WAVE OF SUCCESS LAID-BACK MOSS LIFTS SANTA CLARITA CHRISTIAN TO NEW HEIGHTS.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer AGUA DULCE Agua Dulce is Spanish for "sweet water". It also refers to various locations: In Mexico:
Mercier, a 6-foot 200-pound junior with frizzy friz·zy adj. friz·zi·er, friz·zi·est Tightly curled; frizzly. friz  zi·ly adv. , sun-bleached hair
and a rich tan, is a devoted surfer who makes an hourlong trek to the
Los Angeles/Ventura County beaches at least once a week even during
football season.
The Cardinals (5-0) have taken to his laid-back yet intense approach and run with it. Santa Clarita Christian, which plays on the road against Laguna Blanca This article is about the body of water. For the school, see Laguna Blanca School. For the National Park in the west of the province of Neuquén, Argentina, see Laguna Blanca National Park. of Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. at 3 p.m. today, was ranked fifth by the Southern Section in eight-man football Eight-man football is a type of American football, generally played by small high schools. Rules and formations vary greatly among states and even among different organizations, but the one constant is eight players from each team on the field at one time, as opposed to eleven-man in the most recent poll - its highest ranking since the program's inception six years ago. And by all accounts, Mercier, a playmaker play·mak·er n. A player in a sport with goals, such as a guard in basketball, who initiates offensive plays. play on both sides of the ball, is a big reason why. He's completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 492 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed for 576 yards and 13 touchdowns on 71 carries. He also made what was arguably the Cardinals' defensive play of the year, making an arm tackle on a 2-point conversion with less than a minute remaining to preserve a 29-28 victory over Faith Baptist of Canoga Park. ``He has the ability to make every play a big play; even sometimes when you get a broken play he has a way of making things happen,'' Santa Clarita Christian coach Garrick Moss said. Mercier, who's in his third year on the varsity, played fullback last season, and though he's not a mobile quarterback, he makes up for his lack of speed with vision and instincts, Moss said. ``For a guy his size he's pretty slippery,'' Moss said. ``He has some great cutback cut·back n. 1. A decrease; a curtailment: "The political effects of food cutbacks could be devastating" New York Times. 2. moves. He makes some of the quicker defenders trying to tackle him miss.'' It might not compare to riding 10-foot-plus waves - he recently rode what he estimated to be a 15-footer on a trip to Hawaii - but running the Cardinals' offense, and getting in the mix on big defensive plays is an adrenaline rush, too, he said. The winning doesn't hurt, either. ``It's awesome,'' Mercier said. ``Two years ago, we didn't have a win all season. I think we're going all the way this year.'' Senior offensive lineman and team captain Stephen Crawford For the baseball player, see . Stevie Crawford (born January 9, 1974 in Dunfermline, Scotland) is a professional footballer who currently plays for Scottish First Division team Dunfermline Athletic. admits he was apprehensive about the idea of a ``surfer dude'' running the team's offense at first. Not anymore. ``He's still laid-back even when he's on the field,'' Crawford said. ``He never gets angry, and he never loses his temper. That's the coolest thing about him. He keeps his temper under control. ``He's just a guy you can follow.'' Gideon Rubin (818) 713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Santa Clarita Christian's standout quarterback Stephen Mercier also is a devoted surfer. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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