Juliano Is the Key to Lancers’ Success : High schools: Quarterback has led Orange Lutheran to 6-1 record and No. 2 ranking in Division X.

ORANGE —  In 22 years in operation, Orange Lutheran High has yet to create the football mystique of, say, Mater Dei, Servite or Esperanza. Even among other small schools--the 603-member student body qualifies--the Lancers have rarely caused a ripple of excitement.

But the 1994 season has shaped up as a keeper for Orange Lutheran. At 6-1, 2-0 in the Olympic League (including last week’s 21-17 victory over previously undefeated Ontario Christian), the Lancers are ranked second in the Southern Section Division X.

With a victory over Calvary Chapel Saturday, Orange Lutheran should be confident about winning the league championship.

There are several reasons for the surge.

Coach Jim Kunau, in his second season as the Lancers’ head coach (and third as a coach anywhere), brought with him an any-play-that-works philosophy that has his team averaging 35.3 points. Also handy is running back Che Holloway, a transfer from Tustin High who averages nine yards a carry and has scored 12 touchdowns.

But just as important has been quarterback Joe Juliano, whose combination of smarts and skills has made the Lancers’ offense as exemplary as it is explosive.

Juliano, a senior, is a double-edged sword. He has rushed for 493 yards and six touchdowns; he has passed for 855 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions. And he has done that despite being pulled in the third and fourth quarters of games in which the Lancers were far ahead. The statistics are more impressive when you consider that Juliano, at 6 feet 3, 190 pounds, is one of the bigger players on a team that lists only one at more than 200 pounds.

Juliano doesn’t get sacked in the classroom either. According to Kunau, Juliano’s 3.7 grade-point average has made him attractive to almost 40 schools, among them UCLA and Arizona. But Juliano said his interest has narrowed to five: Penn State, Dartmouth, Princeton, Penn and Army.

In August, Juliano visited Penn State and watched the incoming freshmen practice. He also met Coach Joe Paterno, who spoke to Juliano’s group for nearly 45 minutes.

“I just like the program,” Juliano said. “Paterno’s a good coach. I know his coaches are good. It’s not like other teams I see, fighting and running their mouths. They’re just sound, they go in and they beat teams. That’s what our program is like. We don’t do a lot of talking; we just show what we can do on the field. That’s the way I’ve always played.”

At least he has during his four years at Orange Lutheran, the extent of his tackle football experience. Growing up in Anaheim Hills, father Al and stepmother Rae did not push Juliano into Pop Warner programs because, Juliano said, they disagreed with the way kids were being taught to play.

But Juliano admits the fear of failure “that I even had as a younger kid” also was a barrier.

“I’m a perfectionist; I don’t like to fail so sometimes my parents have to jump on me,” Juliano said. “But it drives me crazy when I fail. When I was younger, my step mom made me try things, and I learned to deal with it. But I still have that perfectionist mentality.”

That’s the closest thing to a character flaw Kunau can find.

“It’s not just that he’s an outstanding quarterback,” said Kunau. “He’s an outstanding kid--a gentleman, a scholar, an athlete. He’s not perfect, but a great kid. He is a coach on the field. He makes outstanding decisions. And he has to be a running quarterback as well as a throwing quarterback. We ask him to run a variety of option plays, and we ask him to make a lot of reads in the passing game. He’s the triggerman.

“I played at Bakersfield High, which is a pretty good (football program), usually in the top 10 in the state. Joe is better than any quarterback I saw around there. There are only a handful of teams in Orange County he wouldn’t start for.”

Juliano knows he’ll have to be good Saturday. Calvary Chapel--a preseason favorite to win the league--is in the midst of a 3-4 season trampled by injuries. Quarterback Waylan Kruse’s sprained left ankle slowed him the last two weeks and his brother, Dallas, is expected to start although Waylan will play.

The Eagles would love nothing better than to get their first league victory against the Lancers.

“Calvary has great athletes,” Juliano said. “Their skill players are very experienced. And they have some big guys, too. They’re bigger than us.”

But Juliano plans to figure out a way to win. Thinking is just one of his talents.