Point Loma, 6-1 for the first time since 2014, visits University City Saturday evening in a City League game with championship implications.

The Centurions are 2-0 in league play and the Pointers 1-0. Mission Bay, Morse, and Canyon Hills all have at least one defeat.

U. City is feeling good about itself, 5-2, and back in friendlier environs after two seasons in the Eastern League (1-5 in league, 2-12 overall). The Centurions are coming off a 71-6 win over Canyon Hills preceded by 49-46 over The Bishop’s and 42-31 over Mission Bay.

Point Loma, led by third-year coach Joel Allen, has recovered from a 64-0 loss to Lincoln in its only game of 2020, Allen’s first after a brief hiatus following 11 seasons (100-35-1) at The Bishop’s.

The Pointers canceled the rest of their schedule after that game in ’20 and Allen could have been thinking, why did I do this?

The former Christian star, who quarterbacked his team to a San Diego Section Division IV title in 2002, had announced that he was going to go into business with his brother at conclusion of a 12-1 campaign and 75-59 loss to El Camino in the D-II title game in 2019.

Veteran coach Mike Hastings suddenly announced his retirement after 22 seasons at Point Loma and almost just as quickly Allen came out of retirement to become only the Pointers’ fourth head coach in 74 years, succeeding Don Giddings (1946-54), Bennie Edens (1955-97), and Hastings (1998-19).

Paul Lawrence is 13-7 in two seasons with the Centurions and Allen is 10-8-1 at Point Loma, which leads the series with eight wins in nine games dating to 1982.

The San Diego Union-Tribune weekly Top 10:

First-place votes in parenthesis.  NR—Not ranked.
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
*First-place votes.
Last entries in columns indicate previous rank. **Ranking unchanged.
Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
La Costa Canyon (4-3, 15 points), Point Loma (6-1, 10), Mission Hills (4-3, 7).

VOTING PANEL

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Eric Williams, Freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, KUSI-Channel 51 TV.
• Rick Smith, partletonsports.com.
• Ramon Scott, Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 FM The Fan).
• Bodie DeSilva, scoreboardlive.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Nic Pollino (Fox 5 San Diego).
• Todd Cassen, Joe Heinz, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
• Mike Dolan, Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee.
• Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends.
• Will Torrez, Valley Sports Network.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Tom Helmantoler, Southern Conference Advisor.
• MaxPreps.com.       

TRUE GRID

Reader Nick Pellegrino provided the obscure stat that Julian’s 36-34 win over Warner Springs Warner last week marked the Eagles’ first venture into overtime…Julian has played 487 games since 1967…the contest also was Warner’s first in extra minutes after 233 jousts since 1996…The Manzanita League designation, dumped in 2021 for the return to the Desert League, resurfaced this season and replaced the Citrus League appellation…Petrich is a name in San Diego football that goes back to the 1960s, when Bob Petrich was a linebacker for the San Diego Chargers from 1963-66 before embarking on a successful real estate career in El Cajon…Petrich’s grandson, Robert, is a placekicker for Granite Hills, following his father and Bob’s son, Aaron, who kicked for the Eagles a generation ago….

Sweetwater High was the site for several outstanding performances over the years in the National City Junior Chamber of Commerce Relays and other events of distance, usually in early March.

Few of those individual or team marks were repeated or equaled, one of which drew the most attention and eventually called for surveyors and tape measures.

El Cajon Valley’s Armando Valencia took the national lead when he ran 4:07.2 in the invitational mile at the JC Relays. That Valencia did not come close to that time again, his best being 4:08.8 after his high school season had ended, probably set some coaches to thinking.

A few years later frustrated Sweetwater coach Dave Ashley had the school’s 440-yard layout surveyed and it was found to be more than a yard short, a distance of at least four yards for a four-lap race such as the mile.

Short tracks meant better but not accepted marks.  How many tracks like Sweetwater’s were out there?  At least two, Mount Miguel and El Capitan, also were found abbreviated.  CIF Commissioner Don Clarkson said city schools tracks had been measured and met standards years before.

More on Valencia and competition in the mile as the season turned to May and the high stakes meets:

5/4/67

Lincoln coach Bobby Smith made a surprising announcement the day before the Eastern League trials. Lloyd Apgar, a potential state meet medalist in the two-mile run, was opting for the mile in the upcoming league and San Diego Section meets.

Apgar and teammate Otis Martin were favored to be the San Diego Section’s two qualifiers in the two-mile for the state meet in Balboa Stadium in June.

The local cognoscenti was surprised.  Apgar, according to the track nuts and so-called experts, was making the wrong decision.

The Hornet senior’s best time in the mile was 4:17.3, which compared unfavorably to the 4:11.4 of Clairemont’s Thornton Bigley and the 4:07.2 at Sweetwater by El Cajon Valley’s Armando Valencia.

“I’m not going to criticize Lloyd for his decision,” said Smith. “I’m grateful for the contribution he’s made.  He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever had.”

Apgar held school records in the Class C 660 (1:25.6) and 1320 (3:10.8) and Class B 1320 (3:07.9), plus the mile and a portion of the 440, 880, 1320, and mile distance medley (10:18.

(In 2009 Apgar’s daughter Elizabeth, running for Lincoln,  won the San Diego Section 880-yard run in 2:12.16).

5/5/67

–Orange Glen’s Mike Quirk set three school records in a triangular meet with Escondido (66 points) and San Marcos (63).  The Patriots scored 40.

Quirk ran wind-aided times of :14.5 in the 120-yard high hurdles, :20.1 in the 180 lows, and pole vaulted 13 feet.

–El Cajon Valley won its first outright league dual-meet championship since 1956 with a 75 ½-56 ½ win over Monte Vista.

The Braves’ Armando Valencia, running the last 880 of his high school career, clocked 1:53.4, fastest in the area, with Monte Vista’s Danny Ungricht second in 1:54.2, best mark of his injury-slowed season.

LEAGUE TRIALS

–Lincoln led with 22 qualifiers in the Eastern League, while Kearny topped the West with 17.

Most significant achievement was in the Eastern League mile, where Lloyd Apgar set a meet record of 4:17.

Lincoln and Morse sustained two significant losses. The Hornets’ Doug Jones, stumbled and crashed in the 180-yard low hurdles, and the Tigers’ Donald Anders, leading the area with a :09.8 100, pulled up lame in his heat.

5/12/67

LEAGUE FINALS

EASTERN, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lloyd Apgar, set a meet record with a 4:14.9 mile and teammate Otis Martin nailed a record 9:09.6 two-mile.  San Diego high jumper Phillip Singleton cleared 6-6 to tie Eddy Hanks’ and Harold Greenwood’s record, set in 1964 and 1966, respectively.

Lincoln won the team championship with 76 points.  San Diego followed with, 52, Crawford, 31, Hoover, 27, Morse, 22, and St. Augustine, 1.

WESTERN, @MADISON

–Kearny edged Point Loma, 74-70, for the team title. Madison and Clairemont each had 25, followed by La Jolla, 6, and Mission Bay, 2.

METROPOLITAN, @CHULA VISTA

–Mar Vista outscored Chula Vista, 57-38, trailed by Sweetwater, 31, Hilltop, 30, Escondido, 24 ½, Coronado, 23 ½, Castle Park, 4 ½, and Bonita Vista, 0.

Mike Griffiths of Mar Vista moved into the top five all time of County pole vaulters when he cleared 14 feet, 6 inches.  Teammate Dan Helton put the shot 59-5, No. 9 all time.

GROSSMONT, @GRANITE HILLS

Granite Hills won the team championship with 52 points, followed by Grossmont, 47, El Cajon Valley, 33, Monte Vista, 32, Santana, 29, Mount Miguel, 26, Helix, 14, and El Capitan, 7.

The discus of Granite Hills’ Brian Wadlington caught an early-evening breeze and the Eagles’ junior set a County record when his toss sailed 176 feet, 1 1/4 inches, bettering the 174-6 of Grossmont’s Richard Grise in 1964.

Wadlington, whose best in 1966 was only 127-3 and had a best of 167-10 coming into the meet, said, “I worked out well all week. I’m not lifting weights anymore, just doing isoes (isometrics).  I felt a good throw.”

Brian’s teammate George Brown set a meet record with a 63-foot, 4 ½-inch shot put.  Monte Vista’s Danny Ungricht blazed a 1:53.2 half mile. Armando Valencia of El Cajon Valley ran 4:16.4 to win the mile.

AVOCADO, @VISTA

Vista won the 880 relay in a school record 1:31.1 and claimed the team title, 46-42, over rival Oceanside.  San Dieguito scored 35 points, followed by Orange Glen, 21, Carlsbad, 20, University, 19, Fallbrook, 11, and Poway, 5.

Bruce Burdick of Fallbrook cleared 13-4 ½ to win the pole vault and San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock won the shot put at 56-1 ½. Mike Turnipseed’s :09.9 100 was a league record and the Carlsbad runner returned with a winning, :22.5 220.

PALOMAR LEAGUE, @PALOMAR COLLEGE

Ramona’s Pat Hallman added more than seven inches to the high jump record when Hallman cleared 6-5, leaping past the 5-9 ¾ by two Carlsbad jumpers in 1964.

San Marcos ran away with the championship, scoring 106 ½ points.  Marian had 41, Ramona 34 ½, and Army-Navy 16.

5/19/67

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Momentum in the mile was building

Clairemont’s Thornton Bigley, recovered from a mid-season attack of strep throat, narrowly nipped Lincoln’s Lloyd Apgar as both runners were timed in 4:12.9.

El Cajon Valley’s Armando Valencia, running unopposed in another heat, clocked 4:14.9.

“Aw, man, I am tired,” gasped Bigley.  “Apgar’s so good.  I just hope it’s a good race next week.”

–Granite Hills’ George Brown pushed the shot 62-4 ½ to break the meet record of 60-9 by Helix’ Doug Nelson in 1964.

–Season bests:  Leonard Thompson, Orange Glen. :14.4 in 120-yard high hurdles.  Hoover 880 relay, 1:28.9.  Mike Turnipseed, Carlsbad, :21.8 220 on curve.

SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

5/25/67

Mike Robinson of Mount Miguel won the discus championship with a toss of 155-11 in Balboa Stadium.  Pat Foley of Monte Vista was second at 153-4.

Favored Brian Wadlington of Granite Hills fouled on three of his seven attempts and was fourth at 145-10.  Steve Burgesser of Monte Vista was third at 146-10, presumably giving the Monarchs seven points.

5/26/67

“The Battle of Balboa Stadium is in the books,” I wrote after the controversial finish to the mile.

Thornton Bigley, Lloyd Apgar, and Armando Valencia were virtually neck and neck as they turned for home and the final 100 yards to the finish line.

Bigley passed Valencia and at that point Valencia suddenly left the track and stumbled into the infield.  Valencia quickly got back on the track, but Bigley finished first in 4:10.8 and Apgar nosed out Valencia for second in 4:11.8. Valencia was timed in 4:12.1.

The question was whether Valencia was bumped or pushed off the track, or did he jump?

Valencia claimed he was pushed.

NO FOUL

“We had three guys there from three different angles,” said Vernon Finch, the meet’s chief turn judge.  “There was no contact.”

Two competitors from other schools said they saw Bigley’s arm hit Valencia in the side, causing the El Cajon Valley runner to stumble.

“He was running really close to the rail,” said Bigley.  “I was watching that.  I thought he jumped off.  I didn’t touch him.”

El Cajon Valley coach Joe Brooks did not file a protest.  Brooks was sitting on the other side of the stadium, where coaches gathered.

“I’ve never seen him lose his balance like that, but I was sitting clear over here and I didn’t see what happened,” said Brooks.

Even if Valencia hadn’t stumbled, it appeared Bigley would have won. Apgar’s second-place finish qualified for the state meet.

–Lincoln won the team championship for the fifth time in seven years with 30 points.  Monte Vista scored 19, El Cajon Valley 16 ½, Orange Glen 13 1/2, Carlsbad 11, and San Diego 10. Twenty-eight schools scored at least one point.

With a virtual junior varsity relay team of Nate King, Melvin Maxwell, Ezell Roberts, and Willie Wilson, replacing Clarence Warren and Lewis King, Lincoln won in 1:29.8, its six points separating the Hornets from Monte Vista.

The Monarchs believed their seven points in the discus gave them a final score of 26, which would have had them in front of the Hornets entering the final event.

But the discus points did not count, said San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson, who noted that the CIF board of managers never had written the discus into scoring rules. Most leagues in the CIF did not have discus competition; points in the finals all came from Grossmont League throwers.

Lincoln’s Otis Martin set a meet record of 9:01 in the two-mile and Martin’s pace brought along Monte Vista’s Don Olsen, who ran 9:03.6, almost 16 seconds better than his career best of 9:19.

George Brown of Granite Hills set a meet record for the second week in a row with a shot put of 63-11.  Bruce Ruff of El Cajon Valley was a double winner, :21.7 220 and :48.6 440.

Danny Ungricht of Monte Vista won a duel with Fallbrook’s Frank (Pancho) Enriquez in the 880 with a time of 1:53 to 1:53.8.

6/2/67

STATE TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Danny Ungricht of Monte Vista won his heat in the 880  in 1:54.2. Thornton Bigley (4:15.2) and Lloyd Apgar (4:15.6) won their mile heats.

–Qualifying third in their competition was Granite Hills shot putter George Brown (63-11½), Lincoln long jumper Lewis King (24-2 ½), and the Hornets’ relay team, with Doug Jones replacing Nate King in the starting blocks, 1:28.6.

–Pasadena Muir’s Jerry Proctor was in four trials and won the 120 high hurdles in :13.9, 180 lows in :18.9, long jump (25-2), and ran the third leg for a relay team that was first in 1:26.4.

STATE FINALS

6/3/67

For the first time in the seven years of the San Diego Section there was no individual champion.

Thornton Bigley (4:13) was second and Lloyd Apgar (4:13.2) third in the mile, beaten by the 4:11.4 of Westminster’s Mike Solomon.

George Brown was third in the shot put at 63-6 and Lincoln’s Lewis King fifth in the long jump at 23-6 ¼. Otis Martin was fifth for the second year in the two-mile with a time of 9:16.6.

San Diego’s Philip Singleton was sixth in the high jump (6-7). Danny Ungricht (1:54.3) was seventh in the 880. Monte Vista’s Don Olsen was seventh in the two-mile in 9:17.

Lincoln was eighth in the 880 relay but its time, 1:28.3, was 11^th all time in the County.

Pasadena Muir’s Jerry Proctor was the meet’s star, with Santa Rosa Montgomery’s Mel Gray a close second.

Proctor scored 19 of the Mustangs’ 24 points with wins of :13.7 in the 120 high hurdles, :18.7 in the 180 lows, 25-4 1/2 in the long jump and contributed a powerful third leg on Muir’s runner-up relay team, beaten in the stretch by Los Angeles Fremont’s 1:26.

Gray scored all 16 of his team’s points, tied the national record of :09.4 in the 100, set a national record of :20.7 for the 220 on a turn, and was second in the long jump at 24-1.  He ran down a handful of runners after starting in last place in the relay but the Vikings were seventh in 1:27.7.

Attendance for the finals was 8,268 and state CIF Commissioner Bill Russell enthused that “this was the best (meet) we’ve ever had from the standpoint of organization, performances, the works.”

6/4/67

His high school career behind him, Armando Valencia finished sixth in a field of 16 that included some international competitors at the Rose Bowl Invitational in Pasadena with a time of 4:11.7.

6/10/67

Armando Valencia won the special high school mile in the San Diego Invitational, beating, among other New Jersey’s Martin Liquori, a future international star, with a time of 4:08.8, which, as it turned out, was Valencia prep career best.

Bigley finished behind Valencia in 4:11.

6/15/67

Bigley had a non-winning 4:11 clocking in the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento.

Lincoln, now No. 2, crept up on No. 1 Madison in the Top 10 poll this week by virtue of the Hornets’ 31-17 win over Cathedral  and trail the Warhawks by four first-place votes and six overall.

The Hornets and Warhawks won’t meet until the season’s final regular-season game, but Madison’s status will be challenged this week by Cathedral, still dangerous despite four losses in a killer schedule that includes teams of national prominence.

Will Madison have memory loss or be cowed by the results of the last four meetings with its Western League rival?  Cathedral has won, 49-6, 41-0, 51-0, and 52-6.

Weekly The San Diego Union-Tribune Top 10:
First-place votes in parenthesis.  NR—Not ranked.
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
*First-place votes.
Last entries in columns indicate previous rank.
Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Mt. Carmel (5-1, 18 points), Mission Hills (3-3, 13), La Costa Canyon (3-3, 11), San Marcos (4-2, 4) Point Loma (5-1, 3).

VOTING PANEL

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Eric Williams, Freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, KUSI-Channel 51 TV.
• Rick Smith, partletonsports.com.
• Ramon Scott, Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 FM The Fan).
• Bodie DeSilva, scoreboardlive.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Nic Pollino (Fox 5 San Diego).
• Todd Cassen, Joe Heinz, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
• Mike Dolan, Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee.
• Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends.
• Will Torrez, Valley Sports Network.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Tom Helmantoler, Southern Conference Advisor.
• MaxPreps.com.                                                                                                                                                                                     

TRUE GRID

Cathedral was 11-8 versus Madison from 1963-2004 when it was known as University of San Diego High, or Uni for short…Mount Miguel and El Capitan, whose coaches, Troy Starr and Ron Burner, respectively won their 100th games last week, will reward one of their mentors a 101st victory when they roll at El Cap this week…Carlsbad is a badge of consistency…two coaches in the last 28 years…Thadd MacNeal is 81-46 (.638) in his 12 seasons as head coach, following Bob McAllister, who was 132-66-6 (.661) in his 17 seasons, 1994-2010…Poway’s 6-0 start is the best since the Titans won their first nine in 2016…Madison was 6-0 in 2017…Roderick Robinson, Lincoln’s big, swift running back, rushed for 206 yards in 30 carries and scored three touchdowns but it was a 90-yard pass interception return for a score by Josiah Cox which broke up what was a close game after Cathedral had overcome a 14-0 deficit and were tied, 14-14, at halftime….

El Capitan coach Ron Burner and Mount Miguel’s Troy Starr can become the 45th and 46th coaches in San Diego County history to win at least 100 games when the Vaqueros take on neighborhood rival Santana and the Matadors meet Monte Vista this week.

Burner, who became the Vaqueros’ coach in 2005, is 99-94 as a head coach.  Starr is 99-42-1 in two Grossmont Conference stints, 2008-’16 at Helix and from 2018 at the Lemon Grove school, which is closer to Morse (3.5 miles) a city school in another league, than it is to Grossmont Valley rival Monte Vista, 4.3 miles away.

El Capitan in Lakeside, 4 1/2 miles from Santana in Santee, can claim big brother status, having opened in 1959 to Santana’s 1965.  Same for Mount Miguel, whose doors first swung wide in 1957 compared to Monte Vista’s in 1961.

El Capitan is 30-17-2 all-time against the Sultans and Burner is 9-2.  Mount Miguel is 33-27 against Monte Vista in a series that was continuous from 1961 until the pandemic canceled the 2020 game. Starr is 3-2 versus the Monarchs at Helix and Mount Miguel.

Getting to the milestone has not been easy.  Mount Miguel (2-4) will try to end a four-game losing streak and El Capitan (3-2) ended a two-game slog last week.

WESTERN BIG ONE

Meanwhile, Lincoln, No. 3 in The San Diego Union-Tribune poll, will play No. 4  Cathedral in a Western League opener at Mira Mesa as the regular season turns into the second half. The decision of neutral site for Hornets-Dons was made by the CIF’s City Conference and also will be in effect in 2023, according to John Maffei of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Mission Hills (2-3, 13), El Camino (3-2, 7), Mt. Carmel (4-1, 5), Point Loma (5-1, 2).

VOTING PANEL

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Eric Williams, Freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, KUSI-Channel 51 TV.
• Rick Smith, partletonsports.com.
• Ramon Scott, Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 FM The Fan).
• Bodie DeSilva, scoreboardlive.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Nic Pollino (Fox 5 San Diego).
• Todd Cassen, Joe Heinz, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
• Mike Dolan, Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee.
• Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends.
• Will Torrez, Valley Sports Network.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Tom Helmantoler, Southern Conference Advisor.
• MaxPreps.com.

TRUE GRID

Who would have thought?  Oceanside, long a San Diego Section power in the era of coach John Carroll, is 0-5 for the first time since 1941…Orange Glen is experiencing its first 0-5 since 2002…Eastlake’s 0-6 start is the poorest in school history, dating to 1993… hard times at Grossmont (0-6) are remindful of the Foothillers’ 1-5 start in 1999 that followed an 0-10 in ’98…evolving demographics, school emphasis, and enrollment shortfalls and boundaries often are cited as reasons, not to mention coaching, for the trip from top to bottom. Rick Jackson (159-55-1) in 28 seasons at  Madison can move into 16th place among all-time coaches’ victories, ahead of Mike Dolan (159-90-5) in 21 seasons at San Pasqual…five teams, Madison, Poway, Calexico, Victory Christian, and St. Joseph’s, are 5-0…10 teams are 5-1…Point Loma is 5-1 for the first time since 2014, and Calexico is 5-0 for the first time since 2016…The 57 points Hoover scored against Maranatha last week were the most since Jerry Ralph’s 10-3 2014 club scored 63 and 69 in back-to-back games…Carlsbad beat the Central Section’s No. 2-ranked team, visiting Bakersfield Liberty, 27-0, last week….

The San Diego Union-Tribune weekly poll:
Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
*First-place votes.
Last entries in columns indicate previous rank.
NR—Not ranked. Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ represent state rankings.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Rancho Buena Vista (5-0, 24 points), Mission Hills (2-3, 14), El Camino (3-2, 10), Fallbrook (4-1, 1), El Centro Central (2-2, 1).

VOTING PANEL

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Eric Williams, Freelance contributors.
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, KUSI-Channel 51 TV.
• Rick Smith, partletonsports.com.
• Ramon Scott, Adam Paul, eastcountysports.com.
• John Kentera, Braden Suprenant (97.3 FM The Fan).
• Bodie DeSilva, scoreboardlive.com.
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM.
• Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
• Troy Hirsch, Nic Pollino (Fox 5 San Diego).
• Todd Cassen, Joe Heinz, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section.
• Mike Dolan, Rex Johnson, CIF Advisory Committee.
• Joe Evangelist, San Diego Coaching Legends.
• Will Torrez, Valley Sports Network.
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
• Tom Helmantoler, Southern Conference Advisor.
• MaxPreps.com.

Coach Les Cassie’s Hoover Cardinals were within nine outs of a berth in the Southern California finals.  San Diego High was San Diego High, reliably formidable.  But Don Clarkson’s Point Loma Pointers may have been the best team of all.

The Pointers won the prestigious Pomona 20-30 Rotary Club tournament, split two games with Hoover, and defeated San Diego in Pomona.  The Pointers ran the table in the Metropolitan League and would have been a prime candidate for the Southern California playoffs.

But the Metropolitan loop had a curious history regarding the playoffs.  It usually declined, including this year.

The Pointers had an explainable reason this year.  Its regular season ended on the same day Hoover was bowing in the semifinals to Long Beach Wilson.

In the future the Southern Section would open the door  to more teams by creating major and minor divisions and schedules would be more accommodating to the start of the playoffs.  Point Loma would win a small schools football championship in 1949.

2/28/47

Hoover Alumni, aided by seven errors by the Cardinals varsity, won the season’s opening game, 6-2.

3/2/47

Leonard Ross and Pete Corona teamed on a three-hitter and San Diego, scoring three runs in the eighth inning, defeated its alumni, 5-2.

–Hoover’s six runs in the first inning, highlighted by Gene Launders’ single and LeRoy Darnell’s double, was enough to win the seven-inning contest against visiting Point Loma, 11-7.

3/7/47

Max Minga’s two-run triple in a three-run seventh inning paved Grossmont’s 4-1 win over the Alumni.

—Hoover opened an odd intersectional trip with a 12-7 win at Long Beach Jordan.  Chuck Chagnard’s three-run double on his second at-bat in the first inning was the final shot in a seven-run first inning, in which Bulldogs pitchers issued seven walks.

—Cyril Guthridge’s grand slam home run was the difference in La Jolla’s 6-5 win over visiting Kearny.

3/8/47

Harvey Jones gave up five hits, struck out eight and hit a two-run home run and Hoover outlasted the host Colton Yellowjackets, 9-6.

3/10/47

Bob Miller singled three times in three at-bats to lead Hoover to an 11-6 win over guest Grossmont.

—Andy Stagnaro’s five-hit pitching was enough to lead the San Diego Junior Varsity to a win at Escondido over the Cougars’ varsity.

3/12/47

San Diego’s junior varsity withstood a seven-run inning and edged the Kearny varsity, 9-8.  Grossmont was outhit, 10-9, but outscored Sweetwater, 8-7, in a nonleague game between Metropolitan League teams.

3/15/47

Coach Mike Morrow’s club won a day-night doubleheader in Balboa Stadium from the Tucson Bears, 9-5, and 10-9, collecting 25 hits in the two games.

—Long Beach Poly collected only four hits off Ken Clary but scored a 6-5 victory over Hoover on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot diamond.

—Joe Medina and Paul Kaneyuki combined to pitch Point Loma to a 10-1 victory over St. Augustine on the Pointers field.  John Brown helped with two doubles.

—Bob Press was 2 for 2 and Kearny beat San Diego Vocational, 6-2, at Kearny.

3/16/47

San Diego struck for 19 hits and defeated the Tucson, 17-5, to sweep the three-game series in Balboa Stadium against the defending Arizona champions.

Every member of the Hilltoppers’ lineup collected at least one hit.  John Brown and Pete Corona had four hits each, Ray Mendoza three hits, and Bill Dugan, John Verdusco, Jerry Dahms, and Hank Duffie two each.

3/18/47

Hoover’s Larry Nenna homered with a man aboard in the first inning for the Cardinals’ only hit, but they won, 10-4, over St. Augustine, which committed only two errors but virtually walked the Horace Mann playground ball park.

—Art Preston’s two-run home run in the first inning was the difference as Grossmont defeated Kearny, 3-2, on the Komets’ diamond.

3/20/47

Hoover and San Diego opened the Coast League season with wins at home.

Ken Clary and Harvey Jones hit home runs and Clary, with additional hitting support from Bill McColl, Bill Casey, and Gene Launders, scattered seven hits as the Cardinals won, 15-0, over Pasadena.

San Diego shut out Pasadena Muir, 11-0, as Joe Catlin contributed three hits, including a double and triple, and John Brown and Bill Dugan added two hits apiece in support of Pete Corona’s three-hit pitching.

—San Diego’s Junior Varsity beat La Jolla’s varsity and ace Bud Relyea, 10-6, at La Jolla.  Relyea hit a home run.

3/21/47

Ed Gray and Hank Fitch each had two hits and Pat Kennedy hurled St. Augustine to a two-hit, 9-1 win over Escondido at Golden Hill Playground.

—Point Loma began a two-game swing through the North with a rain-shortened, five-inning, 4-2 victory at San Bernardino.  Joe Medina pitched the victory and added a two-run triple in the second inning.  Medina’s sixth-inning home run was washed out by a downpour.

3/22/47

Paul Kaneyuki allowed nine hits and went the distance as Point Loma completed a successful weekend foray into the Inland Empire with a 6-4 win at Colton.

—Len Ross’s five-hit pitching and Joe Catlin’s two-run triple in a three-run fifth inning was enough for San Diego, 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Coast League, to beat Pasadena, 6-2, in Balboa Stadium.

—Merle Smith’s three-run triple in the fifth inning broken open a game with visiting Pasadena Muir and Hoover romped, 13-2.

3/25/47

San Diego won a nonleague game at Grossmont, 8-4, tagging the Foothillers’ Art Preston for 10 hits.  Pate Corona and Bill Dugan combined with seven-hit pitching for the Hilltoppers.

–Joe Medina pitched six hitless innings and third baseman Joe Correia doubled and tripled and the Pointers topped pitcher Don Larsen and an alumni squad, 6-2, at Golden Hill playground.

–Who’s on first? No, who scheduled the game?  There was the dreaded administrative glitch. Hoover’s nonleague contest against Escondido was canceled because of a reported misunderstanding as to the game site.

–Bud Relyea struck out 16 St. Augustine batters and contributed two hits to the La Jolla attack and allowed three hits in the Vikings’ 5-1 win at home.

3/28/47

Hoover (8-2) scored seven runs in the first four innings and went on to a 10-6 win over San Diego (8-1) to take the lead in the Coast League with a 3-0 record. Ken Clary had four hits in five times at bat, including two home runs, and pitched the complete-game victory.

Bob Miller also homered and Harvey Jones singled, doubled, and tripled for the Cardinals.

—Grossmont scored at least one run in every inning from the fourth through the eighth inning and Art Preston kept El Centro Central at a distance as Grossmont won, 12-6, in an intersectional game on the Foothillers’ diamond.

—Paul Kaneyuki, Gene Roberts, and John Silveira combined to pitch a one-hitter and Point Loma submerged the Amphibious Base team, 12-0, at Navy Field.

—Eight errors contributed to Kearny’s 10-3 loss at Sweetwater.  La Jolla knocked off St. Augustine for the second time in the week, 10-3, in a seven-inning contest at Golden Hill.

3/29/47

San Diego bounced back from its loss to Hoover with an 8-1 victory over visiting Long Beach Wilson.  John Brown stopped the Bruins on six hits. Jerry Dahms singled, tripled, and homered and Hank Duffie doubled and hit three singles.

4/1/47

The 14^th Pomona 2030 Rotary Club tournament drew six San Diego-area teams and they played a combined total of 12 first-round, second-round, and consolation games, starting as early as 8 a.m. and concluding in late afternoon.

San Diego and Point Loma still were alive in the championship bracket, but Hoover and La Jolla fell into the consolation bracket after first-round losses.  Grossmont and Escondido won first-round games but lost and headed home after second-round defeats.

San Diego defeated Fullerton, 3-0, and Santa Monica, 8-2. Point Loma whipped Covina, 11-3 and Santa Barbara, 5-1.

Escondido beat Covina, 9-8, and fell to Whittier, 7-1.  Grossmont measured Huntington Beach, 6-2, and then bowed to Long Beach Poly, 6-4.

La Jolla lost to Whittier, 6-3, in the first round but was in business in the consolation bracket after a 14-5 victory over Chino.  Hoover, one of the tournament favorites, was ousted in the first round, 9-1, by Ontario Chaffey but rallied for an 11-1 win over Santa Ana in the afternoon, second-chance game.

What it all meant was that San Diego was to play Point Loma in the championship quarterfinals and Hoover and La Jolla would meet in the consolation quarterfinals.

4/2/47

Not San Diego and not Hoover.  Point Loma was playing for the championship of the Pomona Rotary 20-30 Club tournament,

The Pointers of coach Don Clarkson emerged as potential champions, defeating San Diego, which was seeking its seventh tournament title, 3-1, in the morning quarterfinals and San Bernardino, 13-0, in the afternoon semifinals.

Defending champion Hoover, knocked out of the championship bracket on the first day, stayed in the hunt for the consolation trophy, beating La Jolla, 12-0, and Bonita, 8-0.

Paul Kaneyuki pitched a three-hitter against San Diego and had two hits.  Yoto Takeshita added a couple hits for the Pointers. Don Blackman was leading the Peninsula team with a .600 average, nine for 15. Joe Medina stuffed San Bernardino on four hits.

Hoover’s Bob Woods stopped La Jolla on two hits.  Harvey Jones allowed Bonita one hit.

4/3/47

Point Loma won a see-saw battle with Whittier, 8-7, for the Pomona 2030 Rotary Club championship.  Hoover took the consolation title, 10-5, over Fullerton.

Ralph Silva’s double with the bases loaded off Whittier pitcher Ed Hookstratten was the difference in the game.  Hookstratten gave up nine hits compared to the 14 allowed by Paul Kaneyuki, who continually worked out of jams.

Larry Nenna paced Hoover’s 11-hit attack with four hits in five times at bat.

4/8/47

Andy Stagnaro, up from the junior varsity, stopped Grossmont on three hits and Joe Catlin hit a three-run home run in an eight-run third inning as San Diego whipped Grossmont, 10-1, in Balboa Stadium.

—Harvey Jones and Larry Nenna each had three hits, with Nenna also adding a two-run homer, in Hoover’s 6-2 win over visiting St. Augustine.

—Joe Medina scattered 12 hits at Sweetwater and Point Loma continued to win, 6-4.

4/11/47

Hoover lost at Compton, 4-1, and San Diego won at Pasadena Muir, 8-2, in Coast League games.

—Grossmont pounded three Escondido hurlers for 16 hits and whipped the Cougars, 16-6, as Metropolitan League play began.

—Guest Oceanside had 13 hits, but Sweetwater made better use of its 15 hits in an 18-8 victory.

—La Jolla won at Kearny, 8-5, and Point Loma used its bye date to win, 8-5, at Naval Training Center.

4/13/47

Compton completed a sweep of visiting San Diego and Hoover and took command in the Coast League when the Tarbabes defeated the Hilltoppers, 6-1, after stopping Hoover, 4-1, the previous day.

—Hoover recovered to win, 8-3, at Pasadena Muir. Harvey Jones struck out 12 and Bill McColl drove in four runs with a double and two singles.

4/15/47

Rudy Ortiz, Frank Morey, John Verdusco, Pete Corona, and Bill Dugan hit home runs at Golden Hill Playground and San Diego used the circuit clouts and 10 other hits for a 23-0 rout of St. Augustine.

John Brown, Pete Corona, and Leonard Ross combined to hold the Saints to two hits.

—Merle Smith had three hits and Hoover beat Grossmont, 15-7, and the Hoover JV, behind Bill White’s no-hitter, beat the Grossmont JV, 6-1.

—The San Diego junior varsity (11-0) rapped 14 base hits and clobbered Escondido’s varsity, 17-9.

4/18/47

Bud Relyea struck out 17 batters, hit a home run, and pitched a no-hitter as La Jolla routed Escondido, 18-0.

—Paul Kaneyuki gave up one hit and Point Loma defeated host Oceanside, 7-1. Sweetwater lost at Grossmont, 8-6, and Kearny won a nonleague encounter from visiting St. Augustine, 8-4.

—Gene Launder’s two-run single in the top of the seventh inning tied the score, 6-6, and Launder’s sharp grounder, mishandled by Tommy Martinez, scored Bill McColl in the ninth inning and Hoover edged San Diego, 7-6, at Balboa Stadium.

4/22/47

Point Loma continued to meet and beat all area opposition, taking down Hoover, 6-0, behind Joe Medina’s two-hit pitching on the Convair field.

Medina led off the second inning with a home run and Don Blackman aided the cause with two singles and a double.  Hoover coach Les Cassie used 13 players and three pitchers.

—San Diego State’s junior varsity stook advantage of Kearny hospitality, 11-5, and Grossmont rudely welcomed traveler Calexico, 13-3.

—San Diego junior varsity’s streak of 13 consecutive wins was ended at Sweetwater, 10-2.

Nine St. Augustine errors contributed to San Diego’s 11-2 win in Balboa Stadium.

4/23/47

Jack Konte homered and Bud Relyea homered and pitched La Jolla to a 2-1 win at Kearny.

4/25/47

Hoover moved into a first place tie in the Coast League by winning a rematch with Compton at Hoover, 6-4. Ken Clary was touched for 10 hits but went the distance for the Cardinals.

—San Diego shut out Pasadena, 10-0, in a night game in Balboa Stadium.

—Paul Kaneyuki and Point Loma got the best of Grossmont and Art Preston, 6-5, on the Naval Training Center diamond.

—La Jolla and Bud Relyea gave up unbeaten Metropolitan League status in a 5-3 loss at Sweetwater and Kearny was a road winner at Escondido, 7-0.

4/26/47

San Diego clinched the Coast League championship for Hoover when it crushed Compton with an 18-hit attack, 17-4, ending a disastrous, 0-2  trip for the Tarbabes.

—Fred Weitzen hit two home runs and Ken Clary homered as Hoover beat Pasadena, 13-0, behind Harvey Jones’ six-hitter on the Horace Mann field in Hillcrest.

The Cardinals soon got word of Compton’s loss four miles away in Balboa Stadium and then awaited word on the Southern Section playoffs.

4/29/47

Grossmont beat La Jolla, 8-3, in the lone Metropolitan League game.  Escondido took out some frustration with a 20-5 nonleague win over Vista.  The Hoover JV blanked the Kearny varsity, 5-0, and Fallbrook topped Julian, 7-0, in a Southern Prep League game.

5/1/47

La Jolla’s Cyril Guthridge gave up three hits and defeated the Camp Elliott Marines, 4-2.

—Don Larsen, who graduated mid-term, doubled home the winning run as the Point Loma alumni beat the varsity, 4-3.

5/3/47

Art Preston hit for the cycle–single, double, triple, and home run–struck out 15 and gave up one hit in Grossmont’s immolation of Oceanside, 21-0.

–Paul Kaneyuki of Point Loma and Bud Relyea of Las Jolla struck out 15 batters each but didn’t do as well with those who made contact.

La Jolla collected 10 hits but committed 10 errors and Point Loma, on the strength of nine safeties, won, 13-6.

–Kearny made six errors and Sweetwater five, but the Red Devils also had more hits, 10 to five, and whacked the Komets, 16-5.  St. Augustine won a nonleague contest with Escondido, 10-8, on Ivan Radovich’s two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning.

5/7/47

John Brown socked two home runs and Bill Dugan and Jerry Dahms one each and San Diego won, 18-8, at Long Beach Wilson.

–Point Loma drove Art Preston to cover in the first inning but relief pitcher Fred Weinbrandt kept Point Loma off the scoreboard and Grossmont took an 11-5 victory.

5/8/47

Shortstop Doug Harvey would be the leadoff man for visiting El Centro Central when the Spartans played Hoover in a first-round CIF Southern Section playoff. Harvey became a major-league umpire and is in the baseball Hall of Fame.  Harvey’s presence and command was such that Reggie Jackson once declared that Harvey “was the voice of God.”

5/9/47

Merle Smith hit a two-run home run in the first inning that propelled Hoover to a 13-3 victory over El Centro Central in the opening-round playoff game.

Bob Miller, Ken Clary, Harvey Jones, and Ralph Carpenter also drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinals.  Clary and Jones held the Spartans to one hit, a single by shortstop Doug Harvey.

—Art Preston struck out 18 batters as Grossmont defeated St. Augustine 3-1.  La Jolla’s Bud Relyea struck out 19 Oceanside Pirates in La Jolla’s 5-0 win.

–Phil Adams was 3 for 3 as Point Loma punished Kearny, 15-1, and Sweetwater bombed Escondido, 12-3, as Ordean Olson had three hits and Al Hooper hit a two-run home run.  Fallbrook won a Southern Prep League game at Vista, 8-2.

5/9/47

San Diego dropped a 3-0 decision at Tucson in the first of its three, season-ending games against the Arizona squad. The Hillers were restricted to singles by Jerry Dahms and John Verdusco.

5/10/47

Ray Mendoza’s two hit pitching evened San Diego’s season-ending, three-game series at Tucson, 4-1, but the Bears prevailed, 2-1, in the nightcap of the doubleheader.

San Diego won the intersectional series, four games to two, and completed the season with a 19-6 record.

5/16/47

Hoover scored two runs in the first inning and two more in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth to win at Inglewood, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs.

Harvey Jones scattered eight hits and Gene Launders and Merle Smith contributed two hits each.

–Point Loma clinched a tie for the Metropolitan League title, 11-2, at Escondido.  Paul Kaneyuki spaced 10 hits and the Pointers manufactured 14. Grossmont beat La Jolla, 10-4, and Oceanside took its first league win, 6-3 over Kearny.

5/20/47

Brown Military (4-1) stayed alive in its Southern Prep League pursuit of idle Fallbrook (4-0) as the Cadets smashed Julian, 16-2, at the Cadets’ Garnet Avenue ball bistro in Pacific Beach.  Ramona beat Army-Navy, 11-5, and Vista topped San Dieguito, 7-6.

–Grossmont finished 5-1 in Metro League play with a 9-7 win over Kearny and then began a waiting game, hoping for a Sweetwater win over Point Loma which would give the Foothillers a share of the championship.

5/23/47

Point Loma (6-0) claimed the Metropolitan League title, 5-2, over Sweetwater on the Convair Field diamond.  Paul Kaneyuki limited the Red Devils to five hits.  Fallbrook (5-0) clinched a share of the Southern Prep League title, 10-1, over Army-Navy as Ted Chamness limited the Warriors to one hit.

Host Long Beach Wilson trailed, 1-0, after six innings and then scored two runs each in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings for a 7-2 CIF playoffs, semifinals victory over Hoover.

Wilson, an 18-8 loser to San Diego, won the Southern Section championship the following week, 9-4, over visiting Glendale.