Prep football: All the marbles

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - University High football coach Mark Cunningham entered

Pacific Coast League play believing Corona del Mar was the team to beat.

And while the Trojans enter Friday’s 7 p.m. clash with CdM with a

one-game lead in the standings, it is, in fact, the Sea Kings who stand

between Uni and the first outright league title in the school’s 30-year

existence.

Coach Dick Freeman’s Sea Kings (5-4, 3-1 in league) have more at stake

than just playing the spoiler. A CdM victory would give it at least a

share of its second straight PCL crown.

If CdM wins, Estancia, with a win over Laguna Beach tonight, would

join the party as tri-champion, forcing a coin flip to decide the

league’s No. 1 playoff entry. Should Estancia lose and CdM win, CdM would

be the No. 1 entry, on the basis of its head-to-head edge with Uni.

If Estancia wins and CdM loses, the Sea Kings go as the No. 3 team,

meaning they would open the playoffs on the road, most likely against a

first-place team.

“If we’re looking to do anything in the playoffs, a third-place seed

isn’t the way to start,” said Freeman, whose postseason engagements have

ended after one week the last two seasons.

If University is able to gain its third league championship (it shared

crowns in 1974 and ‘98), the Trojans’ 2000 theme might be “Nichols from

heaven.”

Senior quarterback Jay Nichols has been a one-man wrecking crew in

four league games. Against PCL competition, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, an

All-CIF choice in baseball last spring, has rushed for eight TDs, thrown

for eight more and even returned an interception to paydirt. The argument

could be made that Nichols is enjoying the most productive single season

in the 11-year history of the PCL, though Orange County career rushing

leader Michael Jones twice rushed for more than 1,000 yards in five

league games and scored 18 TDs as a senior in 1997.

“And (Nichols) is getting better every week,” Freeman said. “He’s big

and fast and they do some things to get him out of the pocket. Chasing

him out of the pocket is not a good idea and we’ve had problem collapsing

the pocket this year. He’s going to pose a big-time challenge.”

Nichols has completed 74 of 147 passes for 1,285 yards and six TDs in

his first season as the starter. He has thrown six interceptions.

Despite Nichols’ dominance, a constant in the Trojans’ success, has

been their ability to spread the ball around. Senior Nephi Wheeler is the

leading rusher (530 yards on 96 carries).

All-PCL tight end Kevin Conlin is joined in a quality receiving corps

by seniors Setiam Allah and Zach Sherwood, while junior running back

Scott Pickett has also contributed.

Sherwood also leads the county with eight field goals, including a

long of 37 yards.

CdM, which saw its five-game winning streak halted by Estancia last

week, 27-24, has been led offensively by tailback Blake Hacker. The 5-6,

170-pound PCL wrestling champion has collected 747 of his 1,273 rushing

yards in league. He is chasing the school single-season rushing record of

1,578 yards, set by J.R. Walz in 1993.

Junior quarterback Joe Barber has completed 27 of 41 for 397 yards and

six TDs, with only two interceptions, as the starter the last three

weeks. But junior Dylan Hendy, who broke his wrist in the league opener,

is expected to start.

Hendy has thrown for 434 yards and six TDs this fall (25 of 55 with

seven interceptions).

Senior speedster Matt Moore is averaging a county-leading 24.4 yards

on his 21 catches, including five TDs, while junior Steven Ward has 16

receptions for 186 yards and three TDs.

Senior linebackers Nick Prosser, Taumata Grey, as well as senior

cornerback Charlie Alshuler (sixth interceptions) and senior safety Eric

Snell, have keyed the CdM defense.

The Sea Kings, however, will replace junior end Justin Wald, who had

some swelling of his brain after a collision on kickoff coverage last

week and is lost for the season.

Senior Jason Savopolos, who had been seeing some time as a reserve

outside linebacker, will start in place of Wald.

CdM leads the series between the former Sea View and South Coast

League rivals, 12-6-1, including a 31-12 victory in their first PCL clash

last fall.