SMALL SCHOOL NOTEBOOK: SEARCHING FOR A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

ACTON - The Vasquez High football team has to win its five remaining regular season games to clinch a playoff berth. Four wins will get the Mustangs consideration. Three wins probably won't.

Sound tough?

Factor in that the Mustangs are 3-2 and ranked ninth in Southern Section Div. XII with a schedule that has included ranked opponents Mojave (No. 5 in Div. XII) and Bellarmine-Jefferson of Burbank (No. 10 in Div. XII), and it almost seems unfair.

Such is the predicament that comes with the small Acton school's independent status. Vasquez is among 10 Southern Section freelance schools that face the same uphill playoff battle.

With the exception of its cross-country team, all Vasquez teams compete as independents.

It's impossible to calculate how many standout athletes have missed being named to league teams, or how many deserving teams missed making the playoffs.

``Not being in a league really hampers us,'' Vasquez football coach Tim Evert said.

But the Mustangs don't expect their independent status to last forever.

School officials are involved in negotiations they hope will either get Vasquez into a league, or start up a new one.

Among the possibilities being discussed is rejoining the Desert Mountain League it left three years ago largely because of prohibitive travel costs. The league includes Boron, Mammoth and Silver Valley of Yermo.

But the better option for Vasquez - and possibly other High Desert-area small schools - is creating a league that would include Desert Christian and Victor Valley-based Lucerne Valley, Excelsior of Victorville and Academy of Academic Excellence of Victorville.

The proposed five-team league, which could be launched as soon as next year, would qualify three playoff teams.

``That's really the neatest scenario,'' Evert said. ``We're aggressively approaching the idea.''

But Evert said the idea has met with some opposition.

Natural resistance to change is one factor, but Vasquez's substandard sports facilities, the result of failed bond measures needed to pay for completion of the school's construction, also could work against the formation of a new league.

The football team has had to go through extraordinary fund-raising measures to rent out lighting equipment so it can play night games, without any help from the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District. The school's gym that opened its doors in February 2001 remains unheated.

But the soft economy could work in Vasquez's favor, significantly reducing travel costs for the five teams involved.

``With the budget constraints, nobody wants to travel. Nobody can afford to travel,'' Evert said.

--Mojave defense not resting: A key factor in Mojave's 3-1 start has been the success of its defense.

Led by linebacker Chris Stevens, whose combination of strength and speed creates matchup problems for opponents, an athletic Mustangs defense has regularly given the offense excellent field position.

It has also forced 15 turnovers, including eight fumbles.

Stevens leads the team with two fumble recoveries, and seven players have one interception.

``Our defense has been able to give us a short field to work with and, fortunately, we've been able to take advantage of it,'' Mojave coach Larry Satterfield said.

--Injury update: Vasquez senior two-way lineman Gavin Shea is questionable for Friday's game against Lucerne Valley with an ankle injury he suffered in last week's 22-18 loss to Bellarmine-Jefferson. Reserve receiver Sergio Blattenberger is questionable with a lower back strain. Sophomore quarterback Joe Perez, who left the Bellarmine-Jefferson game for precautionary reasons after suffering a blow to the head, will play Friday. ... Reserve Mojave two-way lineman Vince Espinosa suffered a leg injury that will likely sideline him for several weeks. Despite severe swelling, X-rays revealed no breaks.

Gideon Rubin [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com