Esperanza-Jordan Game Is a Refreshing Change

By Eric Sondheimer

Sept. 22, 2006 12 AM PT

It’s a high school football game with profound implications.

No, I’m not talking about tonight’s game of the year between Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Ventura St. Bonaventure at Ventura High.

Seventy-five miles away, at 3 p.m. in Watts, in a game that probably will be a mismatch, Los Angeles Jordan (0-3) will play host to Anaheim Esperanza (3-0).

Does anyone know the last time a team from North Orange County went to Watts for an afternoon football game?

“It’s definitely the first time,” Jordan Coach Elijah Asante said. “It’s a big thing for a team of Esperanza’s caliber to come to Watts.”

Esperanza made it to the Southern Section Division I championship game last season. Many of its players live in the affluent neighborhood of Yorba Linda and have never set foot in an area of Los Angeles where teenagers must deal with security concerns every day.

“It will be good for them to play against inner-city kids that don’t have the same support system,” Asante said. “We have kids using football to escape things.”

Esperanza Coach Bill Pendleton acknowledges that his players live “a sheltered life,” and going to Watts may open their eyes.

“Those kids have a lot to deal with,” Pendleton said of the Bulldogs players.

Esperanza’s rise to prominence has made it difficult to attract opponents, so Pendleton immediately accepted Asante’s request to play. Asante sought a game with the Aztecs in the hope of exposing his team to a top program.

He got to see Esperanza last fall in the Division I final at the Home Depot Center.

“It was absolutely incredible, watching that team come out 90 people deep,” he said. “I was saying, ‘I wish I could get my program on their level.’ ”

After finishing 8-3 a year ago, Jordan has struggled in the early season, starting five sophomores, plus a freshman at quarterback. The Bulldogs have lost to three top teams -- Los Angeles Locke, Los Angeles Dorsey and Huntington Beach Edison.

But Asante is a coach with big dreams, and he deserves praise for doing everything he can to give his players the chance to compete against strong competition.

And Pendleton should be commended for having the confidence to accept a road game in Watts.

Nothing will happen other than his players being exposed to a different slice of life in an urban environment.

Esperanza free safety Aaron Martinez said, “For a lot of people, it will be a whole new experience.”

When football helps bring together new friends and creates new allegiances, it makes for a great day in the City of the Angels.

For whatever reason, option quarterbacks are rarely given the respect shown quarterbacks known for their passing skills.

It’s time to start appreciating the talent of Esperanza senior Kevin Jablonsky, perhaps the best option quarterback in the Southland.

The super-quick Jablonsky averaged more than eight yards a carry last season. He rarely got the chance to pass, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. Esperanza simply needed him more for his running and ball-handling skills, and he didn’t complain. “I like passing,” he said. “I just like having the ball.”

This season, with a new offensive line, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Jablonsky is getting a few more opportunities. He has completed 15 of 19 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns.

But he’s still considered a runner first, as demonstrated by his five touchdowns last week against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa on runs of five, 10, two, five and 16 yards.

The Air Force Academy wants him next fall.

Air Force could be a good fit for Jablonsky because the Falcons run an option attack and he’s used to discipline.

His mother, Joyce, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, has raised him as a single parent for the last eight years. “She’s strict but loves football,” he said. “She’s my No. 1 fan.”

And Jablonsky doesn’t care if he’s running or passing.

“Whatever it takes to win,” he said.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected]