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.

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Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise

Kaiser's Dick Bruich, beginning his final season as the Cats' head coach, has led his team to seven straight Sunkist League titles.

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.

"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 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."

Reach Michael Becker at 951-368-9528 or mbecker@PE.com