COACH WILL EXCEED GOAL IF DESERT FOOTBALL GOES .500.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

After the last couple of seasons, Desert High School football coach Dana Coleman has little reason for optimism. But he still manages a cheery outlook, no matter how meager.

``I think we will win some games this season,'' he predicted. ``We may even go about .500.''

That's a bold statement considering the Scorpions from Edwards Air Force Base have lost 25 straight - including an 0-10 mark last year.

Coleman is confident because the Scorpions return 25 players, and the junior varsity won four games in 1996. Plus, Coleman said players at the 290-student campus have responded well to a new weight-lifting program.

``Most of the fathers are test pilots and mechanics, so we don't get a lot big kids,'' Coleman said, pointing out that his best lineman, sophomore Randy Bennett, is only 5-foot-8, 170 pounds.

But Coleman insists he does have some good skill-position players for his wing-T offense, specifically senior running back Leon Napoleon, Desert's lone All-High Desert Leaguer last season. Napoleon totaled 600 all-purpose yards and is a capable kick returner who also plays safety.

Senior Derrick McGill (5-9, 170) will be the quarterback. McGill, who played wingback and safety last season, is a talented wrestler who finished second in the High Desert League in 1996.

Junior fullback Justin Arola is a promising newcomer who played on the JV last year. In track, he won the High Desert frosh/sophomore 100- and 200-meter dash.

Even though there are reasons to hope, Coleman knows that a losing streak can carry an extra burden.

``It's just a matter of realizing football is a sport, and we're out to have fun,'' he said. ``We did some good things, and we do the best we can. These kids may not be winning on the scoreboard, but they're winning in life.''

Coleman pointed to the season opener at Bakersfield Dynasty Christian as a winnable game (Desert lost 12-0 last year), along with a rematch at Frazier Mountain, which edged the Scorps 13-7 last fall.

A win early in the season would definitely be a boost to the Scorpions, who had trouble keeping players on the roster last year.

``It's been tough,'' said Coleman, who has head-coach experience at several large schools, most recently Anaheim Savanna High. ``Last year we started with 31 players and finished with 18.''