GOOD WITH THE BAD : SUTTON HOPES PAST WON'T CLOUD FUTURE.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Ferocious. Aggressive. Angry. Hard to control.

Good qualities for a football linebacker but not so tolerable in the classroom.

This is the issue for Sylmar High's Mark Sutton. He was plagued by off-the-field problems at Antelope Valley High but is making a new start this season with the Spartans.

Sutton, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior who many agree has as much natural talent as any linebacker in the City Section, impressed in Friday's season-opening 28-0 loss to Notre Dame. He had seven tackles, two for losses, and was a big reason why Notre Dame totaled just 213 yards.

Also a second-string running back, Sutton's 14-yard run late in the game was Sylmar's largest gain of the night.

If Sutton can prosper academically and stay out of trouble, a probable Division I college scholarship awaits, according to Sylmar coach Jeff Engilman.

``Mark Sutton is really good,'' Engilman said. ``He's come along 100 percent since he got here and he still needs to come another 100 percent. But Sylmar has always had types like him. Either they change or they get out of here.''

Sutton made the varsity at Antelope Valley as a freshman and by his sophomore season was primed to be the best player on the team. However, he was prone to tantrums, benched by coach Brent Newcomb, suspended for one game early in the season, then dismissed with three games remaining.

Antelope Valley was 0-4 in the games it played without Sutton.

``I did have an attitude problem at A.V.,'' said Sutton, who as a conversationalist is patient, poised and articulate. ``But coach Newcomb just didn't see things my way. By my sophomore year, it was pretty clear that I was no average player and I thought it was going to be my year to dominate. I saw myself as an athlete, not a benchwarmer. My job as a middle linebacker is to be the leader of the team.

``But all my problems are behind me now. It's all positive now. I'm out to win football games. I want to help Sylmar win a championship.''

Sutton, who moved in with his father in Sylmar, said he considered transferring to Alemany. However, he admitted he wasn't sure he could cope with the stricter rules of a private school. Plus, a longtime family friend, assistant basketball coach Charles White, was at Sylmar.

``Mark Sutton is definitely a Division I prospect,'' said Sylmar assistant coach London Woodfin, a former UCLA lineman. ``Yes, we've seen some signs that he has a temper, but if he sticks with it, he's worth $1 million. He's got that kind of potential.''

Brandon Newcomb, an assistant coach at Antelope Valley, said he wishes Sutton the best, but he's wary.

``Mark's got all the talent in the world,'' Newcomb said. ``We bent over backward for him. . . . He's got a whole lot of potential, but otherwise it's just really hard for me to say anything positive about him. We got burned several times by him.''

They might again. Sylmar plays at Antelope Valley on Friday.

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PHOTO Sylmar's Mark Sutton ran into trouble at Antelope Valley High, but he's looking forward to a bright future as a Spartan.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer