COLLEGE PREP ALL-STAR FOOTBALL GAME : The Advantage Tonight at Mesa College Could Be With the Guys Who Have the Ball : X’s, Plenty of ‘O’

SAN DIEGO — When the San Diego Section meets the Los Angeles City Section in the second College Prep All-Star Football Game at Mesa College tonight, it will be a showcase of talent.

But more specifically, it could be a showcase of offense.

“I’m confident we’ll score at least 35 points the first half,” said San Diego’s starting quarterback, Freddie Stokes. “Right now, we’ve come together as a team.”

Stokes said the turnaround came early this week when Coach Vic Player of Lincoln High School held an offensive meeting and told the team it could put some points on the board.

“It was something to get us on the right track,” Stokes said.

Stokes earned the starting position after the nine-day camp because of his quickness and his familiarity with the Lincoln offense, which he directed to an average of 34 points per game last season.

The backfield will be stocked with speed in Darrin Wagner (Lincoln), Larry Maxey (Morse) and Pierre Jones (Sweetwater), who combined for 3,855 yards rushing and 54 rushing touchdowns last season. They will be running behind a line that averages 6-feet 3-inches and 236 pounds and includes San Diego State recruit John Williamson (6-6, 250, Kearny). Stokes said all three backs may play at once.

The team has the capable receivers, too, in 6-4, 215-pound tight end Bob Brasher, who will attend Arizona State, and 5-8 Kelby Downey. Both went to Section 3-A champion Point Loma. The team has passing quarterbacks Tim Johnson of Mountain Empire and Sean Gousha of Orange Glen on the bench.

As for Los Angeles, quarterback Jeremy Leach, who led Granada Hills to a stunning 27-14 upset of the nation’s No. 1 team, Carson, to win the section 4-A title last season, will lead a diverse offense.

Leach, a University of New Mexico recruit, threw for 2,666 yards and 35 touchdowns last season. His top receiver at Granada Hills, Arizona recruit Kyle Jan (65 catches, 950 yards, 15 touchdowns) will join him.

“Leach is an excellent thrower, a drop-back type passer,” said Monroe High Coach Frank D’Alessandro, who is coaching the defense for Los Angeles.

Besides Jan, Leach will have as targets tight ends Titus Tuiasasopo (6-1 1/2, 255), a USC recruit from Banning, and Cephus Robey (6-1, 210, Carson) and receiver Byron Reves (Carson).

But Los Angeles Coach Henry Pacheco of San Pedro plans to run the veer, an offense structured toward the running game rather than the pass. Pacheco said he had anticipated running quarterbacks Darian Hagan and George Malauulu to play. But Hagan was injured during warmups for last week’s Shrine Game and is doubtful tonight, and Malauulu, an Arizona State recruit, is being held out for personal reasons.

“Running the veer doesn’t mean we’re not going to throw the ball,” Pacheco said. “The good thing about the veer is you have to defense it in three different spots. They have to respect it, and that’s where Jeremy’s arm comes in.”

But it’s not as if Los Angeles is planning a running offense with a passing team. In the backfield, Pacheco has Derrick Duren (Gardena), who has been impressive in the Los Angeles camp over the past nine days, Ron Wilkinson (Reseda), Arthur Lowe (Carson) and fullback Corey Henry (Westchester).

There is also some defensive talent. The five-man line for San Diego will be anchored by Lincoln Kennedy (6-9, 320, Morse), Bill Clem (6-4, 230, Mira Mesa) and Ramon Rosario (5-11, 200, Sweetwater); the linebackers include Tyler Batson (6-6, 227, Torrey Pines), Israel Stanley (6-3 1/2, 235, Point Loma) and Haywood Mathis (6-3, 245,. Mt. Miguel) and the defensive backfield will have Robert Griffith (Mt. Miguel), Scott Catlin (Sweetwater) and Freddie Spears (El Camino).

For Los Angeles, Tuiasasopo will anchor the four-four defense run by D’Alessandro, who said he is also counting on Notre Dame recruit Arnold Ale (6-4, 220), a standout in the Shrine Game, and linebacker Rick Tiedemann (6-2, 212), a New Mexico recruit.

Notes

San Diego Coach Vic Player came into camp hoping to find a kicker. He knew receiver Melvin Maxwell had kicked at Morse, but after Torrey Pines fullback Tim Walker boomed one through from extra-point range, he knew he had found his man. Walker said the longest field goal he has kicked in a game is 47 yards last season. He said he has made kicks longer than 50 yards in practice. Maxwell apparently will handle the kickoffs and the punting duties.