Come May, come marks.

San Diego Section boys turned in some of the season’s best efforts in league finals last week, with Dylan Yarbrough of San Dieguito pole vaulting 17 feet, 1 inch, to take the state lead and joining Jestian Richardson of Oceanside (49-7 triple jump), Josiah Bowman of Sage Creek (1:49.54) of Sage Creek and Jasir Fontenot of Mater Dei (:13.67 110 high hurdles).

Fontenot, rounding into the form that made him a 2025 state meet champion after a 2026 early-season ankle injury, is tied for the lead with a runner from Concord De La Salle of the North Coast Section.

Competition picks up again Saturday, May 16, with championships in Divisions I (Del Norte), II (University City), and III (Canyon Hills), leading to overall Section championships at Mt. Carmel Saturday, May 23.  The 106th state meet will be at Clovis Buchanan High May 29-30.

San Diego Section athletes in state top 25 are noted in Athletic.net, except any with the — designation.  *Junior. **Sophomore. ***Ninth-grader. Bold indicates updated season best.

BOYS

EVENT	MARK	NAME, SCHOOL	STATE	CALIFORNIA	NAME, SCHOOL	SECTION
100	:10.39w, :10.48	Leed Smool, La Jolla	13th & —	:10.12w, :10.28	*Clayton, Jr., Oak Hills	Southern
	:10.56	Brice Abawi, Rancho Bernardo	—
	:10.66	Cole Dahlan, Carlsbad	—
	:10.71	Romeo Postolis Carter, Point Loma	—
	:10.72	*Marcus Salmond, Madison	—
	:10.74	*Makhai Jackson, Morse	—
200	:21.08w, :21.36	Smool	15th & —	:20.66	Obimgba, Torrance	Southern
	:21.23	Obawi	—
	:21.32w, :22.12	*Jordan Simmons, San Pasqual	—
	:21.46	Postolis Carter
	:21.51w, :21.52	*Salmond	—
	:21.55	*Damian Jones, Granite Hills
400	:47.69	Smool	19th	:46.11	Yohannes, L.A. Loyola	Southern
	:47.75	Jackson Ellis, Helix	21st
	:48.09	*Jones	—
	:48.29	*Jorden Woods, San Marcos	—
	:48.31	Zachary Marsh, Scripps Ranch	—
800	1:49.54	Josiah Bowman, Sage Creek	1st	1:49.98	*Alberts, Carmichael Jesuit	Sac-Joaquin
	1:51.19	Cam Yarbrough, Del Norte	10th
	1:53.98	*Cade Wilhoit, Mission Vista	—
	1:54.17	Finley Butler, Del Norte	—
	1:54.63	**Keith Buswell, Poway	—
	1:54.66	Peter Jordan, St. Augustine	—
1600	4:06.22	Bowman	3rd	4:06.02	Zavaleta, Riverside King	Southern
	4:07.22	Cooper Castleberry, Poway	5th
	4:09.65	Yarbrough	12th
	4:12.47	*Jaxon Northcutt, Mt. Carmel	—
	4:12.87	Nate Bamford, Scripps Ranch	—
	4:13.71	Nate Wilber, Cathedral	—
	4:14.43	Jack Loomis, Point Loma	—
3200	8:57.28	*Northcutt	6th	8:43.21	Zavaleta	Southern
	8:58.63	Castleberry	12th
	8:59.74	Yarbrough	13th
	9:02.74	Wilber	22nd
	9:06.04	Gunner Silva, Classical	—
110 High Hurdles	:13.67	**Jasir Fontenot, Mater Dei	1T	:13.67	*Young, Concord De La Salle	North Coast
	:14.12	Spencer Chastang, El Capitan	16th
	:14.49	Jayden Leyva, Imperial	—
	:14.55	Nyjah West, El Camino	—
	:14.60	**Niko Williams, Granite Hills	—
300 Hurdles	:38.06	Chastang	16th	:36.67	Cy Lugo, Elk Grove	Sac-Joaquin
	:38.07	Aiden De Hoyos, Helix	17th
	:38.59	Jayden Leyva, Imperial	—
	:39.07	Taim Alobaidi, Grossmont	—
	:39.15	Blake Haglof, San Marcos	—
	:39.29	**Ryder Von Guenthner, Bonita Vista	—
4×100 Relay	:41.69	Rancho Bernardo	—	:39.70	Anaheim Servite	Southern
	:41.77	San Marcos	—
	:42.01	Helix	—
	:42.05	Granite Hills	—
	:42.13	Westview	—
	:42.22	Steele Canyon	—
	:42.24	Point Loma	—
4×400 Relay	3:18.07	Helix	12th	3:10.33	Anaheim Servite	Southern
	3:18.57	Scripps Ranch	14th
	3:19.32	Point Loma	21st
	3:21.32	La Costa Canyon	—
	3:22.38	Del Norte	—
4×800 Relay	7:44.70	Del Norte	3rd	7:38.13	San Juan Capistrano JSerra	Southern
	7:49.56	Poway	7th
	7:58.10	Scripps Ranch	—
	7:59.57	San Marcos	—
	8:01.21	Point Loma	—
High Jump	6-7	Darrien Scott, Blythe Palo Verde Valley	11T	7-0	Guzman, Moorpark	Southern
	6-7	*Jerry Stokes, Bonita Vista
	6-6	*Alijah Cheeks, Mission Bay	23T
		**Trey Edwards, Helix
		Elisha Harris, Morse
Long Jump	23-7	*Kymani Joseph, Patrick Henry	13T	24-11 ½	*Borden, Murrieta Valley	Southern
	23-4 1/2	Kyler Brown, Westview	18th
	23-4	Mekhi Oluwa, Mater Dei	19th
	23	*Cheeks	—
	22-11 ½	Jaxen Carlisle, La Costa Canyon	—
Triple Jump	49-7	Justian Richardson, Oceanside	1st	48-8 1/4	Malloy, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel.	Southern
	46-11 ½	West	9th
	46-10w, 46 1/2	Hagen Buechler, La Costa Canyon	10th
	46-7 ¾	Javen Buchanon, Oceanside	12th
	45	Elisha Harris, Madison	—
Shot Put	58-6	Jayden Gibbs, Oceanside	11th	65-3 ½	Jacobson, Mountain View St. Francis	Central Coast
	50-9	Tommy Mix, Canyon Crest	—
	50-6	Stephen Munoz, El Camino	—
	50-5	Cooper Meyer, San Marcos	—
	50-4	Quinn Obrigewitch, University City	—
Discus	189-8	Gibbs	3rd	194-2	Van Grouw, Clovis Buchanan	Central
	165-9	Chance Curry, Rancho Bernardo	—
	157-8	Nicolas Zamora, Mount Miguel	—
	156-11	Kawika DeVore, Madison	—
	155-4	Arthur Arekelian, Torrey Pines	—
Pole Vault	17-1	Dylan Yarbrough, San Dieguito	1st	17	Wilshusen, Paso Robles	Central
	16-6	*Torin Sotelo, Grossmont	4th
	16-3	Dane von Guenther, Otay Ranch	6th
	16-1	Tyler Suhar, Torrey Pines	8T
	16-1	**Kingston Khouri, Fallbrook
	15-9	William Smith, Grossmont	11T
	15-6	*Lance Irmen, Rancho Bernardo	15T
		Grayson Lewis, West Hills
	15-3	*Courtland Bradshaw, Del Norte	20T
		Dylan Myrick, Ramona

San Diego Section athletes in state top 25 are noted in Athletic.net, except any with the — designation.  *Junior. **Sophomore. ***Ninth-grader. Bold indicates season best achieved last week. Girls’ marks tomorrow.

San Diego Section athletes in state top 25 as noted in Athletic.net, except any with the — designation.  *Junior. **Sophomore. ***Ninth-grader. Bold indicates season best achieved last week.

EVENT	MARK	NAME, SCHOOL	STATE	CALIFORNIA	NAME, SCHOOL	SECTION
100	:11.92w, :11.94	Joelle Frazier, Steele Canyon	—	:11.33w, :11.51	Kirk, Calabasas	Southern
	:12.00	**Miyah Holmes, San Marcos	—
		Ava Parker, Helix
	:12.04	*Aniyah Scott, Steele Canyon	—
	12.10	**Haley Hannemann, Mission Hills	—
200	:24.05w, :24.31	***Parker	10th	:23.35	**Collins, Fullerton Rosary	Southern
	:24.20	Frazier	15th
	:24.66	Ella Joo, Del Norte	—
	:24.72	Holmes
	:24.89w, :25.46	Valentina Diaz Flores, El Camino	—
400	:53.47	***Parker	2nd	:53.13	Adams, L.B. Wilson	Southern
	:56.85	Elise Datuin, Mater Dei	—
	:56.90	Delaney Hennigan, Westview	—
	:56.98	*Gonzales	—
	:57	**Kareli Rascon, Eastlake	—
800	2:11.35	Hennigan	17th	2:04.52	Braelyn Combe, Corona Santiago	Southern
	2:11.73	*Harper Diaz, Santana	22nd
	2:11.82	**Kareli Rascon, Eastlake	25th
	2:13.14	*Mia Oh, La Costa Canyon	—
	2:13.44	Isabella Ramos, Point Loma	—
1600	4:39.31	Chiara Dailey, La Jolla	1st	4:40.1	Combe
	4:52.48	Ayanna Hickey, The Bishop’s	21st
	4:54.76	Ari Llorens, Francis Parker	25th
	4:55.15	*Grace Keefe, Cathedral	—
	4:56	*Elliana Patterson, Christian	—
3200	9:53.8	Chiara Dailey, La Jolla	1st	9:44.19	Combe
	10:14.60	*Patterson	4th
	10:23.88	Llorens	7th
	10:38.94	**Lindsey Billotte, Classical	25th
	10:40.66	***Isabel Gladden, Sage Creek	—
100 Hurdles	:13.92w, :13.94	Gabrille Thomas, Grossmont	5T	:13.65	**Lacy, San Jacinto Valley	Southern
	:14.26	*Evie Allison, Steele Canyon	11th
	:14:31	*Izabella Czyszczon, Del Norte	12th
	:14.55	**Isabelle Taylor-Dixon, Eastlake	21st
	:15w, :15.25	*Remingtyn Bryant, Ramona	—
300 Hurdles	:43.55	*Isabel Garcia, Holtville	13th	:39.93	Lacy	Southern
	:44.23	Thomas	21st
	:44.65	Taylor Sheridan, Rancho Buena Vista	—
	:45.22	Taylor-Dixon
	:45.27	*Czyszczon
4×100 Relay	:46.59	Steele Canyon	5th	:44.23	Fullerton Rosary	Southern
	:47.55	Del Norte	20th
	:47.79	San Marcos	—
	:48.18	Helix	—
	:48.77	El Camino	—
4×400 Relay	3:50.52	Steele Canyon	5th	3:38.67	L.B. Wilson	Southern
	3:56.91	La Costa Canyon	25th
	3:58.67	Sage Creek	—
	3:58.77	Eastlake	—
	3:58.79	Helix	—
4×800 Relay	9:10.79	La Costa Canyon	7th	8:50.32	San Juan Capistrano J Serra	Southern
	9:11.58	Cathedral	8th
	9:23.03	Scripps Ranch	12th
	9:25.16	Point Loma	15th
	9:28.87	Poway	22nd
High Jump	5-6	*Isa Cunningham, Westview	11T	5-10	Teven, Brea-Olinda; Laruelle, Cupertino Monta Vista	Southern & Central Coast
	5-5	*Anatasia Volkov, La Jolla	18T
	5-4	Gisele Martinez, Point Loma	24T
	5-3	Amaia Olivo, Mt. Carmel	—
	5-3	Valentina Diaz Flores, El Camino	—
Long Jump	19-6 ½	Amaya Estes, Canyon Crest	10th	20-4 ¾	McCuskey-Hay, S.F. St. Ignatius	Central Coast
	19-3	*Malia Jones, Oceanside	13th
	19	***Livia Allison, Steele Canyon	15T
	18-10 1/2	**Danica Whited, El Camino	24th
	18-8	Grace Eichelman, Our Lady of Peace	—
Triple Jump	40-4 3/4	*Jones	5th	42-7 ¾	Hughes, Los Altos	Central Coast
	38-1	Whited	21st
	37-11	Giani Darden, Rancho Bernardo	23rd
	37-10 ¼	**Taylor-Dixon	—
	37-1 3/4	**Kenzie Banks, Rancho Buena Vista	—
Shot Put	42-6	*Brooklynn Davis, Oceanside	9th	53-2	Massey, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel	Southern
	40-9	*Janae Stanley Castillo, La Jolla	15T
		Jaiden Sidhu, Mission Vista
	40-6 ½	**Khalifa Price, Crawford	17th
	40-3	**Miley Christenson, Grossmont	19th
Discus	127-2	*Davis	—	188-7	Massey
	125-11	Samantha Spann, Del Norte	—
	125-1	*Magnolia Clayton, Patrick Henry	—
	120-8	Kianna Lefear, University City	—
	120-1	*Kai Brown, Santana	—
Pole Vault	12-6	Caitlin Khieu, Del Norte	3T	13-1	Forst, Elk Grove Pleasant Grove	Sac-Joaquin
	12-3	*Eva Quinonez, San Ysidro	7th
	12-2	Elia Hext, San Dieguito	8T
		**Sonia Humer, Rancho Bernardo
	12	Sophie Humer, Rancho Bernardo	11T
		Izzy Bugayong, Rancho Bernardo
	11-8	***Aleksandra Strem, Cathedral	—

 

Dual meets wrap this week, heading into league finals May 8-9, San Diego Section divisional championships May 16, Section finals May 23, and the 106th state meet May 29-30 in Clovis at Buchanan High.

Mater Dei’s Jasir Fontenot, state 100 hurdles champion as a ninth grader in 2025, lost for the first time since a race at Arcadia in 2025, when he was second at the Sacramento Meet of champions last week to Chase Young, a junior from Concord De La Salle.

Fontenot, who ran :13.21 winning the state meet championship last season, was slowed by an ankle injury until recently.  His time of :13.77, with an allowable 1.7 trailing wind, was his best of the 2026 season, while Young’s career-best :13.67 topped a wind-aided :13.87 earlier this season.

San Diego Section athletes in state top 25 are noted in Athletic.net, except any with the — designation.  *Junior. **Sophomore. ***Ninth-grader. Bold indicates season best achieved last week. Girls’ marks tomorrow.

BOYS

EVENT	MARK	NAME, SCHOOL	STATE	CALIFORNIA	NAME, SCHOOL	SECTION
100	:10.39w, :10.48	Leed Smool, La Jolla	8T & 25th	:10.12w, :10.28	*Clayton, Jr., Oak Hills	Southern
	:10.57w, :10.64	Brice Abawi, Rancho Bernardo	—
	:10.71	Romeo Postolis Carter, Point Loma	—
	:10.73	*Marcus Salmond, Madison	—
	:10.76	*Cole Dahlan, Carlsbad	—
200	:21.08w, :21.36	Smool	10th & —	:20.66	Obimgba, Torrance	Southern
	:21.32w, :22.12	*Jordan Simmons, San Pasqual	—
	:21.51w,:21.60	*Salmond	—
	:21.61	Aiden De Hoyos, Helix	—
	:21.70	Postolis Carter	—
400	:47.69	Smool	18th	:46.11	Yohannes, L.A. Loyola	Southern
	:47.75	Jackson Ellis, Helix	20th
	:48.09	*Damian Jones, Granite Hills	25th
	:48.29	*Jorden Woods, San Marcos	—
	:48.66	De Hoyos	—
800	1:49.54	Josiah Bowman, Sage Creek	1st	1:49.98	*Alberts, Carmichael Jesuit	Sac-Joaquin
	1:51.19	Cam Yarbrough, Del Norte	10th
	1:53.98	*Cade Wilhoit, Mission Vista	—
	1:54.17	Finley Butler, Del Norte	—
	1:54.66	Peter Jordan, St. Augustine	—
		**Keith Buswell, Poway	—
1600	4:06.22	Bowman	3rd	4:06.02	Zavaleta, Riverside King	Southern
	4:07.22	Cooper Castleberry, Poway	5th
	4:09.65	Yarbrough	12th
	4:13.18	*Jaxon Northcutt, Mt. Carmel	—
	4:13.71	Nate Wilber, Cathedral	—
3200	8:57.28	*Northcutt	6th	8:43.21	Zavaleta	Southern
	8:59.74	Yarbrough	12th
	9:02.74	Wilber	19th
	9:06.04	Gunner Silva, Classical	25th
	9:09.69	Castleberry	—
110 High Hurdles	:13.77	**Jasir Fontenot, Mater Dei	4th	:13.67	*Young, Concord De La Salle	North Coast
	:14.12	Spencer Chastang, El Capitan	15th
	:14.49	Jayden Leyva, Imperial	—
	:14.55	Nyjah West, El Camino	—
	:14.61	**Niko Williams, Granite Hills	—
300 Hurdles	:38.06	Chastang	13th	:36.67	Cy Lugo, Elk Grove	Sac-Joaquin
	:38.07	Aiden De Hoyos, Helix	14th
	:39.07	Taim Alobaidi, Grossmont	—
	:39.15	Blake Haglof, San Marcos	—
	:39.29	**Ryder Von Guenthner, Bonita Vista	—
4×100 Relay	:42.10	Helix	—	:39.70	Anaheim Servite	Southern
	:42.12	San Marcos	—
	:42.13	Westview	—
	:42.22	Steele Canyon	—
	:42.38	Point Loma	—
4×400 Relay	3:18.07	Helix	11th	3:10.33	Anaheim Servite	Southern
	3:18.57	Scripps Ranch	13th
	3:20.27	Point Loma	21st
	3:21.32	La Costa Canyon	—
	3:22.38	Del Norte	—
4×800 Relay	7:44.70	Del Norte	3rd	7:38.13	San Juan Capistrano JSerra	Southern
	7:49.56	Poway	7th
	7:58.10	Scripps Ranch	—
	7:59.57	San Marcos	—
	8:01.21	Point Loma	—
High Jump	6-7	Darrien Scott, Blythe Palo Verde Valley	8T	7-0	Guzman, Moorpark	Southern
	6-6	*Alijah Cheeks, Mission Bay	20T
		*Jerry Stokes, Bonita Vista
	6-4	Justian Richardson, Rancho Buena Vista	—
		**Dwain Pemberton, Helix	—
		Elisha Harris, Madison	—
Long Jump	23-4	Mekhi Oluwa, Mater Dei	15th	24-11 ½	*Borden, Murrieta Valley	Southern
	23	*Cheeks	25T
	22-11 ½	Jaxen Carlisle, La Costa Canyon	—
	22-9 ¾	P.J. Johnson, Granite Hills	—
	22-6 1/4	Landon Russell, Mission Hills	—
Triple Jump	49-7	Richardson	1st	48-5	Malloy, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel.	Southern
	46-11 ½	West	9th
	46-10w, 46 1/2	Hagen Buechler, La Costa Canyon	10th
	46-7 ¾	Javen Buchanon, Oceanside	12th
	45	Elisha Harris, Madison	—
Shot Put	58-6	Jayden Gibbs, Oceanside	11th	65-3 ½	Jacobson, Mountain View St. Francis	Central Coast
	50-6	Stephen Munoz, El Camino	—
	50-5	Cooper Meyer, San Marcos	—
	50-4	Quinn Obrigewitch, University City	—
	50-2	Tommy Mix, Canyon Crest	—
Discus	181-5	Gibbs	8th	194-2	Van Grouw, Clovis Buchanan	Central
	165-9	Chance Curry, Rancho Bernardo
	157-8	Nicolas Zamora, Mount Miguel	—
	156-11	Kawika DeVore, Madison	—
	154-4	Cooper Meyer, San Marcos	—
Pole Vault	16-9	Dylan Yarbrough, San Dieguito	2T	17	Wilshusen, Paso Robles	Central
	16-6	*Torin Sotelo, Grossmont	4th
	16-3	Dane von Guenther, Otay Ranch	6th
	16-1	Tyler Suhar, Torrey Pines	8T
	16-1	**Kingston Khouri, Fallbrook
	15-9	William Smith, Grossmont	11T
	15-3	*Courtland Bradshaw, Del Norte	18T
	15-1	*Brennan Ojeda, Del Norte	25T
	15-1	*Lance Irmen, Rancho Bernardo

Originally published June 9, 2019.

Gordon Nash retired, taking with him a legacy of great teams and great players, and a sour finish.

Nash’s coaching record of 259 wins against 69 losses for a won-loss of .790 was forged over 11 seasons in which Helix won two San Diego Section championships, appeared in five title games, was runner-up three times, and third once.

The Scots were in the finals again this year, but a referee’s decision in a 58-57 loss to Torrey Pines provoked a belch of acid reflux from one of  the most successful mentors in San Diego Section history.

“The glass slipper fit for Torrey Pines but for years to come Helix High basketball fans will swear the officials supplied the shoe horn,” wrote Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

It appeared for a moment that Helix had sent Nash out victorious with a last-second basket by sophomore Larry Brooks.

The Scots celebrated, as did many in the Sports Arena crowd of 8,199.

But referee Jack Miyamoto emphatically signaled no shot had been taken (because) time had run out before Brooks put the ball in the air.

“There was no question, the game was over,” Miyamato told reporters.  “There was appreciable time between the horn and the gun, but the ball wasn’t even up yet”.

“The horn at the Sports Arena was not very loud,” said Brand.  “There also was an official at the scorer’s table with a starter’s pistol, which sounded almost simultaneously and which was the official time.”

“We should have won; there is no question about it,” said Nash.  “The ball obviously was in the air.  All they had to do was listen to the gun.”

Nash said that he spoke with four coaches who “told me the ball was in the air before the game ended.”

“It was never in doubt; time had run out,” not surprisingly stated Torrey Pines coach Clete Adelman.

Remembered Brand:  “I think Miyamoto got it right.”

NASH AND WALTON

Nash, who succeeded Bob Speidel in 1967-68, was 21-10 in his first season and reached the CIF finals, but it was in the next two years with 6-foot, 11-inch Bill Walton scoring, rebounding, and defending that Helix became a program of almost national import.

The Highlanders were 29-2 in 1968-69 and 33-0 in 1969-70, including a record, 49-game winning streak and a home winning streak of 40 games.

Other than a 10-15 slump in 1974-75, Helix’ decade-plus record never was poorer than 19-11 and Nash’s last two teams, although beaten in the finals, were 55-4.

“I’m not dissatisfied with coaching,” Nash, 45, told Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune. “It’s just that when you reach a certain stage in life people have certain things they want to do.  We’ve had a lot of success.  I just think the time is right…to step down and let someone else have that opportunity.”

Nash, the fourth head coach in Helix’ 27 seasons, didn’t elaborate but remained a biology teacher at Helix.  Nash also credited his two predecessors, Bob Divine (1953-60), who campaigned for years for an on-site gymnasium and who “got the La Mesa Recreation Department to set up good basketball recreation leagues,” and Bob Speidel (1960-67), who coached the 1963-64 championship team.

WINNING (minimum 75 games)

NAME	SCHOOL	YEARS	WON-LOST	PERCENTAGE
John Kovac	Coronado	1953-54-1955-56	63-13	.829
Gordon Nash	Helix	1967-68-1977-78	259-69	.790
Charlie Hampton	Hoover	1952-53-1962-63	222-65	.774
Larry Armbrust	Chula Vista	1963-64-1967-68	103-31	.768
Rickey Wilson	Hoover	1940-41-1945-46	80-25	.762
Merrill Douglas	San Diego	1940-41-1942-43-1946-47-1955-56	236-76	.756

TORREY TURNS TERRIFIC

“Massive underdog Torrey Pines completed a magic sweep through the CIF basketball playoffs many felt the team didn’t even deserve to be in,” wrote Steve Brand.

A fourth-year program that had growing pains of 3-17 and 6-18 before rising to 16-10 in its third season, the Falcons, strengthened with the arrival of Don Capener, a 6-foot, 4-inch transfer from San Rafael who scored almost 21 points game, averaged more than 70 points, and had a 21-3 regular-season record.

The Falcons were not getting much respect, coming from the historically weak North County and rolling on the puny Avocado East, whose Fallbrook (14-10), San Dieguito (14-12). El Camino (10-17), Oceanside (13-12), Vista (7-16), and Carlsbad (10-16) were a combined 68-83 in the regular season.

Torrey was 10-2 in the league, including losses of 34-32 to Oceanside and 66-61 to Fallbrook, and had to fight before getting past El Camino, 62-61.

Given little credence was the Del Mar quintet’s 15-1 record in non-league contests. The Falcons were 10^th in the final, regular-season Evening Tribune poll. They would face and defeat three teams above them in the one-week, one-bracket tournament of 16 teams, No 1 Helix, No. 4 Morse, and No. 7 Sweetwater.

PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND
Sweetwater 68, Bonita Vista (19-10) 61.
Torrey Pines 77, Orange Glen (13-11) 55.
Escondido 66, Fallbrook (14-11) 53.
Helix 53, Santana (16-10) 44.
Kearny 59, Lincoln (21-4) 56.
Morse 59, St. Augustine (17-12) 56.
Monte Vista 59, Mount Miguel (22-6) 51.
Marian 61, Montgomery (17-11) 53.

QUARTERFINALS
Helix 57, Kearny (19-9) 47.
Torrey Pines 69, Sweetwater (21-8) 67.
Marian 56, Escondido (14-14) 50.
Morse 53, Monte Vista (22-7) 47.

SEMIFINALS
Helix 40, Marian (25-4) 37.
Torrey Pines 65, Morse (25-4) 57.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Torrey Pines (25-3) 58, Helix (28-2) 57.

THIRD PLACE
Morse (26-4) 64, Marian (25-5) 60.

CLASS 1A
Christian (18-8) 42, Francis Parker (17-7), 41.

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

In its 31^st year, the annual carnival continued to feel its age.  Forty teams, down from 47 a year ago, opened play at four area sites. Visitors included El Centro Central, Brawley, and Calexico.

Twelve different tournaments provided indirect or direct competition for the venerable mainstay, while redoubtables University and Bonita Vista also felt the pinch.

—Mt. Helix: Host Helix topped Sweetwater, 61-59, for the second annual title as the Highlanders’ 6-9 1/2 Mark Snow and Sweetwater’s 6-10 Michael Pitts each scored 28 points.

—Hilltop-Chula Vista:  Mount Miguel beat Hilltop, 67-60.

—Francis Parker:  Christian defeated Julian, 50-44.

—Apple Mountain: Host Julian played Eagle Mountain for championship.

—Jimmy Mitchell Mustang Optimist: Don Capener’s 26 points moved Torrey Pines past host San Dieguito, 75-50.

—University:  Fourteen teams, lower than usual 16, including defending champion Huntington Beach, played at one site, the University of San Diego gym.  Downey defeated Lincoln, 58-56, and Huntington Beach claimed third place, 77-76 over Kearny in two overtimes.

—Baron-Optimist, 11 teams, down from usual 16:  Morse defeated host Bonita Vista, 90-53.

—Eagles Classic at Granite Hills: Four teams. Second-year Mira Mesa, featuring brothers Chris and Steve Haupt, edged Castle Park, 57-55.

—Chino:  San Diego squads had participated since the first tournament in 1939-40.  Escondido and Coronado quickly went into and then out of the consolation bracket. Mt. Carmel made the consolation semifinals before bowing Cerritos, 84-71.

—Grossmont-Santana: Bellflower defeated Grossmont, 66-50.

—Tracy:  Mount Miguel earned fifth place, 87-73, over Livermore.

—Rancho Las Vegas:  Vista was 0-2, losing to Las Vegas Western, 72-64, and Palos Verdes Miraleste, 71-53.

—Kiwanis:  Helix defeated Monte Vista, 65-49 for the Unlimited Division title as Mark Snow scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.  Mira Mesa topped La Jolla, 55-37, in the Limited Division, and Marian won the eight-team Classified, 60-57, over Lincoln.

TECHNICAL ISSUE

—Santana led Burbank, 41-40, with three seconds to go in the Santana-Grossmont Tournament.

—The visitors heaved a length-of-the-court pass and drew a questionable foul.  Santana coach Bart Hare protested, mildly, according to writer Steve Brand.

—Because Santana had not committed enough personal fouls to warrant a one-and-one free throw situation, Burbank got the ball out at halfcourt.

—The Bulldogs’ inbound pass from halfcourt hit the backboard and a Santana player hugged the rebound.

—So far, so good.  No problem? Santana wins?  Wait a minute.

—A whistle blew in the moment between the ball hitting the backboard and being retrieved by the Sultans player.

—One official, according to Hare’s account, said the throw was an illegal attempt and awarded the ball to Santana.

—The other official huddled with his partner and said the ball was not intentionally thrown at the backboard, so there was no infraction.

—Burbank was awarded the ball again.

—Hare went Code Red.

—The Santana coach was hit with a technical foul, then another, then another, then another, and finally with a fifth, for not leaving the bench area after the second.  If this was baseball, Hare would have earned a platinum sombrero or the  “Olympic Rings”.

—Burbank then drained a 20-foot shot at the buzzer to win, 42-41.

BART EXPLAINS BLOWUP

“There are only five reversible calls in basketball and that isn’t one of them,” Hare declared to Steve Brand the next day.  “It wasn’t a judgement call.  The rules say whatever the call, even if it’s wrong, must be upheld.

“We should have had the ball out of bounds.”

The coach had a postscript:

“What really hurts is they’ve cracked down on the coaches this year but they haven’t upgraded the officiating. The guy who called that one was a ten-year veteran.”

SHARPER HARPER

Santana’s Tod Harper became the sixth player in County history to score at least 50 points in one game with 53 in the Sultans’ 90-62 win over Granite Hills.

Harper broke the Grossmont League scoring record of 47, set by Granite Hills’ Tim Doerr in 1968-69.  Harper also scored 41 in another game, which was the school record, set in 1962-63 by Bob Lundgren.

Madison’s Mitchell Lilly and St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules (table below) are the only players to score 50 or more twice.

HALF CENTURY

NAME	TEAM	YEAR	POINTS	OPPONENT	SCORE
Mitchell Lilly	Madison	1976-77	61	San Diego	117-80
Tom Shaules	St. Augustine	1957-58	60	Crawford	102-38
Rob Petrie	Julian	1968-69	60	Mountain Empire	115-76
Shaules		1957-58	53	La Jolla	105-34
Todd Harper	Santana	1977-78	53	Granite Hills	90-62
Dave Moore	San Marcos	1973-74	51	Imperial	78-42
Bill Walton	Helix	1969-70	50	Pasadena	110-68
Lilly		1976-77	50	Torrey Pines	86-75

SUNDEVILS’ PECCADILLOES

All 12 Mt. Carmel varsity players were suspended for two weeks by principal David Stine for breaking “athletic department rules”.

The players were cited after their participation in the post-Christmas Chino Tournament. No report on any action involving coach John Marincovich.

“The commitment to the varsity program will be fulfilled by other members of the program, junior varsity and freshman players,” said Stine, who said no CIF violation was involved.

“We wanted a significant punishment but one that was fair to the players as well,” said the boss.

Mt. Carmel, 9-4 and league favorite entering Avocado East play, was competitive but lost four consecutive games during the varsity hiatus, 48-44 to Orange Glen, 47-41 to San Marcos, 65-59 to El Camino, and 49-47 to Poway.

The losses left the Sundevils 0-4 in the league and 9-8 overall. Then came a remarkable turnaround, nine wins in a row to close the season 18-8, third in the Avo East behind Escondido and Orange Glen, but out of the playoffs.

DOUBLE TAKE

Marian’s Phil Bryant turned in one whistle for another.

Bryant coached the Crusaders’ football team to a 7-3 record and second place in the Metropolitan League and then, because of a staff situation, moved over and coached basketball.

Led by 6-foot, 9-inch, 240-pound Mighty Joe Evans, the Crusaders reached the section semifinals and finished with a 25-5 record.

Marian was 17-1 in Metropolitan play and clinched the league title with a 55-48, final-night win over Sweetwater.

TAKE A CHAIR

Four of Morse’s starting five could do that when coach Ron Davis employed his “rocking chair offense.”

While the starters stood on the sideline, teammate Keith Magee would dribble forward and backward (forward so as not to be penalized with a five-second call).

Magee went into the rocking chair with 1:55 remaining and Morse tied with Kearny, 47-47.

Then, with three seconds left, Magee drove toward the basket and attempted a field goal, but the Komets’ Darryl Stokes blocked the shot. The ball rebounded directly to Morse’s Jeff Turk, who hurriedly fired and made a buzzer-beating basket for a 49-47 win.

SCORING LEADERS

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Don Saemenes	Castle Park	26	652	25.5 (1)
Joe Evans	Marian	30	632	21.1 (4)
Todd Harper	Santana	25	616	23.7 (2)
Jim Freeman	Bonita Vista	29	592	20.4 (6)
Michael Pitts	Sweetwater	29	580	20.0 (9)
Don Capener	Torrey Pines	28	579	20.7 (5)
Curtis McQueen	Mount Miguel	27	568	21.5 (3)
Mark Snow	Helix	30	568	18.9
Richard Walker	Point Loma	26	523	20.1 (8)
Rusty Whitmarsh	Monte Vista	29	513	17.7
Clyde Smith	Mar Vista	25	483	19.3
Robert Moore	San Diego	23	464	20.2 (7)
Tommy Williams	Serra	26	460	17.7
Steve Haupt	Mira Mesa	26	451	17.3
Greg Engler	San Dieguito	26	447	17.2
Bob Dean	La Jolla	23	441	19.2
Reggie Younger	Mira Mesa	26	431	16.6
Dave Sullivan	El Capitan	24	415	17.3
Vernon Van Buren	Clairemont	27	411	15.2
Mike Doucet	Mt. Carmel	21	410	19.5 (10)
John Baumgardner	Kearny	28	408	14.6
Cuchinella	San Pasqual	25	396	15.8
Todd Flores	University	23	393	17.1
Marcus Allen	Lincoln	22	392	17.8
Catalano	Fallbrook	25	370	14.8
Dokie Williams	El Camino	27	369	13.7
Mandry	Escondido	28	368	13.1

JUMP SHOTS—Lincoln’s football all-America, Marcus Allen, made third team all-CIF with a 17.8 average and reportedly had scored 63 points in a Summer League game…University’s Todd Flores sat on the bench for the first three minutes against Serra and then scored a school-record 40 points in an 89-69 win…Crawford stalled almost all of the last 4:30, setting up a shot, then missed, but blanked St. Augustine in overtime to win, 41-37…it took Oceanside 4 overtimes, but the Pirates shut out San Marcos, 8-0, in the final three-minute session to win, 56-48…Sweetwater’s Michael Pitts was reported to have 38 rebounds and 18 points in a 73-66 win over Bonita Vista, after Pitts scored 30 points and had 29 rebounds in an 83-44 rout of Southwest….Sweetwater was led by the 6-10 Pitts and 5-6 James Davis…Kearny’s 43-41 win over Morse, the Tigers’ first Eastern League loss after a 9-0 start, was the Komets’ 99^th win in their last 100 home games…the last loss at home was in 1975 to Crawford, 57-50, which snapped a 50-game streak…after a 49-47 win over Santana, Helix coach Gordon Nash was succinct:  “I didn’t see anything good out there. Nothing.”…St. Augustine won a Western League playoff for entry to the postseason with a 54-46 victory over La Jolla…Todd Harper scored 41 points, but Mount Miguel, with Jerome Weatherspoon scoring half of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, came from behind for a 79-77 victory over Santana…Helix’ first loss in the 28-2 season was 50-48 in overtime to Monte Vista….single game team season highs:  Mount Miguel, 102-72, versus Valhalla with Curtis McQueen leading with 42 points;  Julian 98, Mountain Empire 63; Morse 96, Madison 66; Torrey Pines 96, El Camino 61….

Originally posted Dec. 18, 2017.

Unlikely season, unlikely conclusion.

—A rare playoff run by San Diego teams in the Southern California playoffs.

—San Diego High marched through four rounds to win its only CIF Southern Section championship, along the way setting a school single-game scoring record…maybe.

—Hoover’s  Class B team blitzed opponents in an attempted sequel to championships in 1931-32, 1933-34, and 1934-35,  but there was no championship hardware and no satisfaction.

FAST START

San Diego entered the season with four lettermen starters, Ernie Mallory, Melvin Hendry, Vance Randolph, and Lowell Lee, and picked up a fifth, Bill Patterson, who transferred in from Frankford, Indiana.

Alhambra and Long Beach Poly were favored to fight it out for Coast League laurels.  The Hilltoppers were 6-8 overall the previous year, 3-7 in league play, and 0-4 against the Moors and Jackrabbits.

San Diego showed early  that it was vastly improved, sweeping Class A (a more preferred nomenclature than “varsity”) competition on the Hilltoppers’ home floor in the 13th annual San Diego County Interscholastic Tournament that opened the season in December.

With Mallory leading, Coach Mike Morrow’s squad whipped through Grossmont, 48-13, Point Loma, 36-14, and Ramona, 54-15.

Alhambra was the visitor in the league opener and went home a stunned, 31-28 loser after trailing, 15-9, at halftime.  Mallory led the winners with 13 points.

The San Diego-Alhambra contest was played on a Friday afternoon at 3:30 instead of at the usual 7:30 p.m. because the Moors didn’t want to be headed home at night with the threat of fog on the Coast Highway .

Travel and its various inconveniences always were a nemesis for the far-flung Coast League squads.

 

COAST IS CLEAR

The visiting Hilltoppers led Long Beach Poly, 18-17, at the end of three quarters in their next game but couldn’t hold on and dropped a 21-19 decision.  It was the Jackrabbits’ 17^th victory in the 19 games between the teams since they first met in the 1920-21 season but also San Diego’s last loss in the 15-1 season.

A 40-18 victory at Santa Ana was followed by a 29-23 win at Alhambra, setting up another big game with Poly at San Diego.  The Hillers prevailed, 29-25, as Vance Randolph, who would be lost to the team at midterm graduation, scored 11 points.

Randolph and acting captain Eddie Preisler were scheduled to participate in cap-and-gown ceremonies but opted to stay with the team and make their final appearances at Santa Ana.  A 37-29 victory over the Saints clinched the Hilltoppers’ first outright league championship.  They had tied for first with Poly in 1932-33.

With time before the beginning of the playoffs, the Hillers took on the touring Knapps Grocery Stores squad from Oakland.  The 51-25 rout was part of a doubleheader in which Coach Ed Ruffa’s B team, playing an independent schedule, defeated the Markel-Johnson Poultry House, 31-28.

BEERKLE LOOKING FOR EDGE IN PLAYOFF?

Point Loma, 7-0 and Metropolitan League champion after a 24-16 victory over 6-1 Escondido, was the Hillers’ first playoff opponent.

The Pointers did not have a gymnasium (one newspaper reported the Pointers defeated their alumni, 38-28, “on an outdoor court made soggy by the rains”) and even used the Hillers’ gym in preparation for the game.

Pointers coach Joe Beerkle also bemoaned the fact that he had players who were “on call” to the tuna industry.

Beerkle said that if a fishing boat came in, starters Gil Gonsalves and Joaquin Qualin would have to forego the playoff encounter and help off-load a vessel.

There apparently were no arrivals at the Embarcadero, but the Pointers still were outmanned and lost, 32-18.  San Diego the next night took on barnstorming Phoenix Union and beat the Coyotes, 45-35.

WHAT’S THE SCORE?

Morrow’s club met visiting Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals and scored a 73-45 victory.  Or was it 82-45?

The San Diego Union noted the upcoming game early in the week but then ignored the usual day-of-game advance and did not report on the Saturday night contest.

The rival Evening Tribune printed a very short Monday afternoon story that San Diego had won, 73-45. That score also was corroborated by Don King’s Caver Conquest, with attribution to The Russ, San Diego High’s newspaper.

Ernie Mallory’s 18 points represented the only individual total in the Tribune.

The account seemed all well and good until the Los Angeles Times’ result showed a Huntington Beach dateline and a different score.

The Times’ story presented an editorial slant toward the losing team and essentially was a wrap on the Oilers’ Orange League championship season, but the text was accompanied by a comprehensive box score, which showed that San Diego exploded for 53 points in the second half and won, 82-45.

Mallory was credited with 18 points, followed by 15 each from Bill Patterson and Melvin Hendry, 2 by Lowell Lee, and 9 by the fifth starter Roy Cleator.  Substitutes included Billy Cesena (2), Herman Gatewood (6), Mike Shea (4),  and Bob Barth (2).

A player named “Peder” also was credited with 9 points. There was no record of such human, but there was a Homer “Peabody” on the squad.

CIF Southern Section playoff results for the season also honored the 82-45 score.

The Times’ box score still begged the question.  Why no definitive story and complete box score in the San Diego publications?

We’ll have to go with the locals’ 73-45 count until hearing otherwise and with their subsequent 34-32 win over Santa Barbara and 47-35 championship game victory over Bonita.  Semifinals and finals were played at La Verne College.

RARE OUTBURST

What makes the San Diego-Huntington Beach score enticing is that San Diego’s point total, 73 or 82, was 40 to 50 points above normal for the era. Basketball was a slow-moving, low-scoring, and slowly evolving game offensively, although San Diego somehow scored 76 points in the 1916-17 season against Escondido, which scored 23.

If 82 was correct in San Diego’s progression of high-point totals, the 80 against Grossmont in 1952-53 would be invalid.  The issue became moot in 1957-58, when San Diego outscored La Jolla, 86-40.

RIVALRY ON HIATUS

The lede (first paragraph) on an article in The San Diego Union on Jan. 15, 1936:

“Though coaches and principals of both schools are anxious for the series to continue, it now appears that students of San Diego and Hoover Highs will be without their annual Hilltop-Cardinal cage titanic, yearly the high spot of the basketball programs of the rival city schools.”

Hoover had become a member of the Bay League and played league games on Friday.  San Diego played Coast League games on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Coaches Mike Morrow of San Diego and Bruce Maxwell of Hoover looked for loopholes in their schedules.

The series could be played on Wednesday or Thursday, but this would have put Morrow’s players at the disadvantage of two league and one bragging rights game in one week.

The Cardinals and Hillers, who first played in 1933-34, would resume their rivalry in 1936-37 and played at least once a season until 1976-77.

SWARM OF BEES

Hoover’s powerful Class B team, won the County tournament by defeating Grossmont, 37-4, San Diego, 30-26, and Sweetwater, 37-7, and, led  by future San Diego State legend Milton (Milky) Phelps, left their new Bay League rivals reeling.

The Cardinals won league games by scores of 61-24, 49-7, 43-25, 59-27, and 51-14.  Santa Monica came closest but still was a well-beaten 35-19.  The Cardinals rolled in the playoffs, running Carpinteria off the court, 60-12, and swarming San Luis Obispo, 66-30.

The B playoff semifinals and final rounds were at El Monte High.

Hoover’s opponent in the finals was well regarded South Pasadena, a 32-31 winner over El Monte and the team the Cardinals defeated at San Diego State, 36-22, in the 1934-35 championship.

The venue essentially represented a home game for the Tigers. The distance of about 14 ½ miles from South Pas to El Monte was in contrast to the 120 miles that Hoover had traveled to get to the final four site.

OH, OH!

The dispatch from El Monte following the semifinals was curious:  “Some doubt remains as to where the final game will be played, although Coach Bruce Maxwell has been advised to report to the El Monte gym here tomorrow afternoon with his Hoover team for the finale.”

Maxwell and his team arrived on time and the team was on the court and waited more than an hour, but South Pasadena didn’t show, announcing that it would play only on its home court, apparently because the Tigers were the visiting team at Hoover in the 1934-35 title game.

No forfeit.

The CIF bulletin of April, 1936, announced that the executive committee unanimously voted that no champion be declared since “a disagreement had developed over the place of playing the final game in Class B basketball.”

The committee also passed a resolution ending existing playoff arrangements in Classes B, C, and D and allowing league champions to host at least one interleague championship game.

HILLTOP BEES ALSO STUNG

Competing as an independent team and holding wins over Long Beach Poly and Santa Ana, Coach Ed Ruffa’s San Diego High B team was rebuffed in its attempt to gain a playoff berth.

CIF boss Seth Van Patten suggested that the Hillers’ B squad take on Hoover’s super team in a best, two-of-three series, with the winners being admitted to the postseason.  Since Hoover already had won its league and was in the playoffs, the idea died a quiet death.

FAVORED FLOOR

The San Diego High gymnasium, when not used for practice by the Hilltoppers’ teams, was in play virtually every day of the week.

Point Loma and Sweetwater moved their Metropolitan League opener up one day in order to play on the San Diego court.  The teams didn’t want to use Sweetwater’s outdoor court.

San Diego’s playoff with Point Loma was rescheduled for the afternoon.  Hoover earlier had requested and was granted use of the San Diego gym for that night.

Metropolitan League teams came from long distances to play games at San Diego High.  Army-Navy, Coronado, and Escondido were the only other schools to have gyms.  Oceanside’s building was almost complete.

SET SHOTS

Ernie Mallory, one  of the  top players of the first half-century in the County, and Vance Randolph of San Diego were on the all-Southern California first team…a second-team guard was Pasadena Muir Technical’s  Jackie Robinson…Point Loma coach Joe Beerkle, short of players, moved varsity standout Joaquin Qualin to Class B and Qualin scored 12 points in a 40-12 win over Army-Navy…Ramona won the Southern Prep League championship by defeating runner-up Julian, 43-8…Hoover fielded five teams, Varsity, Class B and C, junior varsity and junior varsity B…Hoover’s Class C squad nosed out Memorial Junior High,15-13…after players had dressed and departed for home it was discovered that Memorial had scored an additional two points…the teams agreed to play another game the next week…Dickie Tazlear scored 16 as Hoover prevailed, 30-24….

 

Originally posted Dec. 30, 2016.

By the grace of a 17-14 advantage in first downs, San Diego High survived a 20-20 standoff with Anaheim in the CIF playoff semifinals before 10,271 persons at Long Beach Veterans’ Memorial Stadium.

A heart-thumping conclusion represented the final shot in a frenetic battle of undefeated teams that brought an end to a week of intrigue and one-upmanship.

Anaheim had defeated Glendale 27-13 at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, and San Diego ushered out Bellflower in Balboa Stadium, 26-6, in the quarterfinals round, setting up what many figured would be a “semifinal for the championship”.

Drama began in the days leading to the showdown:

MONDAY, DEC. 5

San Diego assistant coach Birt Slater met with Anaheim athletic director Dick Glover and CIF commissioner Ken Fagans in Los Angeles.

Anaheim won a coin flip in Fagans’ office to determine the home team, according to the Anaheim Bulletin, but the Colonists did not have a home field and were playing in the low-capacity La Palma Avenue Park.

A grandstand to be built at the La Palma facility wouldn’t be ready until the 1956 season, but there were several stadium possibilities in the region.

Glover wanted the game to be in the new, 7,500-seat Orange Coast College facility in Costa Mesa.

Slater, speaking for head coach Duane Maley and the San Diego administration, argued for the 13,000-seat Long Beach Veterans’ Stadium.

Slater said Orange Coast would not be large enough for an expected huge crowd that would follow the Hillers from San Diego.

Glover, citing observers’ reports, asserted that San Diego attendance was only about 2,000 out of the 3,500 that watched the Bellflower game.

Glover also claimed that Colonists followers outnumbered San Diego’s in Balboa Stadium in 1953, when Anaheim won, 21-7.

TUESDAY, DEC. 6

Anaheim, perhaps with some prodding from Fagans and with a promise of a huge visiting crowd from San Diego, finally agreed to move the game to the larger, financially less demanding Veterans’ Stadium.

“A football field is still 100 yards long no matter where it’s located,” Anaheim coach Clare Van Hoorebeke cryptically replied to a question concerning his opinion about the contest’s being moved from the “originally-planned” Orange Coast venue.

San Diego, according go the Anaheim media, seemed to be making mountains out of mole hills.

The Cavers also wanted to wear their powder blue jerseys, which were introduced this year and were a popular departure from San Diego’s traditional Columbia blue.

Anaheim had the choice of color and opted for its home blue tops.  “San Diego will play in their ‘Sunday School’ whites,” according to the Bulletin.

“The ‘Border Bandits'”, declared the newspaper, “acted like true scoundrels when they tried to force the game to be moved to San Diego and then insisted on their choice of jersey color.”

San Diego had another reason for wanting the game moved from the Costa Mesa campus.  Anaheim was familiar with the layout and had won two games there this season.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

Dick Glover responded to Orange County fans who felt the Colonists had let them down by agreeing to play at Long Beach Vets.

If not Orange Coast, why not the equally familiar Santa Ana Bowl, capacity 9,000?

Glover cited a few reasons:

• “Long Beach charges 10 per cent of the gross, Santa Ana 10 per cent of the first thousand (dollars) and 15 per cent after that.
• “Veterans Stadium is in the back yard of Cypress and Los Alamitos (communities from which Anaheim would draw support) and we have a (financial) obligation to our own school.”
• The clay soil of Orange Coast’s parking lot also would cause problems in the event of rain.
• Orange Coast College was 18.1 miles from Anaheim High. Long Beach Veterans Stadium was 14.8 miles. (Santa Ana Bowl was 8.2 miles).

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

How good was Mickey Flynn, the 160-pound junior who, with “pony “backfield mates Joe Avitia (155), Don Penfield (145), and George Dena (145), had led the Colonists on a 27-game winning streak in the Sunset League?

• Anaheim scored a touchdown on its first or second play in nine of 11 games.
• Flynn was averaging 68 yards on his 19 touchdowns and had scored on his first carry in eight games.
• Gary Land, who sustained a broken ankle in a practice two weeks before, had been ably replaced at right guard in the Cavers’ line by junior Gary Becker. Ron Collins, who had sustained an elbow injury earlier, was ready to go at center.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

John De La Vega of the Los Angeles Times described the game as a “hair-raiser.”

Jim Trinkle of The San Diego Union also captured the moment in his game account: