five on defense. CdM is ranked No. 6 in the CIF Division IX

preseason poll.

“You never know how a team will react to that first game situation,”

Freeman said. “We didn’t come back very well from our scrimmage, which

made me start to worry.”

Cypress, which scrimmaged Aliso Niguel before heading north of the

border, was impressive against an unknown Canadian quantity.

Senior running back Darren Shorter rushed for 197 yards and two

touchdowns on 19 carries in the opener and senior returning second-team

All-Empire League quarterback Justin Rice completed 9 of 13 for 124 yards and three TDs. Rice threw for 1,626 yards and 16 TDs last season, in

which Cypress finished 4-6.

Junior Darnell Dodson caught all three TD tosses Saturday, the longest

a 26-yarder.

The defense, which returns its front seven intact, did its job, as

well.

Senior free safety Robert Clark, second-team all-league last fall, had

an interception and returning senior linebacker Matt Ziemer led the team

with nine tackles.

It’s easy to understand why Cypress would want to get out of town,

having lost its previous five openers against Orange County foes by a

combined margin of 205-52. Four of those losses were split evenly between

Sunset League representatives Los Alamitos and Edison, so the Centurions

are likely enjoying some rare early season confidence.

“I think it is a big advantage,” fourth-year Cypress Coach Kerry Crabb

said of last week’s game. “The scrimmage is one thing, but an actual game

just has a different tempo. We’ve seen our kids at game speed and now we

want to try to build on that.”

CdM is looking to build on two straight CIF playoff appearances. The

Sea Kings are keyed by their defense, which includes returning All-PCL

outside linebackers Nick Prosser and Blake Hacker.

Hacker, like Prosser a senior, will also start at tailback. The

5-foot-6, 170-pounder is the leading ground gainer back, having rushed

for 96 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries as a junior.

Eric Snell, a senior two-way starter, had six receptions for 80 yards

last season, while junior Steven Ward, expected to see time at receiver

off the bench, had five catches for 56 yards.

Senior Matt Moore, who started the first three games last fall at

quarterback, before being sidelined by injury, will start at receiver

this fall.

Senior cornerback Charlie Alshuler is another returning starter on

defense, where former starting quarterback Evan Burden starts at the

other corner.

Dylan Hendy, a junior transfer from Fountain Valley, will open at

quarterback. Junior Joe Barber, who missed most of last year with a

broken thumb, is also expected to take some snaps at quarterback.

The Sea Kings will be without senior middle linebacker and tight end

Taumata Grey (church conflict), and sophomore linebacker Matt Boyce

(groin pull).

Seniors Dave Richardson (6-5, 300) and Matt Marston (6-4, 210), as

well as juniors Steven Russell (6-2, 236) and Steve Shipman (6-3, 216)

will start both ways in the trenches for CdM, which has lost three

straight openers.

This is the first meeting between the schools.