DEFLATING THE BALL PREP FOOTBALL COACHES HAVING A COW OVER PIGSKINS.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Making the playoffs isn't the ball Southern Section coaches want it to be.

The Southern Section is requiring its teams to use Spalding footballs for every snap when the playoffs begin next week, and coaches aren't happy about it.

Twenty-two of 24 potential playoff coaches from the area surveyed by the Daily News said they find the Spalding balls more difficult to handle than the ones normally used.

``Basically, the (Southern Section) has put a requirement on us to use a substandard piece of equipment for our kids,'' Thousand Oaks coach Mike Sanders said. ``If they did that with helmets, we'd all be getting sued.''

The mandate is part of a $75,000 sponsorship deal the Southern Section signed with Spalding. None of the prospective playoff teams used Spalding balls before the agreement, and only four switched full time this season.

During the regular season, high school football teams can use any kind of ball they like as long as they meet rules specifications. NFL uses Wilson exclusively, as do a majority of colleges.

All the coaches said they would comply with the rule because they don't want to face sanctions, which the Southern Section indicated in a letter to coaches could include loss of future postseason home games and financial penalty. Game officials will be required to submit a form indicating whether or not the balls were used.

``I don't want to cost our kids any chance for home games or anything like that,'' Hart of Newhall coach Mike Herrington said. ``But I'm doing it under protest. The thing that's irritating is that the (Southern Section) didn't talk to us about this. They just went out and got that sponsorship. There was no input from coaches, administrators or league representatives.''

Teams are allowed to use one of two Spalding models, the TF-100 or J5V. The balls are advertised as the only all-weather leather footballs. However, coaches complain the waterproofing makes the balls slippery and that there is a nontextured surface without prominent laces, making the ball difficult to grip. Also, they say the ball wears quickly.

``They are like plastic footballs that you would buy for a little kid at Christmas, realizing that they would fall apart before New Year's,'' Canyon coach Harry Welch said.

Southern Section commissioner James Staunton defends the Spalding balls, pointing out they are the official football of the biggest section in Texas. Texas' University Scholastic League also requires Spalding to be used in the postseason.

``Change is difficult,'' Staunton said. ``My wife will not buy a certain soft drink and I can't tell for the life of me why. There's brand loyalty, I guess. When all is said and done, you're not going to see any diminished performance from kids in our games, and I think we have last year's Division I final to show it.''

In last year's Division I final between Long Beach Poly and Edison of Huntington Beach, Edison quarterback Tommy Grady passed for four touchdowns using a Spalding ball.

``I thought they were pretty good,'' said Grady, who went back to his normal Wilson ball after the game. ``They were not quite as big, a little narrower. But that can make it easier to throw. I would feel comfortable using them again.''

Wilson, the Southern Section sponsor up until two years ago when the contract ran out and was opened to bidding, is the brand used by most teams. Wilson was given the first right of refusal, but Staunton said its bid wasn't in the ballpark of Spalding's.

Wilson's contract also required its balls to be used during the playoffs. However, the Southern Section didn't enforce the rule.

``I wasn't here to enforce it,'' Staunton said. ``I was only here for one football season before the new contract. I believe if you sign a contract, you honor it.''

One particular memo has rubbed coaches the wrong way. It states: ``Schools are expected to display to their student-athletes a `positive ethical message' and compete with the official ball per sport. To not do so would be a terrible message to our students and our business partners.''

``You are acting immorally and are a poor role model if you let your kids use a better football?'' Welch said. ``Oh my gosh.''

Staunton believes teams will become accustomed to the balls over time. The Southern Section gave schools a one-year warning of the impending requirement, making the Spalding balls optional during the playoffs in the first year of the contract.

``The ball has two main benefits,'' said Dan Touhey, marketing director for sporting goods at Spalding. ``When it rains, it doesn't have the uptake of water that other balls do. If you talk to a quarterback who plays in the rain, the ball becomes heavy. The Spalding all-weather football takes in 20 percent less than the Wilson 1005. Secondly, when the ball dries, it maintains the original weight. High schools that don't have a big budget can use the ball again and again even after weather.''

Multiple coaches who used the ball during the rain Friday did report the balls performed better than Wilsons.

``I've had coaches at marketing shows tell me the balls felt slick,'' Touhey said. ``When new and not broken in, a high-end leather football is a little slick.''

Only Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Montclair Prep of Van Nuys and Mojave have used the balls all season. Out of those four, coaches from Mojave and Oaks Christian contend the Spalding ball is as good as any other.

``There's nothing wrong with the Spalding ball,'' Mojave coach Larry Satterfield said. ``Traditionally, we've used Wilson. It really just comes down to a personal preference. You just have to get the kids used to whatever they are going to use. We've used the same nine balls for the last 12 weeks, and they haven't worn out. They are just as good as Wilsons.''

Other coaches have tried out the balls and decided to avoid playing with them as long as possible. Thousand Oaks used the ball for the first three weeks of the season, then switched back to Wilson. Paraclete of Lancaster tried the balls for the first time in practice last week and had 10 fumbled exchanges from center to quarterback in three days. Canyon bought two dozen Spalding balls at the beginning of the season and returned all but a couple.

``Everyone has one or two,'' St. Francis of La Canada coach Jim Bonds said. ``We buy 36 balls to get through the year, but I didn't feel right buying a ball that I wouldn't let my son go play in the park with.''

The area player who has the most experience with Spalding footballs probably is Hart quarterback Sean Norton, who used them on junior varsity. In preparation for this season, all of Hart's lower levels used Spalding last year.

``I'm not really too fond of them,'' Norton said. ``Those Spalding balls come out slick. It's hard to get a good feel for them. I don't like the way they come off my fingers. I'd definitely rather stick with Wilson balls if possible.''

The Southern Section has contracts with ball manufacturers in every sport. Spalding is used for football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. Baseball also was originally included in the deal, but Spalding agreed to leave it out when the Southern Section had quality concerns.

The income from ball sponsorships goes into the general fund and allows the Southern Section to keep school fees to a minimum, according to Staunton. He said 11 to 14 percent of the organization's revenue comes from dues.

``The burden of $100,000 a year would fall on the schools if not for these sponsorships,'' Staunton said. ``We're doing this in order to maintain our dues structure without passing along costs to the schools. We think that's a fair trade-off.''

Coaches said they just want what the Southern Section assured them in the letter announcing the sponsorship: a quality product.

``The (Southern Section) put out a bulletin earlier in the year saying Spalding would provide a top quality football comparable to Wilson and Rawlings,'' Paraclete coach Jeff Cortez said. ``They're not even close. I don't have any specific loyalties. We just want a good ball.''

Staunton urged the coaches to use the balls and give it time.

``If people are concerned about it, I say let's take a look in a couple years,'' Staunton said. ``It's up to Spalding to come up to the plate with a good product. If coaches are still unhappy in a couple years, we'll revisit it.''

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(color) ``They are like plastic footballs that you would buy for a little kid at Christmas, realizing that they would fall apart before New Year's.'' - Canyon High football coach Harry Welch, on controversial Spalding footballs Southern Section playoff teams must use

Photo by Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer