Dick Bruich, the trendsetter?

Maybe so.

The 61-year old coaching legend has enjoyed a career of success by sticking to a simple formula -- defense wins championships. Now, in his final year as a head football coach, at Fontana Kaiser, many of his Sunkist League opponents will try to emulate that blueprint.

Take Jurupa Valley, which rode its spread offense to prolific offensive stats last season but also a first-round exit in the CIF playoffs.

"It doesn't matter how many points we're scoring if we don't stop the other team," Coach Dave Pierson said. "It's come to that for us."

Or Bloomington, where mastering the double-wing offense always came at the expense of its defense. This year, new coach Tom Conner intends to implement a more balanced approach.

If the league isn't as thrilling offensively as it has been in years past, blame Bruich, the man who's proved you don't need gaudy stats to win league championships. Opposing coaches should take notice: Bruich's Cats have won seven straight.

Story continues below

TERRY PIERSON / THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Kaiser's Dick Bruich is heading into his final season as a head football coach.

"You can say what you want, the bottom line is, Dick Bruich is one of the best defensive coaches I've ever seen," Riverside Norte Vista coach Ken Batdorf said. "I don't care who you play, he's going to be very well prepared. The old adage 'defense wins championships,' that's true. If you don't play good defense, you can't win."

Don't expect any midseason retirement parties for Bruich, the self-effacing ball coach who will step down as head coach after this season, his 31st at the varsity level. Instead, consider the league's commitment to defense as his most immediate legacy.

During his career, Bruich's teams (first Fontana, then Kaiser) became best known for their hard-nosed play and discipline. And as Bruich found out -- and one reason for his continued success -- it's far easier to replace defensive players than their offensive counterparts.

"Our defense is always way ahead of our offense," Bruich said. "Defense is a reaction game, offense is an assignment game. Therefore you don't want to get complicated on defense ... so we try to keep it simple. We'll do a lot of things, but they're all based on very simple principles. Therefore, defense is always ahead."

BLOOMINGTON

HOME FIELD: Bloomington HS

2007 RECORD: 6-5, 4-1, t-first in Sunkist League

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007 Eastern Division first round, lost to Phelan Serrano, 24-22.

COACH: Tom Conner, first season

KEY PLAYERS

*Jayson Allmond (LB, TE, Sr.) - Has drawn interest from Pac-10 schools for his skills as a linebacker.

*Marquise Boyd (LB/RB, Sr.) - Matured and got stronger physically since the end of last season.

*Keith Williams (LB/RB, Sr.) - Packed on between five and 10 pounds of muscle since the end of last season.

*Jeremy Salgado (OL/DL, Sr.) - The third-year varsity player is starting to get some attention from WAC and Mountain West schools.

BOTTOM LINE: Bloomington has the talent to compete for the Sunkist League title, but can new coach Tom Conner pick up where Don Markham left off?

JURUPA VALLEY

HOME FIELD: Jurupa Valley HS

2007 RECORD: 7-4, 4-1, t-first in Sunkist League

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007 Eastern Division first round, lost to Riverside Poly, 45-42.

COACH: Dave Pierson, fourth season.

KEY PLAYERS

*Thomas Ott (QB, Sr.) - Replacing John Vandenraadt won't be easy, but this former wide receiver has the smarts to make it work.

*Curtis Slater (RB, Sr.) - Coaches hope Slater's track-star speed will convert nicely to his new running back position.

* John O'Brien (DL, Jr.) - At 6-6, 312, O'Brien is already getting attention from college coaches.

*Abraham Caisedo (LB, Sr.) - One of the team captains, Caisedo has grown into the position of linebacker.

BOTTOM LINE: After averaging 32 points per game last season, the Jaguars will turn their attention toward their defense, hoping to advance farther into the playoffs.

KAISER

HOME FIELD: Kaiser HS

2007 RECORD: 5-7, 4-1, t-first place in Sunkist League

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007 Eastern Division second round, lost to Riverside North, 28-14.

COACH: Dick Bruich, 10th season.

KEY PLAYERS

*Simon Martinez (LB, Sr.) - Had more than 100 tackles the last two seasons on varsity.

*Adam Ramirez (RB/SS, Sr.) - Gained more than 1,000 yards last season with 10 rushing touchdowns.

*Josh Shirley (DL/TE, Jr.) - Expected to emerge as a defensive leader in his junior season.

*Anthony Brown (RB/CB, Jr.) - Ran for 880 yards last season with eight touchdowns and improved as the year went on.

BOTTOM LINE: The Cats will be the favorite to win their eighth straight Sunkist League championship because they return the bulk of the key contributors from last season.

NORTE VISTA

HOME FIELD: Norte Vista HS

2007 RECORD: 2-8, 2-3, fourth in Sunkist League.

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2006 Eastern Division first round, lost to Silverado, 49-7.

COACH: Ken Batdorf, 15th year

KEY PLAYERS

*Junior Lafaele (RT, Sr.) - At 6-4, 315 pounds, he's one of the best run blockers Batdorf has ever had at Norte Vista.

*Erwin Sandoval (TE, Sr.) - Can block like an offensive lineman but can also catch like a tight end.

*Ryan Beckham (LB, Sr.) - Batdorf calls Beckham a coach on the field because of his knowledge of the game.

*Anthony Acosta (SS, Sr.) - Impressed coaches with his work ethic and tackling consistency.

BOTTOM LINE: Norte Vista won't wow teams with superstars, but Batdorf thinks the Braves will be cohesively strong.

PATRIOT

HOME FIELD: Patriot HS

2007 RECORD: 2-8, 1-4, fifth in Sunkist League

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: None.

COACH: Kevin Corridan, fourth year

KEY PLAYERS

*Miles Basham (QB/FS, Sr.) - The second-year starter is learning how to be a vocal team leader on offense.

*Ken Braden (RB/SS, Sr.) - The time in the weight room will pay off this season for Braden, who's in his second year as the starting running back.

*Andre Franco (RB/DB, Sr.) - Corridan calls Franco a "gamebreaker" because of his speed. He will supplement Braden in the backfield.

*Kyle Estes (OG/LB, Sr.) - One of the most driven members of the Patriot team will play a factor on the offensive line.

BOTTOM LINE: Patriot lost four games last year by seven points or fewer. Another year of experience should turn some of those losses into Ws.

SUMMIT

HOME FIELD: Miller HS

2007 RECORD: 2-8, 0-5, sixth place in league

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: None

COACH: Tony Barile, third year

KEY PLAYERS

*Devon Blackmon (QB, So.) - The returning starter at quarterback finally has a summer workout to practice and navigate the offense.

*Jamaal Anderson (CB, Jr.) - Leader of the strongest part of the Summit team, the defensive backfield.

*Perry Walker (DE, Sr.) - This three-year starter at defensive end is fast enough to run down quarterbacks and running backs alike.

*Isaac Cisneros (WR/S, Jr.) - Solely a defensive player last year, the transition to wide receiver is working nicely.

BOTTOM LINE: Summit is expected to win now that it finally has seniors on its football roster.

PREDICTED FINISH:

1. Kaiser

2. Bloomington

3. Patriot

4. Jurupa Valley

5. Norte Vista

6. Summit

CAN'T-MISS GAMES:

Sept. 5 -- Compton at Bloomington: The first game of the Tom Conner era should indicate how the 33-year old coach plans to lead his team.

Sept. 12 -- Riverside La Sierra at Norte Vista: No love lost when these two rivals meet for their annual opener at Alvord Stadium.

Oct. 31 -- Kaiser at Bloomington: The past two years, Bloomington led in the final minutes before watching late Kaiser comebacks. This could again determine the league championship.