2015, Week 9: Move Over, Dick Haines
Valley Center’s Rob Gilster can tie Dick Haines this week for ninth place among the winningest coaches in San Diego Section history.
The 32-21, Valley League victory over Fallbrook last week was Gilster’s 193rd. The veteran mentor moved from 11th to 10th place earlier this season when he passed Carl Parrick with victory No. 191.
Gilster is second to the 203 victories of Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto among active coaches. Mission Bay’s Willie Matson is third with 177.
Gilster, in his 18th season with the Jaguars after nine at Orange Glen, has an all-time record of 193-120-5 for a .615 percentage. Haines, who also coached several years in Ohio, was 194-85-1 (.695) in 25 seasons at Vista.
Next up for Valley Center is a nonleague tussle Friday at Rancho Buena Vista.
GOLDEN YEAR FOR VALLEY LAYOUT
Granite Hills recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of Valley Stadium. When the facility was dedicated in October, 1965, the Eagles and Helix were the only schools with lighted fields in the East County.
The Eagles defeated Castle Park, 33-7, in the inaugural game. One of Granite’s standouts was George Brown, who scored a touchdown in that game and was one of the state’s leading shotputters during the spring track season.
Brown’s father, Dr. George Brown, a star at Hoover in the late ‘thirties and an all-America lineman at the Naval Academy before concluding his football career at postwar San Diego State, led the drive to build the facility.
Meanwhile, coach Kellan Cobbs’ 2015 team improved to 6-1, the best record since the 1994 team was 6-1 en route to a 9-3 finish.
GRIZZLIES MARCH ON
Mission Hills continues to hold sway in the weekly Union-Tribune poll. Westview now is fourth behind the big three of ‘Hills, Helix, and St. Augustine. Madison and Mission Bay made their first appearances in the top 10.
Week 9 poll, after eight weeks of games:
| # | Team (1st place votes) | Points | W-L | Previous |
| 1. | Mission Hills (20) | 239 | 7-0 | 1 |
| 2. | Helix (4) | 219 | 5-1 | 2 |
| 3. | St. Augustine | 193 | 5-2 | 3 |
| 4. | Westview | 163 | 7-0 | 5 |
| 5. | Cathedral | 101 | 4-3 | 9 |
| 6. | LaCosta Canyon | 85 | 5-2 | 4 |
| 7. | Rancho Bernardo | 75 | 5-2 | 10 |
| 8. | Madison | 63 | 5-2 | NR |
| 9. | Mission Bay | 45 | 7-0 | NR |
| 10. | Grossmont | 28 | 6-1 | 7 |
NR–Not ranked. Points awarded on basis of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Others receiving votes (record & points in parenthesis): Carlsbad (4-3, 23), Valhalla (6-1, 20), Bonita Vista (5-2, 14), San Marcos (5-2, 13), Mater Dei (6-1, 12), El Camino (5-2, 11), Oceanside (4-3, 8), Granite Hills (6-1, 4), Poway (4-3, 3), Christian (5-2, 1), University City (6-1, 1).
24 Media and CIF representatives vote each week: John Maffei (U-T San Diego), Steve Brand, Terry Monahan, Don Norcross, Jim Lindgren, Tom Saxe, Rick Hoff (U-T San Diego correspondents), Bill Dickens, Chris Davis (East County Sports.com), Steve (Biff) Dolan, (Mountain Country 107.9 FM), John (Coach) Kentera, Ted Mendenhall, Bob Petinak (The Mighty 1090), Rick Willis, Brandon Stone (KUSI-TV), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com), Jerry Schniepp, John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section), Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com), Drew Smith (sdcoastalsports.com), Lisa Lane (San Diego Preps Insider), Raymond Brown (sdfootball.net), R. Pena, C. Smith and Montell Allen (MBASports-SDFNL Magazine).
QUICK KICKS
Were it not for the ubiquitous, dreaded administrative glitch, Mater Dei would be 7-0, matching the 13-0 team of 2003 for best start in school history…the Crusaders were forced to forfeit a Week 2 victory over El Capitan after discovery of an ineligible player…Calexico Vincent Memorial, with a win this week, can match the 2002 club’s 8-0 start…Vinnie, Westview, and Mission Bay are the only 7-0 squads in the San Diego Section…Mar Vista’s and Santa Fe christian’s 6-1 starts are the best for each since 2011……University City is 6-1 for the first time since 2006….