Avocado League : New Ramona Coach Hopes for New Tradition

RAMONA — Two years ago in its season opener, Ramona High School beat Marian, 7-0, to snap an 18-game losing streak that spanned two years.

Afterward, Bulldog players and fans celebrated the end of the streak and what they hoped was the start of a winning era.

But it never came.

The North County school finished last in the Avocado League in 1984. Last season, they were 1-9 and finished last again.

However, there is hope that Ramona will finally turn things around this year. Baseball Coach Bill Tamburrino has taken over as the football coach. He brings a winning attitude with him.

“You know, so many people just expect Ramona to lose,” Tamburrino said. “But not me. We had a 15-8 baseball team, a 15-8 basketball team and a section runner-up soccer team here last season. It’s not like Ramona High doesn’t have any athletes.

“The way I look at it is, if we don’t win this year, it’s because the coaches have done a poor job getting the team ready to play.”

What makes things tougher for Ramona is that the Avocado League should be tougher this year. El Camino, four-time defending champion, and San Marcos, which finished second last season, are the favorites.

But coaches at San Pasqual, Oceanside, Escondido and Carlsbad all say their teams will be improved.

“That’s the way it always is, of course,” Tamburrino said. “I keep hearing that every team in our league is going to have its best team ever. My response to that is, ‘Again?’ ”

Another plus for Ramona is that the Bulldogs will have a bigger roster this year. In 1985, Ramona had only 26 varsity players. This year, it will have 40, including 24 seniors.

“We really will have no excuses,” Tamburrino said. “I think we have the ability to win a lot of games. We came awfully close a lot last year, but I think we all expected to lose. This year, we won’t.”

At Oceanside, another new coach, Roy Scaffidi, is trying to rebuild a winner. Most coaches in the league agree that Oceanside, which was 3-7 last season, had tremendous talent the last few seasons. Here’s a look at the teams in the Avocado League:

CARLSBAD

Last season’s record: 1-5, 4-6.

Finish: Sixth.

Coach: Mel Galli, eighth season.

Top returners: Shaun Stoll (6-3, 215) LB; Karl Molinar (6-2, 175) QB; Brian Schafer (6-4, 215) OT; Greg Beach (5-11, 160) WR.

Top newcomer: Todd Beck (6-0, 185) FB.

Outlook: The Lancers opened last season with three victories before injuries hit. Carlsbad has 17 returning lettermen, but several were injured much of last season. Last season was unusual in that Carlsbad was tough on defense and poor on offense. In past years, it has been the other way around. “We feel comfortable playing in 28-21 games,” Galli said. With the return of Beach, who had 33 receptions last season, and Molinar, who missed seven games with an injury, Galli is confident that the offense will be potent. And, if the defense is as good as last year’s, Carlsbad could surprise.

EL CAMINO

Last season’s record: 5-0-1, 6-3-1.

Finish: First.

Coach: Herb Meyer, 28th season.

Top returners: Mark Esposito (6-1 1/2, 235) OL-DL; Joe Emerick (6-0, 175) RB.

Top newcomers: None

Outlook: After going undefeated and winning the 2-A championship in 1984, El Camino was picked to finish as low as fourth in the Avocado League last season. But, after a 1-3 start, the Wildcats rallied and went on to win another league championship. Gone are Jack Taele, the league’s defensive player of the year, and Shane Hawkins, the league’s offensive player of the year. However, five starters return on both offense and defense.

ESCONDIDO

Last season’s record: 3-3, 4-5-1.

Finish: Fourth, tied.

Coach: Dennis Snyder, ninth season.

Top returners: Jumbo Malsack (6-4, 230) LB; Lee Pearson (6-0, 170) OLB; Armondo Chacon (5-4, 155) DT; Scott Weedman (6-1, 155) WR

Top newcomers: None

Outlook: The Cougars return nine of their 11 starters on defense so Snyder is hoping that this will be the year Escondido returns to contention. After making the playoffs in 15 out of 16 seasons, Escondido has missed the playoffs the last three seasons. All-league wide receiver Scott Weedman is back, but Snyder is still searching for a starting quarterback to throw to him. Jay Kent, a returner, and Tim Bone, up from the JV, are competing for the job.

OCEANSIDE

Last season’s record: 3-3, 3-7.

Finish: Fourth, tied.

Coach: Roy Scaffidi, first season.

Top returners: Junior Seau (6-5, 215) LB-WR; Morey Paul (6-2, 195) LB-WR; Sai Nu (6-0, 180) LB-RB; Rocky Aukuso (6-0, 190) QB.

Top newcomers: None

Outlook: Scaffidi wants to bring a winning tradition back to Oceanside. The Pirates had a strong defense last year, holding five opponents under 10 points. The defense should be strong again this year as the linebacking trio of Seau, Nu and Paul return. On offense, the same players will be in the spotlight. A problem for Oceanside could be its small roster. “We have only 24 players on the varsity so it might be tough,” Scaffidi said. Oceanside opens the season against defending San Diego Section 3-A champion Vista.

RAMONA

Last season’s record: 0-6, 1-9.

Finish: Seventh.

Coach: Bill Tamburrino, 1st season.

Top returners: Mancil Smith (5-6, 170) DT; Mark Rabehl (6-0, 195) DE; Raab Rydeen (6-0, 195) OG.

Top newcomers: None

Outlook: Tamburrino is worried about his players at the skill positions. “Let’s go back to talking about our linemen,” he said. Ramona should match up well on the lines with most teams with Smith, Rabehl and Rydeen returning. Who will play quarterback hasn’t been determined. “We have one kid (Scott Mills) who was a 106-pound wrestler last year and another kid (John Creshci) who played third-string guard for a 1-20 JV basketball team,” Tamburrino said. SAN MARCOS

Last season’s record: 4-1-1, 5-4-1.

Finish: Second.

Coach: Ken Broach, 9th year.

Top returners: Jim Jennings (6-4, 240) FB; Mark Villalobos (5-11, 180) LB; Mark Nichols (6-0, 185) LB; Rick Evert (6-1, 180) QB.

Top newcomers: None

Outlook: The Knights lost their first four games last season but went 5-0-1 in their next six games to qualify for the playoffs. San Marcos beat El Capitan before losing to Crawford, 7-6, in the 2-A semifinals. San Marcos held a 6-0 lead with three minutes remaining. This year, San Marcos has a young team that started four sophomores a year ago. As usual, San Marcos’ defense, led by Villalobos and Nichols, figures to be strong. With a little more scoring punch, the Knights might challenge El Camino for the league title.

SAN PASQUAL

Last season’s record: 4-2, 7-3.

Finish: Third.

Coach: Mike Dolan, first year.

Top returners: Todd Brose (6-0, 175) QB; David Emerson (5-11, 185) RB; Matt Starkel (6-0, 170) DB.

Top newcomers: None.

Outlook: Dolan may be a new coach, but he is familiar with the league. He and Tamburrino were assistants together at Ramona before both took over head coaching jobs. Last year, San Pasqual had the best overall record in the Avocado League (7-3), but losses to San Marcos, 10-8, and El Camino, 38-6, were enough to keep them out of the playoffs. The Eagles’ other loss was to highly regarded Orange Glen, 30-29. This year, returning starters Brose and Emerson are back, but Dolan must find a replacement for The Times’ Lineman of the Year, Tom Dabasinskas, a 6-foot 4-inch, 245-pound center who graduated and now plays at USC. Defensively, the Eagles will be young as seven juniors are expected to start.

Saturday: Palomar League.