Prep ’99 Football Preview Venice, Pali Think Positive

Bob Laws

Special to the Mirror 

   The Venice High School football team enjoyed a storybook season last year, going undefeated with a record of 10-0. Then came the playoffs, and heartbreak.
   After destroying first-round opponent El Camino, the Gondoliers met perennial powerhouse Taft in the second round. “Coach (Tony Chretin) told us before the game, whoever wins this game is gonna win the City Championship,” recalled senior linebacker Mike LaGuardia before practice last week.Venice lost that game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and Taft went on to win the City Championship, fulfilling Coach Chretin’s prophecy.
   “Last year was a great year, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” said LaGuardia. This year, Venice faces the challenge of replacing several key players, including star quarterback J.P. Lossman.
   Lossman turned down a scholarship from UCLA because he would have been fifth on their quarterback depth chart. He is currently considering other schools where he would have the opportunity to play earlier in his college career.
   “Losing J.P., that’s definitely going to effect us in a strong way,” said senior wide receiver-cornerback Antwon Jones. “But we have a new quarterback, Anton Clarkson, who’s really good, maybe not as quick as J.P., but he’s got a good arm.”
   Clarkson is a transfer student from Manual Arts who should be able to fill the void left by Lossman, according to new Defensive Coordinator David Brown. Other key players for Venice this year, according to Brown, include wide receiver-cornberback Jones, and linebacker LaGuardia.
   Brown was hired by Head Coach Chretin to help shore up the Venice defense, which many believed was their weak link in the past.
   “Our defense could have been better last year,” acknowledged Jones. “But Coach Brown has some new schemes and plays that should tighten it up.”
   Brown comes to Venice after a coaching stint in Germany. He starred at defensive back for Venice rival Westchester, then played his college ball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He likes the Gondoliers’ chances this year.
   “Obviously, we lost a lot of talent from last year,” Brown said. “But as long as we continue to work hard, we’re gonna be able to get better each week, then come playoff time we should be able to do some damage like we did last year.”
   Brown dismisses any notions of trying to duplicate last year’s undefeated season. “We’re just trying to go 1-0 every week, and if that adds up to 10-0, that suits me fine,” Brown said. “But as long as we get to a position where we’re competing for the league championship, I think we’re gonna be happy.”
   Jones is a little more bold in his prediction for this season. “I think we’re gonna take it all this year, city championship, state championship,” he trails off before lighting up again, “and any other championship they got for us out there.”
   In order to make good on Jones’ prognostications, Venice will have to contend with Palisades and Westchester for the Western League title in what is shaping up to be a wide-open race. Palisades posted a solid 8-4 record last year, but Head Coach Ron Price expects better from his team. 
   “That’s pretty good, but not good enough for us,” Coach Price said after his team finished practice last Tuesday. Palisades was 10-2 in 1997 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs where, like Venice last year, they lost to a powerful Taft team.
   Despite that disappointing playoff loss, Palisades had high hopes for 1998. Then they played their first game.
   “We lost our opener last year, possibly to a team we should have beaten,” Coach Price recalled. “You’re opener is always one of your biggest games.”
   That first game set the tone for a season of ups and downs and ultimately a loss in the first round of the playoffs to Manual Arts, a conference-rival they had beaten during the season. 
   Manual Arts is no longer a member of the newly-formed Western League, which is comprised of Fairfax, Los Angeles, Hamilton, Palisades, Venice, University and Westchester.
   This year Palisades begins its season at home against Santa Monica High on September 17. Again, there are high hopes.
   “I like our chances this year a lot,” Coach Price said. “This is probably as good as any team we’ve had in the previous three years.” 
   As good as the ‘97 team? “This team, skill-wise, comes close. In some areas they’re better, they’re certainly bigger and more physical up front,” Coach Price said.
   The offensive line is anchored by Elroy Vojdani, a 6-foot, 220 pound center, who is also a leading candidate for valedictorian, with his 4.0 GPA. “He’ll go to college wherever he wants,” Coach Price says proudly.
   The fortunes of the football team, however, rest primarily on the broad shoulders of wide receiver-defensive back Geoff McArthur. “He’s our best athlete,” Coach Price said. “He’s been a three-year starter for us and he’s a true Division I prospect. He can do it all.”
   McArthur will have a new quarterback throwing to him this year, junior David Koral, a transfer student from Malibu. In a unique coincidence, another Malibu transfer student, junior Jacques Lazarus, is projected to start at tailback and be an impact-player.
   Along with senior linebacker and defensive captain Andy Hawkes, who Coach Price calls, “the glue of the defense,” these are the key players who will make or break the coming season for Palisades.
   Coach Price has circled three big games on this year’s schedule. The first is the opener against non-conference rival Santa Monica. The other two are Venice and Westchester.
   Come November, Palisades likely will find itself in a dogfight with these two rivals for the Western League title.
(to be continued)