Corona Centennial did not make an appearance at Cathedral last week until less than 3 minutes before kickoff.

The Huskies did not engage in the usual, pregame warmup.

“Gamesmanship,” observed Don Carey, retired, longtime NFL official who now scouts high school officiating crews.

If that was the late-arriving Riverside County powerhouse’s message to the Dons it seemed to work, for awhile.

Huskies wide receiver Gary Bryant took a handoff on a reverse and raced 67 yards to a touchdown on the game’s second play from scrimmage.

Centennial barged up and down the field for 583 total yards (to Cathedral’s 378) but 3-0 Cathedral punched back each time in a marvelous game that was tied on three occasions and had five lead changes before a crowd of about 6,000 at Cathedral’s Manchester Stadium.

Trailing, 42-37, Dons quarterback D.J. Ralph scored from the one-yard line with 46 seconds remaining to pull out a 44-42 victory.

Ralph rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two and running back Zavien Watson (28 carries, 140 yards) kept the Dons coming when the speedy Huskies threatened to create some distance.

FLAGS

Officials worked hard to keep the teams’ emotions in check in a physical and chippy contest.

Centennial coach Matt Logan tried not to complain, but did.

“There were a ton of calls and it’s unfortunate that that was a factor in the game,” Logan told  writer Tim Meehan of the Riverside Press-Enterprise.  “It’s not an excuse, but it’s a fact.  It’s very unfortunate.”

Corona was penalized 16 times for 173 yards.  The more disciplined Dons were fined five for 40 yards,

THE DON

Despite the disparity, Cathedral coach Sean Doyle also did not appear ready to enjoy a repast with the zebra-striped police.

Doyle prowled the sideline, exhorting his staff and players, and aggressively worked the officials, particularly referee Brian Bortness, usually after hearing from Doyle’s assistant coaches, who spotted possible infractions from high above the field in the press box.

Doyle engaged in the almost comical repetition of removing his headset to bark a complaint to the game referee or instructions to his quarterback, and then placing the device back on his head.

RATINGS

Cathedral traded places with Centennial in Cal-Hi Sports’ weekly ratings and now is fifth, behind Santa Ana Mater Dei, Bellflower St. John Bosco, Concord De La Salle, and Folsom.

St. Augustine rose from 19^th to 17^th.  Helix is 42^nd and Lincoln 44^th.  A loss to San Clemente dropped Carlsbad to the bubble, on which it sits with Torrey Pines.

Max Preps ranks Cathedral third in California and a somewhat eye-brow-raising ninth in the country.  St. Augustine is 17^th in the state, Helix 41^st, and Lincoln 51^st.

Cal Preps.com awards Cathedral a 77.1 computer score, the highest ever for a San Diego team since the service began in 2001. The 15-0 Dons of 2016 scored 72.6.  Next highest were Helix, 65.8 and 64.4 in 2017 and 2011, respectively.

HELIX

The Highlanders did not play last week after losing at home to West Herriman, the No. 6 team in Utah, with a loss only to No. 1 Draper, Utah.

Helix will be home to Cathedral this week.  The Dons look superior but Helix, a traditional power, at this point is an unknown quantity.

ST. AUGUSTINE

Barring a stunning upset, the Saints and Cathedral will meet in Week 7 at Mesa College, with the Western League championship at stake and offering an early barometer of which team will be the Division I favorite in the playoffs.

A 47-0 Saints win over Eastlake in Week 1 was the most decisive loss in Titans coach John McFadden’s 16 seasons at the South Bay school.

The Saints impressed again last week in a 42-5 victory over Los Angeles Loyola and will be favored  this week against Otay Ranch.

TRUE GRID

Two of Catheral coach Sean Doyle’s assistants, offensive line coach Matt White and receivers coach Jerry Ralph, have been head coaches in the San Diego Section and between them own 177 victories…White and Ralph are graduates of University OF sAN dIEGO High, which was the school name before it became Cathedral in 2004…the San Diego Section merry-go-round continued with at least 18 new coaches, same as in 2018…one of the changes was Classical’s Jon Goodman’s moving a few blocks to Escondido Charter…Salton City West Shores still has not announced a coach and has a scheduled opener this week versus Ocean View Christian…the Wildcats’ schedule, however, has been removed from Max Preps‘ listings, meaning perhaps no football this season…the spread offense brought to Patrick Henry by former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan resulted in 111 points in the first three games, the most in school history, dating to 1969…the Mike Martinez-coached team scored 108 in 2015…O’Sullivan is assisted by Nate Nelson, who was the head coach’s wide receiver battery mate at the University of California at Davis…when a scheduling conflict arose, El Centro Central made a week-of-the-game decision and agreed to play El Paso Del Valle…the Spartans loaded up some buses, hiked 614 miles each way, and came home with a 34-21 victory….win this week and Hilltop will be 4-0 for the first time since 2013…

San Diego Union-Tribune Week 3 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Cathedral (29)	2-0	308	1
2.	St. Augustine (2)	2-0	280	2
3.	Helix	1-1	207	3
4.	Carlsbad	2-0	198	6
5.	Lincoln	2-0	178	5
6.	Steele Canyon	2-0	150	7
7.	Torrey Pines	1-1	128	4
8.	Mission Hills	1-1	120	8
9.	Grossmont	2-0	31	NR
10.	La Costa Canyon	1-1	30	NR

Others receiving votes: Granite Hills (2-0, 26 points), Oceanside (1-1, 14), Madison (1-1, 12), San Marcos (1-1, 2), San Diego (2-0, 1), El Camino (1-1, 1), San Pasqual (2-0, 1).

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Bob Petinak, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insid
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Dego Friday Night Lights Magazine

Cathedral Catholic takes on visiting Corona Centennial Friday night in a battle of elite privates and publics.

Coach Sean Doyle’s private-school Dons defeated Arizona’s big one, Scottsdale Saguaro, 18-10, last week at home in the final of the Honor Bowl tripleheader.

Public school Centennial, after a 42-12, opening-game loss to national No. 1 Santa Ana Mater Dei, won its second straight blowout, 56-14 over usually rugged Orange Lutheran.

Matchups like these have become common for Doyle’s team, which does not flinch when assembling a  schedule.

Part of the work is done for Cathedral because it embraces the opportunity each year to participate in the Honor Bowl, a season-opening series played to assist wounded war veterans and brings together some of the top teams in the country.

The Dons are guaranteed a tough opponent in those games, but Cathedral takes it a step further.

Cathedral is acknowledged as having one of California’s top programs and it has gotten there by venturing out of San Diego County.

Winning the league championship and moving through the playoff rounds are the preeminent goals every year, but ratings rate, too.

Three major observers, Cal-Hi Sports, Cal-Preps.com, and Max Preps consider this week’s Dons-Huskies one of the season’s top matchups.

Cathedral is weekly Cal-Hi Sports’ No. 6 team and Centennial  No. 5.

Max Preps rates Cathedral No. 5 in California and No. 19 nationally.  Centennial  is No. 3 and No. 6, respectively.

Cal Preps.com gives Centennial a computer score of 80.1, Cathedral 68.4.

Doyle, who played at University and became the Dons’ coach in 1997 and was part of the move to Carmel Valley when the school was renamed Cathedral Catholic in 2004, has won 198 games in his career and is 16-10 against teams from out of San Diego County.

Cathedral and Helix are two teams from this area who approach the season in much the same manner as the Duane Maley teams of San Diego High in the late ‘forties and 1950s. Maley’s pre-league schedule always was loaded.

Cathedral’s intersectional record since 1997:

SEASON	OPPONENT	WIN-LOSS	SCORE
1998	@Las Vegas Cimarron	W	28-6
2001	Norristown, @Villanova, Pennsyvania	L	35-6
2003	@Carmichael Jesuit	L	41-6
2004	Carmichael Jesuit	L	16-13
2006	Mansfield, Massachusetts	L	35-0
2008	Stockton St. Mary’s	W	37-34*
2013	Sandy Jordan, Utah	W	38-6
	Murrieta Vista Murrieta	W	35-28
2014	Folsom	L	55-10
	Westlake Village Oaks Christian @Oceanside	W	28-21
	@Newbury Park	W	42-28
2015	Rancho Santa Margarita	L	40-14
	Westlake Village Oaks Christian	L	35-33
	Bakersfield Liberty	W	24-10
	Reno Damonte, Nevada	W	48-19
2016	Reno Damonte, Nevada	W	49-12
	Modesto Central Catholic	W	28-25
	Bakersfield Liberty	W	49-7
	Harbor City Narbonne	W	35-28*
	Stockton St. Mary’s	W	38-35*
2017	Loomis Del Oro	L	22-12
	Orange Lutheran	L	37-0
2018	Gardena Serra	W	42-21
	Harbor City Narbonne	W	24-21*
	Folsom	L	21-14*
2019	Scottsdale Saguaro, Arizona	W	18-10
	Corona Centennial
		16-10

Meanwhile, the Dons continued to rank No. 1 in the San Diego Section ahead of arch rival and Western League opponent St. Augustine.

The Saints whacked former power Eastlake, 47-0, last week and take on old rival Los Angeles Loyola at Mesa College this week.

The teams first met in 1926, were members of the Southland Catholic League from 1945-50, and then went their separate ways.

The Saints and Cubs renewed aquaintances and have played every year since 2014, with Loyola holding a 3-2 edge, although St. Augustine won last year’s game, 28-10, in Los Angeles.

Loyola holds an overall, 8-3-1 lead in the series.

QUICK KICKS

“There’s no doubt that it hurts, because we invested a lot of time, effort, and energy in trying to win that game,” Saguaro coach Jason Mohn said to Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic in recapping the loss to Cathedral….

San Diego Union-Tribune Week 2 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis. NR–Not ranked.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Cathedral (29)	2-0	308	1
2.	St. Augustine (2)	2-0	280	2
3.	Helix	1-1	207	3
4.	Carlsbad	2-0	198	6
5.	Lincoln	2-0	178	5
6.	Steele Canyon	2-0	150	7
7.	Torrey Pines	1-1	128	4
8.	Mission Hills	1-1	120	8
9.	Grossmont	2-0	31	NR
10.	La Costa Canyon	1-1	30	NR

Others receiving votes: Granite Hills (2-0, 26 points), Oceanside (1-1, 14), Madison (1-1, 12), San Marcos (1-1, 2), San Diego (2-0, 1), El Camino (1-1, 1), San Pasqual (2-0, 1).

Voting panel of 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Bob Petinak, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Dego Friday Night Lights Magazine

 

 

Westbound traffic will pick up on Escondido’s Valley Parkway Friday night.

A neighborhood bragging rights game is scheduled when revitalized Orange Glen motors West from the eastern edge of town on the old thoroughfare to visit big brother Escondido High.

They’re only 4.5 miles apart, but the visiting Patriots and host Cougars haven’t met since 2015.

Fortunes have ebbed and flowed for both teams in a rivalry that once annually drew crowds of up to 10,000.

Orange Glen is in the midst of a renewal, following the lead of coach Gary Patterson and his son, Cael, who scored 35 touchdowns a season ago and helped the Patriots win four straight playoffs games before they bowed to San Francisco Lincoln, 24-13 in the state VI-AA finals.

Orange Glen’s 10-5 standing marked its first winning season since Rob Gilster coached it to a 9-3 record in 1997 and then moved on to open Valley Center.

Escondido has not been above .500 since 2009 and opened last week with a 45-42 loss to Hilltop, while the Patriots were on the island of Kauai and defeating Waimea, 41-16.

The Cougars lead the series, 28-18, and own a 15-game winning streak, dating to 1998.  Orange Glen had won the 13 previous crosstown matchups, from 1985-97 and  the teams’ first meeting, 14-7, in 1967, but Escondido held a 13-5 advantage through 1984.

CALIFORNIA’S BEST

Cal-Hi Sports‘ weekly state top 50 lists Cathedral No. 6, which is where the San Diego Section No. 1 club was in the newsletter’s first ranking last week.

St. Augustine is 19th, up from 21st.  Torrey Pines, off a 36-10 win over Orange County toughie Los Alamitos, jumped a whopping 16 spots, from 41st to 25th.  Helix is 31st and Lincoln joined the group at 48th.

Mission Hills, 31st last week, dropped out and Carlsbad is on the bubble, which consists of teams near the top 50.

Cathedral, 42-9 over La Costa Canyon last week,  gets it first big test in the Honor Bowl extravaganza Saturday.  Three different matchups on the same day: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame versus Phoenix Desert Vista at noon, followed by Capistrano JSerra and St. Joseph’s Regional of Montvale, New Jersey, at 3:30 p.m., and the host Dons and Arizona’s Scottsdale Saguaro at 7.

QUICK KICKS

Kearny’s 65-16 rout of Calexico required a visit to the Komets’ list of all-time scores…the victory ranks third to a 66-0 win over Patrick Henry last season and a 70-0 win over Crawford in 1969…Army-Navy prepared to meet Clairemont for the first time since 1993, but the Chieftains were forced to bail when only 14 players were available… Valhalla snapped an 0-18 slump with a 35-21 win over University City and El Cajon Valley won its first after 16 losses in a row, 13-7 over Francis Parker…the San Pasqual Academy Dragons have a new coach, Tyrone Shelley, who played basketball for Steve Fisher at San Diego State and holds the San Diego Section single-game record with 76 points in 2005 for Crawford against a team from Canada….

San Diego Union-Tribune Week 1 poll:

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Cathedral (22)	1-0	303	1
2.	St. Augustine (8)	1-0	281	2
3.	Helix (1)	1-0	247	3
4.	Torrey Pines	1-0	206	4
5.	Lincoln	1-0	182	5
6.	Carlsbad	1-0	160	7
7.	Steele Canyon	1-0	106	10
8.	Mission Hills	0-1	106	6
9.	Madison	1-0	41	NR
10.	Otay Ranch	1-0	32	NR

Others receiving votes: La Costa Canyon (0-1, 29 points), Granite Hills (1-0, 12), Oceanside (0-1, 8), Eastlake (0-1, 6), San Marcos (0-1, 4), San Diego (1-0, 4), Grossmont (1-0, 4), El Camino (1-0, 1), Olympian (1-0, 1), Vista (1-0, 1).

Voting panel, 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Union-Tribune correspondents
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, Freelance
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Dego Friday Night Lights Magazine
• Thomas Gutierrez, Cal-Hi Sports

 

Football, which used to open with 90-degree practices under blazing Labor Day suns, is back with a now usual berginning in August’s semifinal week.

The dates have changed, but not the weather.

Cathedral is the San Diego Union-Tribune voting panel’s No. 1-ranked team in the first weekly poll.

Dons coach Sean Doyle, who should become the 11^th coach in County history to win 200 career games, embarks on his 24^th season in a career that began in 1996 at University, which moved its campus on Linda Vista to Carmel Valley and became Cathedral Catholic in 2004.

Doyle has posted a 196-91 (.683) record and trails only Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto (227) and Valley Center’s Rob Gilster (224) among active coaches.

HERB MEYER ON TOP

With 23 seasons, Doyle is in a tie with Gary Blevins, who retired after the 2017 season, at 16^th in longevity.  The leaders are Herb Meyer (45 seasons), Bennie Edens (43), Hamamoto (33), John Shacklett (32), and Gilster (30).

Cathedral (13-2) sustained an unlikely loss to La Costa Canyon, 19-7, in its opening game last season and then ran the table until a 21-14 defeat to Folsom in the state Division I championship.

The Dons will face off again this week against the well-regarded and neighboring Mavericks, No. 6 in the preseason poll.

Then, as is their early-season custom, Cathedral takes on a couple bluebloods.

The Dons will face state No. 3 and U.S. No 9 Corona Centennial in Week 2 and Scottsdsale Saguaro, No. 1 in Arizona and 22nd in the country, in Week 3. Max Preps, responsible for these ratings, places Cathedral at 13^th in California and 45^th nationally.

Cathedral has a solid 58.0 Cal Preps.com rating but Centennial’s is 76.6 and Saguaro’s 64.4.

At least the Dons’ first three tests will be at home.

QUICK KICKS—Helix, which opened No. 1 in San Diego in 2018 and then felt the Week 1 hammer of San Bernardino Cajon, 43-3, switches sites and opens as host to the Cowboys…the Highlanders are Max Preps’ 32^nd rated team in California and Cajon is 56^th…the Scots follow with tough West Herriman, Utah…after that?  Cathedral visits  and then comes Westlake Village Oaks Christian…sandwiched between is a game at Mesa College with St. Augustine…Carlsbad also has a strong intersectional schedule, opening with Newhall Hart, Long Beach Millikan, and Lawndale, which was 14-2 a year ago and is Cal Hi Sports’ preseason state No. 26…Torrey Pines, 41^st by Cal-Hi Sports, opens with Los Alamitos, 9-2-1 last season and ranked 46^th…others accorded props in the newsletter’s top 50:  Cathedral, No. 6; St. Augustine, No. 21; Mission Hills, No. 31, Helix No. 33, and Poway, out of the top 50 but with “On The Bubble” status…Max Preps ranks the Cathedral-Corona Centennial game as No. 6 in its Top 10 matchups of the season….

Points on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

First-place votes in parenthesis.

RANK	TEAM	2018	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	Cathedral (20)	13-2	298	1
2.	St. Augustine (10)	10-3	282	3
3.	Helix (1)	8-5	238	5
4.	Torrey Pines	10-1	179	2
5.	Lincoln	11-5	154	NR
6.	Mission Hills	5-7	153	NR
7.	Carlsbad	6-4	116	6
8.	La Costa Canyon	6-4	108	NR
9.	Oceanside	6-6	51	NR
10.	Steele Canyon	9-3	41	NR

Others receiving votes: San Marcos (8-2), 26 points, Eastlake (10-2), 22, Madison (6-5), 12, San Diego (12-2) 3, Otay Ranch (6-5), 1.

Voting panel, 31 sportswriters, sportscasters, various County football honchos:

• John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune
• Jim Lindgren, Rick Hoff, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Union-Tribune correspondents
• Paul Rudy, Brandon Stone,Ted Mendenhall, KUSI Chl. 51
• Adam Paul, ECpreps.com
• Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com
• Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com
• Taylor Quellman, The Mighty 1090
• Steve Brand, San Diego Hall of Champions
• Troy Hirsch, Kaylyn McMakin, Tabitha Lipkin, Fox 5, San Diego
• Rick Smith, PartletonSports.com
• Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta, Ron Marquez, CIF San Diego Section
• Joe Heinz, Coordinator, Athletics, Sweetwater School District
• Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net
• Bob Petinak, Freelance
• John Kentera, Brandon Suprenant, 97.3 FM The Fan
• Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM
• Mike Dolan, John Carroll, San Diego Section Tournament Directors.
• Christian Pederson, SoCal Prep Insider
• Eric Williams, WBK Sports/San Dego Friday Night Lights Magazine
• Thomas Gutierrez, Cal-Hi Sports

 

Kearny High became the second school (after Grossmont in 1971-72) in the 14-season history of the San Diego Section to win football and basketball championships in the same school year.

The Komets took the Grossmont accomplishment a giant step further.  They were undefeated in both sports, football, 12-0-1, basketball, 32-0.

No team has come close since.

Tying it together was Mark Hoaglin, a 6-foot, 8-inch, 230-pound tight end in football and a husky presence in basketball, the only Birt Slater-coached gridder to also be a regular starter for hoops coach Wayne Colborne.

How the Komets won 32 straight:

1—Kearny 74, Oceanside 46.  Poway transfer Rick Taylor, the son of Komets baseball coach Jack Taylor, scored 17 points.  The balanced Komets also received 19 from Alan Rhodes, 13 from Donald Page, and 10 from Greg Ashbaugh.

2—Page, with 20, and Taylor, with 18, were joined by seven others who scored in a 74-47 victory over a second Avocado League foe, Vista.

3—The Komets continued their run through the Avocado League, racing to a 40-14 halftime lead and easing to a 74-38 win over Orange Glen.

4—Hoaglin still was involved in football (he caught a pass for 25 yards and punted 4 times for 36 yards in Kearny’s 34-0 playoff victory over Sweetwater, reversing a 6-6 tie in the first game) and Grossmont, which would mount a championship bid in the Grossmont League, did not take advantage, never out of it but never really in it as Kearny moved on, 69-57.

5—Perennially tough Helix couldn’t penetrate a tough defense, which guided the Komets to a 53-28 victory.

6—Poway, which would win 21 games, tested the Komets’ resolve, leading, 37-35, into the fourth quarter before the Linda Vistans put together a 20-8 final eight minutes to win a 27^th annual Kiwanis Tournament opening game, 55-44.

7—Hoaglin, after celebrating the football championship, made his debut and matched Donald Page’s 19 points in a 73-45 win over San Dieguito.

8—The Komets flexed some muscle against Madison, their former Western League antagonist, scoring the first 16 points and cruising, 74-61.

9—Morse was 8-1, fresh from a 69-52 win over Helix, but the Tigers were run off the floor, 82-54, and trailed by 36 points at the end of three quarters.  Hoaglin scored 18 and three other starters, Alan Rhodes, Rick Taylor, and Donald Page scored at least 13.

10—Matchup of the year brought two teams together with a combined 18-0 record for the Kiwanis Tournament Unlimited Division title. Patrick Henry was defending San Diego Section champion and had won 25 in a row, including 64-53 over Kearny in the 1972-73 championship game.

The Patriots socked the Komets with a 14-0 run that erased a 39-30 Kearny advantage and put Henry in front, 44-39, with four minutes left in the game.

Staggered, Kearny regrouped, taking back the lead and separating with two free throws by reserve Phil Thompson with 55 seconds left in 52-48 barnburner.

The last of the County’s unbeaten teams, the Komets were rewarded with a week off before the New Year.  They led the CIF, averaging 68 points on offense and holding opponents to 46.8.

11—January began with Page scoring 17, Rhodes 16, and Hoaglin 15 in a 74-52 victory over St. Augustine in the University Tournament.

12—Santana came with a deliberate offense, the polite term for a semi stall.  Kearny eased, 45-29.

13—Alan Rhodes’ 18, Rick Taylor’s 16, Donald Page’s 12, and Mark Hoaglin’s 11 were enough keep Hoover at a distance, 64-56.

14—A Kiwanis Tournament championship game encore, this time the Komets administering the big punch. Trailing, 29-26 at halftime, Kearny whacked Patrick Henry with a 10-0 blitz at the start of the third quarter and they pulled away to lead, 43-32, before going into a slowdown.

Henry never got closer than 4 points in the last period, although they scored with 13 seconds left to make the final 49-47.

15—Coach Wayne Colborne’s club was living dangerously.  They opened Western League play with a 63-60, overtime victory at 13-3 San Diego, which moved to the West this season after 13 years in the Eastern loop.

Kearny trailed, 38-29, in the third quarter before jumping in front, 41-40.  They trailed again, 48-47, with 4:34 left but tied the Cavers, 56-56, at the end of regulation.  Rick Taylor’s seven free throws during the extra session pulled out the win.

Taylor was 9×10 from the charity stripe and Kearny shot 49 per cent from the field.  Alan Rhodes led the second-half comeback and had 23 points.

16—Nine players, led by Taylor’s 18, scored in a 75-39 rout of Madison.

17—Morse didn’t give up without a struggle, staying close almost all the way before bowing, 66-58, as Taylor scored 21 and Page 20.

18—It wasn’t getting easier.  Kearny finished with a 21-8 fourth quarter to shake the pesky University Dons, 51-38.  Uni held the Komets to four points in the third quarter and defended strongly, forcing a number of off-balance shots.

19—Kearny shot 56 per cent from the floor, Point Loma 28 per cent.  The Pointers fell, 60-32. Page led with 16 and backup Ed Simpson had 14.

20—Hoaglin (23), Page (22), and Taylor (22) combined for 67 points and Clairemont was left behind, 86-64.

Kearny might have approached the school record of 97, set in 1968-69 versus Granite Hills, but the Komets just maintained in a 19-19 fourth quarter as reserves got some minutes.

21—A 25-6 first quarter was all that was needed in an 85-47 romp over St. Augustine.

22—Mark Hoaglin scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, the Komets’ shot 55 per cent from the floor, and dominated the rematch with San Diego, 80-55, before a capacity crowd of 1,000 in the Komets’ gym. Kearny’s 1-3-1 zone defense swarmed the Cavers, who shot 38 per cent from the field.

“We’re coming on,” said Colborne.

San Diego coach Gary Todd:  “To fast break you have to get some defensive rebounds. There weren’t any rebounds.  Everything they shot was going in.  Then, when we came down against their zone, we couldn’t move fast enough to get good shots.”

Kearny made 28 free throws to the Cavers’ four.

23—67-57, Hoover. The Cardinals were behind by four points with 1:30 left in the game and had the ball, having run off eight points in a row to close to 60-56.  A 16-6 run had brought the Cardinals back after they lagged, 54-40, after three quarters.

Rick Taylor scored 14 points, including six of the last seven; Donald Page had 17 and Alan Rhodes 21.

24—72-60 over Madison, which scored the last 11 points against reserves.  The Warhawks officially stepped down from the Western League throne, on which they sat for seven straight seasons.

25—The third game, matching No. 1 and No. 2, brought no charm for Henry.  Mark Fitzner’s late, 20-foot looper forced an overtime, but the Komets prevailed, 59-55. Donald Page’s three-point play got separation for Kearny

26—Taylor’s 20, Hoaglin’s 18, and Page’s 16 were the difference in an 81-62 victory over University.  The Dons wilted under a 22-10, third quarter run.

27—77-45, Point Loma.  Ten players scored for Kearny, which was assessed only 5 personal fouls in 32 minutes.  The Pointers were only slightly more aggressive, being whistled for 11 infractions.

28—A perfect, 10-0 Western League season concluded with a 58-45 victory against Clairemont.  The Linda Vistans led, 48-25, after three.

Kearny became the fifth team in County history to end the regular season undefeated, joining Hoover (25-0) in 1959-60, La Jolla (26-0), 1963-64, Mount Miguel (28-0), 1967-68, and Helix (29-0), 1969-70.

29—Chula Vista (16-14) trailed, 40-35, at halftime of the first-round playoff.  The Spartans then affected a stall strategy for the first four minutes of the third quarter.  The stall led to a turnover, which Kearny turned into an 8-0 spurt, and the Komets put away the Spartans, 69-45.

Chula Vista took three shots in the third quarter and was blanked, 6-0, for the period. Rick Taylor led the winners with 29 points.

30—Shooting 58 per cent from the field to Vista’s 37 per cent, the result was a 76-47 victory over the Panthers (17-11).  The Big Four, Hoaglin (17), Rhodes (16), Taylor (14), and Page (12) were in sync.

31—One more time and Happy Trails, Patrick Henry.

It is rare to beat the same opponent 4 times in one season, especially one with a 25-8 record, but Kearny again measured the Patriots, 73-57, in the playoff semifinal before 3,630 at the Sports Arena, Taylor had 24 points and Page 22.

32—Beating the same opponent three times in a season isn’t easy either. Hoover, which finished 24-8, had more wins than any Cardinals team since the 24-3 club of 1960-61.

After defeating Hoover by 8 and 10 points in previous meetings, Kearny pulled away before 5,143 persons in the Sports Arena to a 71-50, championship game victory.

“They were much more aggressive on defense than when we played them before,” Cardinals coach Hal Mitrovich said to Will Watson of The San Diego Union.

“We had hoped to stay close…and then go to the press in the second half and make a run at them, but they just wouldn’t let us do it.”

Kearny led, 39-24, at the half.

Colborne didn’t play a we-were-disrespected card, but he may have been thinking along those lines.  “I don’t know if we made believers of people or not,” he said in answer to a question. “It seemed that all we heard most of the season was that somebody could beat us.”

Colborne wouldn’t be drawn into any what-ifs.  His team had made its statement.  The Komets were balanced and consistent to the end.  They led the County with a 68.1 average on offense and their 49-point defense average was third.

Hoover trailed Morse, 70-50, with two minutes and 40 seconds remaining in their Eastern League game at Hoover on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 2, 1971.

Hoover won, 71-70.

Let’s try that again.

Hoover won, 71-70.

The Cardinals scored the game’s last 21 points in arguably the most jaw-dropping finish in the history of area high school hoops.

“I’m glad I’m not Red Auerbach,” Morse coach Tom Williams remarked two days later, acknowledging the Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach, who would light a cigar on the bench when his team was assured a victory.

“They got into foul trouble and we went into a 1-2-2 press,” said Hoover coach Hal Mitrovich.  “I don’t think they broke center court more than two or three times in the last three minutes.”

Mitrovich thought for a moment.  “If they had thrown in one more basket, they would have won.”

“I’ve got to admit I felt pretty confident,” said Williams, the winner of 443 games in a career in which he coached start-up programs at Morse and Serra.

Williams thought there was 3:40 remaining when the game took its dramatic change (Hoover officials confirmed the correct time as 2:40).

“They got every break in the book,” said Williams.  “We had four starters foul out; they got 19 free throws in the fourth quarter, and then there was the last eight seconds.”

Bill Center of The San Diego Union, who was not at the game, picked up the story with Williams.

“Morse had a one-point lead and a man (the coach would not identify) at the free-throw line, shooting one and one.  But he missed the first shot and, to make matters worse, stepped over the foul line—a violation,” wrote Center.

Hoover was awarded the ball out of bounds on  side court.

“If he had missed without stepping over the line, Hoover would have had to rebound the ball, get it downcourt, and shoot,” Williams said.  “But they got the ball out; they set up, and the time actually was double what they would have had.”

Hoover center Walt Russell dribbled across midcourt, glanced up at the clock, and then let fly with a 15-foot attempt that drained the net with two seconds left. Russell scored 13 of Hoover’s 27 fourth-quarter points and 25 for the game.

“What can you say?” said Williams.  “We shoot 50 per cent from the floor and play a good game.” Morse, ahead, 56-44, at the end of three, lost its two highest scorers, Stan Rosendahl and Keith Walker to fouls, plus Mike Bento and Bill Corsello.

“We told our kids it was a once-in-a-million game,” said Williams.  “If we stop and worry about this game we’re dead.”

Morse finished at 7-5 and in a tie for third with Patrick Henry in the Eastern League and was 17-11 overall. Hoover was fifth at 5-7 and 10-16 overall.

HELIX STREAK ENDS

Kearny’s Jesse Martinez stole a pass and scored a basket with 15 seconds left and then dropped in a free throw, giving the Komets an opening-game, 63-61 victory.  Helix was deprived of a 50^th consecutive win and faced life without Bill Walton.

Life wasn’t that bad.

Despite finishing third in the Grossmont League to Monte Vista and Grossmont, the teams that would play for the San Diego section championship, Helix posted a 21-9 record and Mike Honz led the County with 614 points, and his 20.6 average was second highest in the County.

Helix shocked Monte Vista, 74-49, in the league opener and was 2-2 against Monte Vista and Grossmont, the teams that were accorded first and second place in a telephonic vote among principals at the end of the regular season. All three had 11-3 league records.

The Highlanders’ bid for a fourth San Diego Section championship was derailed by five-time Western League champ Madison, 80-76, in the first round of the playoffs after earlier, 77-62 and 87-72 victories over the Warhawks, but the Grossmont League continued to rule with a third champion in the last three seasons and fifth in the section’s 11 seasons.

PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

–Bob Tagye scored 27 points but third seed Chula Vista (25-4) fell to Patrick Henry, the Eastern League’s No. 3 squad, 68-56, in an opening night stunner.

–John Bunting had 21 points and Monte Vista, off to a 41-21 halftime lead, ushered out Bonita Vista (16-11), 70-54.

–Reliable Mike Collier (21) and Ed Aycox (14) pushed Lincoln past Vista (14-12), 60-45.

–Marty Mayer had 17 points and Clairemont eliminated Poway (13-13), 59-49.

–Castle Park dismissed St. Augustine (17-11), 56-51.

–Grossmont’s front line of 6-foot-10, Ralph Drollinger, 6-8 Kevin Enright, and 6-7 Tom Foulds combined for 45 points as the Foothillers raced past Hilltop (19-9), 80-59.

–Madison, a 15-point loser twice to Helix, scored 52 second-half points and held off the Scots. Rockey Lee, a 6-8 sophomore, came off the bench in the first quarter and led the Warhawks with 25 points and nine rebounds.

–Carlsbad topped Kearny (20-8), 60-56.

QUARTERFINALS

–Ten free-throw points in the fourth quarter helped Monte Vista put away Clairemont, 64-57, after the Chiefs had whittled a 13-point Monarchs halftime lead to three.  Bob Papciak led with 21 points and was 11×13 from the free throw line.  Clairemont, 5-20 in 1969-70, finished with an 18-9 record.

–Madison broke from a 30-30 score at halftime to run off from Castle Park (24-6), 76-57.

–Patrick Henry 60, Carlsbad (22-3), 44.  “Every time we shot they had a hand up and I don’t know how many times they got a hand on the ball,” said Lancers coach Dimitri Poradowski. “When we weren’t scoring our defense was fine,” noted Patriots coach Fritz Ziegenfuss.

–Grossmont scored five points in the final 55 points and sneaked past second-seeded Lincoln (24-6), 49-48.

SEMIFINALS

Attendance at the San Diego International Sports Arena was 5,295 for the two games.

–Top seeded Monte Vista got all it could handle from fourth seeded Madison (20-9), which had beaten favored Helix and Castle Park.  The Monarchs trailed, 37-24, seventeen seconds into the third quarter but rallied to defeat the Warhawks, 62-60.

–Grossmont defeated Patrick Henry (21-9), 78-59, as 6-10 ½ Ralph Drollinger scored 24 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.  Drollinger’s 6-8 teammate Kevin Enright had 24 points and 12 rebounds.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Attendance was 6,451 for the Saturday doubleheader for the title and third place.

Monte Vista (29-2) made it three victories in four tries against its Grossmont League rival, 49-44, pulling away from the Foothillers with a strong third quarter that gave the Monarchs a 43-34 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

Monarchs coach Pete Colonelli, a standout guard at Lincoln in the late ‘fifties, answered those who thought his virtual ironman team of five starters (Allen Bunting, Gary Earle, Bob Pepciak, Jack Cross, and Carl Stucky), would tire from the pace of 4 games in the one-week postseason.

“I think we were in just a little better shape than anyone else,” Colonelli told Bill Center, “and I think the second team can be thanked for that. The second ream gave the starters all they wanted in practice.

“When fatigue sets in there is a lot of reaching and the tired club will draw the fouls,” said Colonelli.  “We were under 20 the last two nights.”

THIRD PLACE

Madison claimed the consolation prize for the third time in five years, defeating Patrick Henry (21-10), 70-59.

SMALL SCHOOLS

Ramona measured San Diego Military, 63-53, for the Class A championship as 6-foot-6 Dale Eberwein scored 24 points and came away with 17 rebounds at La Jolla.  The Bulldogs, 19-7, also topped the Eagles (16-5), 70-64 for the December Southern Prep League tournament gonfalon.

TOURNAMENTS

KIWANIS

Forty-two teams in three divisions, playing as many as 65 games in four days, represented the 24^th annual event, largest in California.  Junior colleges Grossmont, Southwestern, Palomar, and Mesa were hosts for games the first three days, with finals  at San Diego State’s Peterson Gym.

Diane Ridgway, widow of the Mount Miguel coach, Dick Ridgway, who passed suddenly before the season, was the honored guest at the tournament tipoff luncheon at U.S. U.S. Grant Hotel.

–San Diego, 2-6 and a decided underdog to 5-2 Helix, upset the second-seeded Highlanders in the quarterfinals, 61-57.

–Carlos Mina, a 6-foot, 8-inch forward destined to play for Jerry Tarkanian at Long Beach State, set a tournament record with 50 points as El Centro Central won the Classified Division, 80-79 over Bonita Vista.

–Monte Vista won its 11th in a row, topping Grossmont, 56-47, for the Unlimited Division crown.

–Two free throws by Bob Peterson with 1:20 remaining gave Castle Park a three point lead and Trojans held on to win the Limited Division over Chula Vista, 67-66.

POST-CHRISTMAS

Thirty-six teams competed in the University, Chino, Covina, Newport, El Centro, and Bonita Vista events, all sponsored by various Kiwanis, Optimist, and Elks clubs.

UNIVERSITY

Sixteen teams in the sixth annual Uni carnival played all games in the University of San Diego gym, some starting as early as 8:30 a.m. and finishing around 9:30 p.m.

–St. Augustine defeated Kearny, 53-42, for the championship.

–John Slater, son of Kearny football coach Birt Slater, scored nine of Mount Miguel’s 14 points in overtime and had a game high of 34 in the Matadors’ 73-66 win over Hoover.

–Castle Park outscored El Capitan, 22-8, in the final eight minutes to overcome a 57-49 deficit and win, 71-65, in a game in which 56 personal fouls were called.  Six players fouled out.  El Capitan missed 18 of 45 free throws and Castle Park missed 16 of 41.

COVINA

Despite entering with a 6-4 record, Helix played strongly in the prestigious event.

–Dan Coleman’s last-second layin gave the Scots a 78-77 win over Gardena Serra.  Coleman and Mike Honz each scored 22 points.

–Poway went to the consolation bracket following a 98-68 loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

–John Singer’s two free throws with nine seconds left in overtime lifted Helix to a 74-72 win over Lakewood, after Singer missed two free throws with one second remaining in regulation play.  Singer had been fouled while he launched a desperation, half-court shot with the score tied at 70.

–Poway headed home after a second loss, 64-48, to South Pasadena in the consolation round.

–Helix ousted host Covina, 72-61, in the quarterfinals.

–Honz, Coleman, and Dennis Dupree each scored 21 points as Helix hammered Huntington Beach Marina, 85-74, to gain the finals for the second year in a row.

–Mike Honz scored 31 points, but the Scots bowed to West Covina, 72-57.  Honz led all tournament scorers with 96 points and made the all-tournament team with Coleman.

CHINO

—Chula Vista advanced with a 65-49 win over Montclair and 81-60 triumph over Chino before bowing in the semifinals to Upland, 78-69.  The Spartans defeated Clairemont, 79-61 for third place.  Escondido lost to Ontario, 87-59, and Pomona Garey, 91-54.

NEWPORT BEACH

–Monte Vista was 2-0 in tournaments after beating Victorville Victor Valley, 64-63; three-time Nevada champion Las Vegas Clark, 61-55, and Camarillo, 46-44 on Gary Earle’s basket with 15 seconds left.

–Oceanside lost to Newport Harbor, 72-62, and La Jolla to Camarillo, 73-63, pushing the two San Diego teams into a consolation bracket game which Oceanside won, 80-71, despite 33 points by La Jolla’s Gary Kloppenburg.  Costa Mesa topped the Pirates, 72-51, for the conso’ title.

EL CENTRO

Six County schools were among the 14 entered in the fourth annual event.

–Patrick Henry, coming on in its third season, ran past Morse, 56-51, for the championship.

Carlos Mina’s 27 points escorted El Centro Central past Madison, 66-64, for third place.  Future National Basketball Association standout Lionel Hollins scored 24 to lead Las Vegas Rancho to a 78-50 win over Coronado for fifth place.

BARON-OPTIMIST

Bonita Vista was host for the inaugural event.

–San Diego blew a 14-point lead but outscored Mar Vista, 11-2, in overtime for an 81-72 victory.

–Crawford made 30×35 free throws to top Bonita Vista, 76-72, but the Colts lost to El Cajon Valley, 53-43, in the  championship game.

SCORING DOWN?

Production was off only at the top, as four players, compared to 20 in 1969-70, averaged at least 20 points a game.

There were 29 individuals who scored 400 or more points, one more than the previous season.

Hilltop junior Steve Copp had the highest single-game total, 45, in a 95-51 win over Montgomery. El Capitan’s Don Sutton scored 43 in an 83-61 triumph over Granite Hills.

Helix led the way with 100-point games, winning their 35th in a row at home, 105-60 over El Capitan.  The Scots, whose 75.6 game average was the second highest in section history among major schools to Helix’ 83.2 in 1969-70, also topped Santana, 106-52.

Christian passed the century mark when it beat San Miguel School, 101-82.

Leaders:

NAME	TEAM	GAMES	POINTS	AVERAGE
Mike Honz	Helix	30	614	20.5 (3)
Bob Tagye	Chula Vista	29	585	20.2 (4)
Steve Copp	Hilltop	27	571	21.5 (1)
Gary Earle	Monte Vista	31	563	18.2
Mike Collier	Lincoln	29	552	19.0 (8)
John Service	Patrick Henry	31	533	17.2
Kevin Enright	Grossmont	30	523	17.4
Dale Eberwein	Ramona	26	496	19.1 (7)
James  Ross	Kearny	29	491	16.9
Ron Wrigley	St. Augustine	28	493	17.6
Dennis Core	Santana	27	487	18.0
Phil Efseaff	San Marcos	25	483	19.4 (6)
Emlow Henry	Hoover	26	481	18.5 (9)
Louie Yap	Sweetwater	26	479	18.4 (10)
Gary Kloppenburg	La Jolla	24	469	19.5 (5)
Dave Bartholomew	Kearny	29	469	16.2
Allen Bunting	Monte Vista	31	468	15.1
Dan Coleman	Helix	29	461	15.9
Steve Vickery	El Capitan	24	459	17.1
Roger Davis	Lincoln	30	450	15.0
Ralph Drollinger	Grossmont	30	448	14.9
Tom Lines	Bonita Vista	27	446	16.5
Vern Rye	San Dieguito	21	435	20.7 (2)
Bill Howard	Mar Vista	25	432	17.3
John Slater	Mount Miguel	24	427	17.8
Stan Rosendahl	Morse	28	424	15.1
Rich Hastings	Madison	26	423	16.3
Marty Mayer	Clairemont	27	420	15.6
Braestrom	Vista	26	413	15.9

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Bill Walton returned to San Diego as a freshman basketball standout at UCLA and scored 29 points as the Brubabes toyed with a Mesa College team, 132-95.

“We expect Walton to start for the varsity next year,” declared frosh coach Gary Cunningham. “We’re a balanced ball club and he’s an excellent team player, which is why he’s averaging only 19 points a game.”

JUMP SHOTS

Grossmont opened a new gymnasium on campus and took a while to get settled, trailing Bonita Vista, 39-30, at halftime before pulling out to a  73-65 victory…Lincoln’s 6-foot-9 Roger Davis scored 23 points and set a school record with 37 rebounds in a 71-57 win at Vista…Davis’ 522 career rebounds broke the record of 516, set by Bruce Anderson in 1967…Tom Snow, 98-59 in six seasons, stepped down and Nate Wallace became head coach at Castle Park…Crawford led Granite Hills only 40-34,  but won, 68-38, with a 28-4 last quarter…Ralph Drollinger had 36 points and 24 rebounds in Grossmont’s 81-64 win over Mount Miguel…Kearny’s James Ross was identified as Ross James in one newspaper account…Uni coach Hector Macis was not a happy camper…a 77-54, home-game loss to Madison included 30 fouls to the visitors’ nine, and five Uni players fouled out…not to be outdone, 7 San Miguel players departed as the Knights committed 46 fouls against Christian, which sank 41×67 free throw attempts and defeated the former National City school, 101-82…San Miguel merged with The Bishop’s in 1971…eight players were in double scoring figures in Helix’ 106-52 win over Santana…Castle Park ended a 32-game home winning streak for Chula Vista, 62-59…Tony Baron’s looper with 15 seconds remaining lifted San Miguel to a 74-72, three-overtime victory over La Jolla Country Day…Grossmont outlasted a stall by Granite Hills, 28-12, after Lincoln was successful in a similar game with Crawford, 37-25…San Diego’s 8-19 record was the Cavemen’s poorest since a 2-10 finish in 1925-26 and their first losing season since a 6-8 campaign in 1934-35…the Cavers had one measure of success…they took a 1-8 record into a game with 7-1 rival Lincoln and came out ahead, 70-67….