Local trio will start for South

Corona del Mar High representatives Shaun Mohler and Matt Burgner said they used the 10 practices leading up to tonight’s Orange County All-Star Football Game to prove a point.

Newport Harbor High product Charles Schultz, however, said he used the preparation time to rediscover his edge.

All three recent graduates will be in the starting lineup when the South, coached by Laguna Hills head man Bruce Ingalls, battles the top graduated seniors from the North in the 47th edition of the summer showcase at Orange Coast College. Kickoff is set for 7:15.

Mohler, a 6-foot-2, 202-pound linebacker, and Burgner, a 6-1, 230-pound defensive end and fullback, have earned praise from Ingalls for their strong play during workouts.

The former Sea King standouts said they were intent on earning respect when practices began.

“We definitely felt like we had something to prove,” said Mohler, the Newport-Mesa Defensive Player of the Year and an All-CIF Southern Section performer (all 13 divisions) last fall, when he led his team with 113 tackles. “I felt like with me and Burgner coming from CdM, people might not have thought we’d be as good as guys from bigger schools. We wanted to show that we were good players on the practice field.”

Burgner, a two-time All-CIF and Newport-Mesa Dream Team honoree whose 36 career sacks rank No. 1 all-time at CdM, said he and Mohler have accomplished their mission.

“I feel that even though we’re from a smaller school, we’re among the more premier players [on the South],” Burgner said. “It’s like we can walk with our shoulders a little bit higher.”

Ingalls was not hesitant when it came to backing up Burgner’s assertion.

“I could not have been more impressed with both of those guys,” Ingalls said. “Mohler is a pretty spectacular player. I had no idea he had this much ability. He’s one of the most aggressive linebackers I’ve ever been around. He’s in phenomenal shape and he has been running around like crazy. He’s definitely going to be an impact player for us.”

Ingalls said Burgner, who is slated to start at fullback and also see action at defensive end, has consistently used superior leverage to beat bigger opponents in practice.

“His technique is just infallible,” Ingalls said of the Georgetown-bound standout. “He has great pad level and he’s very quick. He’ll play a lot on both sides of the ball.”

Burgner, used almost exclusively on defense for the Sea Kings, said he is anxious to carry the ball tonight. He said the coaches at Georgetown have told him they will want to evaluate him at fullback, as well as middle linebacker.

Mohler, who also played quarterback, running back and receiver as a senior, still does not know where he’ll be playing next fall. He received recruiting interest from New Mexico State, Fresno State, Boise State and Idaho State. He said New Mexico State offered a full scholarship, but his grades were not sufficient to gain admission. Mohler, who played inside linebacker at CdM but will start at outside ‘backer in the South’s 46 scheme, said he is still deciding between Orange Coast College and Saddleback.

Mohler, who said he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, is projected as an outside linebacker or safety in college.

If Mohler does wind up at OCC, he’ll join Schultz there.

Schultz, now 6-5, 320, is the South starter at right tackle. An All-CIF Division VI performer and a two-time Dream Team honoree, Schultz helped the Sailors win the CIF Division VI title.

He is 12 pounds lighter than his playing weight as a senior and said he wants to eventually get down to 290.

Schultz said he needed most of the South’s 10 allotted practices to get where he was mentally last season.

“[Tuesday] was the first day I felt like I did last season,” Schlutz said. “I felt like I was going to make a block and it was going to be perfect.”

Schultz, whom Ingalls described as a happy-go-lucky kid, said he struggled for more than a week of workouts to recapture the aggressiveness that helped him consistently dominate defenders in 2005.

“I was starting to get a little scared and I was starting to think ‘What happens if I can’t get the momentum and fire for football?’ ” Schultz said. “But I finally did get that feeling again, like I wanted to hit somebody. I got angry, again.”dpt.14-schultz-BPhotoInfoNL1SU2VG20060714ilwukzncCaption: (LA)CHARLES SCHULTZ dpt.14-burgner-BPhotoInfoNL1SU2VA20060714ilt6pxncCaption: (LA)MATT BURGNER dpt.14-mohler-BPhotoInfoNL1SU2UP20060714int851knCaption: (LA)SHAUN MOHLER dpt.14-mohler_burgner-BPhotoInfoNL1SU2VU20060714iy5ko1ncCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)CdM High products Shaun Mohler (7) and Matt Burgner (45), are among three local South starters.