Voice of Reasons

High school football shifts into high gear tonight with nearly a full load of games. There's no better place in the country to see tomorrow's college and NFL stars play today, with Santa Ana Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley, the reigning Gatorade national player of the year, being only one example. And the chance to see great up-and-coming prospects is only one reason to keep an eye on our local fields this fall. Here are 10 reasons to be excited about the 2008 season:

1. It's going to be the year of the quarterback. If a college coach doesn't come away with a passer from the Southland this year, he has missed out big time. Already committed are Barkley (USC), Richard Brehaut (UCLA) from Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos, Josh Nunes (Tennessee) from Upland, Keith Price (Washington) from Bellflower St. John Bosco, Allan Bridgford (California) from Mission Viejo, Clark Evans (Colorado) from Los Alamitos, Caleb Herring (Nevada Las Vegas) from Perris Citrus Hill, Corey Nielsen (Hawaii) from Cerritos Gahr, Sean Schroeder (Duke) from Dana Hills and Dasmen Stewart (San Jose State) from Oxnard.

There are more talented seniors available, and don't forget about the junior class that features Nick Montana from Westlake Village Oaks Christian, Brandon Connette from Corona Santiago and Chase Rettig from Pasadena La Salle.

2. It's going to be boom or bust for Los Angeles Jordan. The Bulldogs are a City Section school that is embarking on an ambitious nonleague schedule, with games against Locke, Mater Dei, Ventura St. Bonaventure and Anaheim Esperanza. Coach Elijah Asante is subjecting his players to the challenge of a lifetime and opening himself up to second guessing.

"We are not scheduling these teams so we can have a great losing experience," Asante said. "We scheduled these teams because we expect to beat them. . . . We would play USC if I could get them on the schedule."

3. The shotgun formation is here to stay. If Kevin Rooney, in his 29th year as coach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, can adopt the shotgun formation, then anyone can. Rooney's quarterbacks rarely passed more than 10 times a game early in his career while they focused on running the quarterback option.

This season, the Knights are hoping to use the shotgun formation 95% of the time, with junior quarterback Ryan Kasdorf the beneficiary.

"Football trends have been moving this way," Rooney said.

Added Kasdorf: "It's pretty exciting."