Prep football: Second chance

Barry Faulkner

POMONA - After being “shocked” by a lack of physical play in Corona

del Mar High’s season-opening loss last week, Sea Kings Coach Dick

Freeman hopes he’ll be pleasantly surprised when CdM visits Pomona Friday

at 7:30 p.m. at Ganesha High.

“To watch us get hit and not fight back (against Cypress) stunned me,”

Freeman said of the 35-10 setback Saturday night. “We didn’t react that

way in our scrimmage.”

Freeman termed the poor showing “the worst football game I’ve ever

been associated with at Corona del Mar,” and lack of aggression, more

than mistakes or the 25-point deficit, was the basis for his remark.

“We need to find 11 guys who can hit somebody,” he said, “because this

is still a contact sport. If we don’t have anyone who can tackle, we’re

going to have a lot shorter (coaches) meetings.”

Freeman said he will try to simplify things on defense. He also made

wholesale changes to the starting lineup, which will feature seven new

starters (some mere position changes) on defense and four on offense.

Getting back on the right track will be no small challenge against the

Red Devils, who knocked off Canyon, 18-7, last week and boast heralded

running back Eric Shyne, who could be the best athlete the Sea Kings face

this season.

Shyne, rated No. 38 among o7 SuperPrepf7 magazine’s preseason

All-Far West prospects, is weighing scholarship offers from Michigan

State, Wisconsin, Arizona State and Idaho. He is also being recruited by

Nebraska, Miami and UCLA.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedster (4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash),

who gained more than 1,100 yards as a junior, burned Canyon for 227 yards

on 18 carries, including touchdown bursts of 84 and 35 yards. He had 181

yards after halftime, helping Coach John Capraro’s Miramonte League

representative overcome a 7-6 intermission deficit.

But Shyne, who did not carry the ball last year’s 18-0 win against CdM, isn’t the only Pomona player who concerns Freeman.

“We thought Cypress had some athletes ...,” Freeman said. “They have a

lot of guys who go both ways, but the people they have are studs.”

Pomona held Canyon to 180 offensive yards, while CdM managed less than

half of that (88) against Cypress.

CdM senior tailback Blake Hacker rushed for 47 yards on 13 carries,

while junior quarterbacks Dylan Hendy and Joe Barber combined to throw

for 43.

Hendy, a Fountain Valley transfer who started, completed 3 of 8 with

one interception. Barber connected on 3 of 12 without a pick.

The Sea Kings, ranked No. 6 in the CIF Southern Section Division IX

preseason poll, but unranked this week, punted eight times. They scored

their touchdown with 1:14 left.

Senior Taumata Grey, a starter at tight end and middle linebacker,

could make a difference for CdM. He missed the opener with a church

conflict.

Pomona is inexperienced at quarterback, where first-year starter Odell

Howard completed just 3 of 10 for 27 yards last week.

CdM has lost its last nine games outside of league play.