ADJUSTING THE ATTITUDES; BIG-TIME COACH PUT SOME BITE INTO PARACLETE.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

Paraclete High School football coach Steve Hagerty wants more than wins in games. He wants his players to be winners in life.

``I think that you get what you demand,'' Hagerty said, ``both on the football field and in life. I'm not a big screamer and yeller, that's not my style. But I am demanding - and fair. So far, the results haven't been so bad.''

Before Hagerty's emergence, Paraclete was accustomed to one thing: losing. The Spirits were consistent bottom-dwellers in the High Desert League, and during one forgettable stretch, the team went through five head coaches in five years.

Not the kind of program that would attract someone such as Hagerty, a six-year assistant at Bishop Amat High, arguably one of the top big-school football programs in Southern California.

But five years ago Hagerty, then a 30-year-old father of four (with one on the way), moved to Lancaster and applied at Paraclete. Principal William Caffrey, enthusiastic about Hagerty's resume, said his new coach would give the Spirits stability.

Paraclete hasn't had a losing season since.

``We certainly got lucky,'' Caffrey said. ``When Steve first got here, our kids simply didn't know how to win; they didn't have that winning desire. But Steve Hagerty brought a whole new mentality. He's certainly been a great plus for us.''

Paraclete has won 16 games over the past two seasons - advancing to the third round of the playoffs each year. The Spirits are 5-1 and ranked No. 2 in Division XI after routing Desert 48-7 last week.

UCLA lineman Matt Phelan, a raw, 15-year-old hopeful when Hagerty arrived, credits Hagerty for molding him into a scholarship player.

``Oh, what a difference we saw,'' Phelan said. ``I'm still really proud to be part of what Steve Hagerty did for us. He injected a whole new attitude when he got to Paraclete - that was his biggest attribute. He believed in what he was doing, and he made believers out of all of us, too.''

Hagerty's new players haven't lost perspective.

``Coach Hagerty has definitely turned the program around,'' said tight end Josh Foster, a college prospect. ``He's just a great coach, and he's made us into pretty good contenders.''

The Spirits' other key player, running back Dominic Washington, agrees: ``I think he's taken us to another level, he really has. A lot of times, I don't think small schools get very good coaches, but we're real fortunate.''

For all his success, Hagerty's strategy is really quite simple. He likes to keep the ball on the ground, between the hash marks, full speed ahead. Frills? Not at Paraclete.

``We run the ball,'' Hagerty said. The inflection in his voice suggests ``and that's all we do.''

That's the way Hagerty, who started at quarterback for Bishop Amat before working as an assistant, learned football, and that's the way he teaches it.

``I'm a product of my own experience,'' he said. ``At Bishop Amat, we took pride in our offensive line; the crunch was the key. If you couldn't defend our run, you couldn't beat us. We've got the same thing going here at Paraclete. It's an aggressive style, and at this level, it works. Maybe if I'd have grown up at Hart High (a passing school), things would be different. . . .''

Washington, who ran for 1,880 yards last year, has 691 yards and eight touchdowns this season. The team rushing average is 6.7 yards.

Tom Salter, head coach at Bishop Amat, was a co-assistant with Hagerty for six years. The two have remained close.

``Steve's just great,'' Salter said. ``He's worked hard to turn Paraclete around, and I still bounce ideas off him all the time. He's so innovative as far as new ways to do drills and new practice techniques, and he's got so much enthusiasm. I really think he could be head coach here at Bishop Amat right now.''

Coach Skip Albano, an 18-year veteran at High Desert League rival Bishop Union High, has been on the sidelines for 18 years and said Hagerty can outcoach just about anyone.

``He knocked us out of the league championship last year because he had such a sound game plan,'' Albano said. ``I think he could have coached for just about any school, so it's definitely a good match for Paraclete to have him. The way he works with kids, he's just a wonderful man, and I have a lot of respect for him.''

Kern Valley High coach Jimmy Thompson also looks up to Hagerty: ``I think Paraclete is really the elite school in our league. Hagerty has done a good job. He's usually prepared very well, and they're always one of the better teams now.''

What sets Hagerty apart from his contemporaries is his steadfast preparation, poring over game film and outlining strategies. When Friday night rolls around, he knows his opponent cold, having meticulously gone over the tendencies of everyone from the head coach to the head cheerleader.

``I think preparation is my basic philosophy,'' he said. ``We really haven't had many great players, just players who play great. There are exceptions, like Josh Foster. He's 6-foot-7, 240 - that has nothing to do with me, it's pure DNA. But otherwise, most of these kids are overachievers.''

Is Hagerty overqualified, coaching a school with just 700 students? To Hagerty, it's not an issue.

``If I was coaching Bishop Amat, what would be the difference?'' he said. ``Sure, I'd have better athletes, but we'd be playing better teams. The funnest thing for me is just being around my football players, and the chess game of playing every week - planning what to do, then seeing it all come together. I love it.''

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Photo: By all accounts, Steve Hagerty has developed a special relationship with the football players he coaches at Paraclete High.

Jeff Goldwater / Daily News