H-W HAS EDGE IN MIND GAMES.

Byline: ERIC SONDHEIMER

When it comes to brains and brawn, there are few offensive lines anywhere that compare to the group at Harvard-Westlake High. These aren't just teen-age blockers - they're teen-age prodigies.

It starts with center Jon Strauss, who scored a perfect 1600 on the Scholastic Assessment Test. Then there's offensive tackle Sam Miller, with a 4.65 grade-point average and 1570 SAT. Tackle Erik Carlson (1380), center Jonah Kaufman (1330) and guard Nolan Townsend (1260) round out the group of five seniors. Feel sorry for junior guard Paul Drury, who might have to quit the team if he doesn't ace the SAT this year like his buddies.

``I just hope these guys remember their good times and can take care of us when they're lawyers and doctors,'' Harvard-Westlake coach Dave Bennett said.

Former Harvard-Westlake basketball star Jarron Collins nicknamed Strauss ``1600 boy.''

``Whenever I make a mistake, they get on my case,'' Strauss said.

Teammate Carlson said, ``He should have a special license sticker, `I'm in the 1600 club - get out of my way.' ''

Of the two million high school students who take the SAT, approximately 800 earn perfect scores.

Strauss, 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, said his parents were happy when told them he had received a 1600.

``They said, `Now we know what you can do. No more slacking off.' Now my dad is always holding the tuition over my head,'' he joked.

And what was the reaction of the student body at the private North Hollywood school with $12,900-a-year tuition?

``The only thing it has brought me is recognition, a lot of heckling and high expectations,'' he said.

Strauss wants to study political science at Stanford or Pennsylvania and perhaps become a politician.

``I don't know if I have the mouth to be a politician, but my coaches may disagree with that,'' he said.

Miller, who wants to study neurology in college, received a perfect score of 800 on the verbal portion of the SAT. Then he missed two questions on the math portion to deny him a perfect score.

``If I ever screw up in practice or jump offsides, Strauss goes, `That's 30 points, Miller.' People ask me if I'm going to re-take the test. I'm perfectly happy with 1570,'' he said.

Having an intelligent offensive line makes Bennett's job a lot easier. Maybe the team should use the San Francisco 49ers' playbook.

``We have tried to use it to our advantage in making adjustments on the field,'' he said. ``We don't jump offsides. We don't have delay of game. Football for our kids is an outlet. This is fun for them. This is their release.''

Said Miller: ``Once we put on pads, we're out to play. Grade-point averages don't matter as much as bench press and desire.''

Coaches have learned not to challenge the intelligence of the linemen.

``We have one coach who's a master of sports trivia and sometimes we counter with academic questions,'' Strauss said. ``We always try to match our wits with our strength.''

Unless a coach wants a lecture on chaos theory, though, they suddenly change subjects.

Then there's senior quarterback John Terzian, who needs the offensive line to protect him.

``He thinks he's the smartest,'' Strauss said of Terzian. ``But we're always manipulating him from behind the scenes.''

Asked what the linemen discuss during breaks, Miller said, ``Mainly we complain about how much homework we have that night.''

With so many gifted students on the offensive line, there must be some sophisticated blocking code, right?

``We're not using trigonometry to plan out our blocking schemes,'' Strauss said. ``If it's an even front, we call even. If it's an odd front, it's odd.''

Carlson, 6-5 and 255 pounds, is the best college football prospect among the group. Miller, 6-0 and 240 pounds, also wants to continue playing football in college. As for the 180-pound Strauss, this season will be his last ``unless I have a growth spurt,'' he said.

They're all smart, but they also know grades and intelligence don't guarantee anything.

``You don't need to know calculus to succeed in life,'' Strauss said.

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Photo

Photo: (color) Jonah Kaufman, C, 6-0, 245 lbs., SAT: 1330

Sam Miller, T, 6-0, 240 lbs., SAT: 1570

Nolan Townsend, G, 5-9, 225 lbs, SAT: 1260

Erik Carlson, T, 6-5, 255 lbs., SAT: 1380

Jon Strauss, C, 5-11, 180 lbs., SAT: 1600

Phot: Evan Yee/Daily News

Photo Illustration/Daily News