QB a strength for rebuilding Gaels

Bob Cloud

Friday, Aug. 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

* One in a series previewing the area's prep football teams. Monday: Bonanza.

Mike Brascia may not be convinced his Bishop Gorman football team has turned the corner, but at least now the corner is in sight.

After going 3-6 -- 2-5 in Sunset Division play -- during Brascia's first season at his alma mater, the Gaels have given their coach reasons to look forward to the 1996 campaign.

"I'm very optimistic, not necessarily because of the talent we have, but because the kids have worked so hard over the off-season," Brascia said. "Everybody got bigger and stronger, and we may even be a little faster."

Brascia said he is comfortable with the status of his rebuilding program at Gorman, and praised last season's seniors for instilling a work ethic which should pay off in victories in the near future.

"I attribute that to the integrity of last year's seniors," he said. "Even though we didn't have a good season, they bought into the program and that worked its way down through the grades. That gives us a good foundation for this year."

The '96 Gaels will be marshalled offensively by one of two contenders for the starting quarterback spot. Seniors Steve Paravia (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and Joe O'Connell (6-4, 180) will battle for the position, a competition Brascia hopes is decided quickly.

"Our quarterback position should be a strength for us," he said. "I played for coaches who solidified the quarterback situation and then handed over the reins of the team. As well as you can with high school players, I'd like to find a starter and let the team get used to his leadership. We're looking for one of these guys to step up."

Regardless of who calls signals, Brascia said for Gorman to improve offensively, the line must jell into a solid unit.

"I think our offensive line really has to be improved," he said. "Our game won't go if our offensive line doesn't go out and prove itself. It should -- everybody who will play has varsity experience. It's a comfortable situation, but right now we're still not where we want to be."

On the defensive side, Gorman will feature a linebacking trio in junior Matt Rice (6-1, 200) and seniors John Juadines (6-1, 210) and Steve Burford (6-1, 190), which Brascia believes can be a real force. The backfield, however, is untested, leaving the coach in a wait-and-see posture.

"They all started last year and have a great deal of experience," Brascia said. "They're just good, solid athletes with good size and the ability to make plays. Our defensive backfield will really have to come along. They really could turn out to be a strength for us, but that will be something we'll see over time."

Gorman, picked seventh in the Sunset Division in the SUN coaches poll, opens the '96 season at Valley on Aug. 30.

"We've started from the ground up, and have developed a program the athletes can hang their hats on," Brascia said. "We're still miles behind the Cheyennes, Cimarron-Memorials and the like, but we're heading in the right direction.

"Our players have come to understand the importance of hard work, and it should carry over to the football field for us."