AGAIN, A `CLASS' ACT.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

It's business as usual for the Notre Dame High football team this year, and that's about as big a surprise as the sun setting in the West every day.

Kevin Rooney again has his Knights of Sherman Oaks atop the Mission League standings with a 7-0 record heading into Friday's showdown with St. Francis of La Canada, and again the Knights are a band of no-name players whose whole is greater than its sum.

This isn't exactly earth-shattering news. Annually, Notre Dame is one of the region's top programs and one of the most respected.

It might not be newsworthy, but in an era when accusations of rule-breaking are common, the fact Notre Dame keeps winning and earning the admiration of its opponents, is worth noting.

``They do things the right way,'' Birmingham coach Ed Croson said. ``It's a class program.''

Coming into the year, Rooney wasn't sure what was in store for the Knights. There were questions at quarterback and on defense, where a handful of newcomers were replacing departed veterans, and a difficult schedule wasn't going to do Notre Dame any favors.

But here they are, undefeated. Again, this isn't a big surprise. Over the past four years the Knights have lost just two games in the regular season.

Still, Rooney had some concerns.

``We knew we were playing a tough schedule, and we had a number of new guys we were counting on but not too sure of,'' Rooney said. ``You go into every year hopeful of things, but we certainly weren't expecting to be undefeated.''

The key is the way Marcel Marquez took control at quarterback, a position Rooney worried about coming into the year.

Marquez isn't going to wow anyone with his passing, but that's fine because the Knights use the pass only to keep opposing defenses from focusing on the run. When he does put it in the air, Marquez has been adequate, completing 29 of 63 passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns.

``He makes really good decisions in the passing game, and even though we haven't thrown for a lot of yards, he's been effective for us, especially over the last three games.'' Rooney said. ``He's been more accurate in his throws.''

Marquez's real strength is piloting the Knights' option offense and using his running skills to get out of trouble when he has to scramble.

``He's a playmaker,'' Rooney said. ``When something isn't working he has the ability to make something happen and turn it into a positive.''

Unlike past years when Rooney has had a star player to lean on - USC running back Justin Fargas was one of the region's most highly recruited players - this year's Knights don't feature one key player.

Instead, they get it done by committee, especially on offense, where 10 players have carried the ball and seven have receptions.

Of the players who run the ball most, four have rushed for at least 200 yards. Brandon Clayton (542), Marquez (431), Collin Morgan (312) and Ian McMahon (281) each have had turns as the main rusher. The result is a rushing attack that has pounded opponents for 1,671 yards.

On some teams, spreading the ball around to that extent might come at the expense of some bruised egos. But the Knights showed Rooney during the offseason they were more concerned with winning than individual statistics.

``That comes from our seniors, and that was evident by the work ethic they showed during the offseason.'' Rooney said. ``They did an excellent job selling the younger guys on their dreams and goals.''

The trick now is turning the regular-season success into a deep run in the postseason. Despite Notre Dame's dominance during the regular season, it hasn't been able to cash in recently during the playoffs.

They haven't reached a Southern Section final since Fargas' senior year in 1997.

It won't be easy to get there this year, either. Mira Costa, the top-ranked team in Division IV, has been rolling over opponents this year and Golden League-power Antelope Valley has its best team in years.

``You definitely think ahead to the playoffs and think about where you fit in, although we don't want our players thinking that far ahead,'' Rooney said. ``The important thing for us is to keep getting better every week and learn from the things we do wrong and try to remember what's been successful for us and keep playing smart.''

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Quarterback Marcel Marquez's steady leadership has helped propel perennial power Notre Dame High to a 7-0 record.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer