GOSSARD MEASURES UP CRESCENTA VALLEY QB STARS IN SEASON OPENER.

Hudson Gossard wants everyone to know he's OK with the fact he won't play major-college football.

No matter how many yards for which the Crescenta Valley quarterback throws or how many stirring victories to which he leads the Falcons or the number of times he outplays a more highly regarded quarterback, Gossard will not likely be offered a Division I scholarship.

And it has nothing to do with Gossard's ability or leadership strengths. It's the fact he just isn't big enough to play big-time college football.

At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Gossard does not fit the profile college scouts look for in a quarterback. If he was 6-3, Gossard would be inundated with scholarship offers.

But he isn't.

The great thing is, he's just fine with that.

``To be honest, it's really not something I think about,'' Gossard said. ``So it's nothing that frustrates me and I don't feel sorry for myself. College coaches are looking for something specific and I don't fit what they're looking for. That's OK.''

Maybe so, but it's hard not to have some empathy for Gossard. This is a guy whose met every challenge, including outplaying or staying even with premier quarterback opponents such as Kyle Matter (Hart/Stanford) John Sciarra (St. Francis/UCLA) and Ben Olson (Thousand Oaks/rated the No. 1 quarterback in the country) over the years.

Gossard triggered the Falcons' quick-strike offense a year ago, hitting on 211 of 334 pass attempts for 2,671 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed for 216 yards, second-best on the team.

He shows no signs of letting up this year. On Friday Gossard led Crescenta Valley to a 24-21 victory over Thousand Oaks, outshining Olson. Gossard threw for 334 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-36 passing, including the game-winning score on a 20-yard throw to Shara Hartoonian with 1:29 to play.

On the touchdown pass to Hartoonian, Gossard checked out of a play suggested by his father, Dennis, the Falcons' offensive coordinator, when the Lancers' safety crept to the line of scrimmage to double on Danny Moody.

``He sort of overruled me,'' Dennis Gossard said, laughing. ``But that's fine, I give him the latitude to do that because I know he knows what's going on down there.''

Olson, a 6-5, 210 pounder and the most sought-after prep quarterback in the nation, finished with 163 yards and a touchdown on 13 of 22 passing. He had two passes intercepted.

It's the second time Gossard played well against Olson, and he's had similar success against Sciarra and Matter.

``He definitely loves that kind of challenge, when people underestimate him and he's playing against the top guys around.'' Dennis Gossard said. ``He just loves to compete, especially against guys he respects so much.''

Nevertheless, Gossard's effort won't do anything to change perceptions. He's an exciting, effective high school quarterback, but he's not considered a college prospect.

``In this day and age, college coaches aren't looking at 5-9 quarterbacks,'' Dennis Gossard said. ``There's no point in getting frustrated about that because it is what it is. Those are the facts.''

If Gossard played football for reasons other than the love of it and the competition, perhaps the lack of interest would bother him. But he insists he's having the time of his life right now and appreciates the chance he's already been given.

``I just love to play quarterback and I love to compete and win,'' said Gossard, who has an 11-2 record over the last two years. ``And that's what I'm doing right now, and that is great. If this is as far as it goes for me, I'm fine. If for some reason, something opens up and I get the chance to play after high school, that's great, too. But right now I play to have fun, not to impress anyone.''

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Photo:

With his father looking on, Crescenta Valley quarterback Hudson Gossard drops back to pass during a practice Monday.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer