2015: Morrison, Dobson Also Step Down
John Carroll’s retirement from Oceanside earlier this year has been followed by the departure of two other, successful, veteran San Diego Section coaches.
John Morrison, who took his 18 Francis Parker teams to 18 playoff berths, and Bill Dobson, whose 2011 team tied a Mountain Empire record for most wins in a season, also are leaving.
Other changes so far, according to John Maffei of UT-San Diego, include University City’s Charles James moving to San Diego, Patrick Coleman taking over at Del Norte, Will Gray at Kearny, and Rone Torres at Calvary Christian San Diego in Chula Vista.
Additional appointments have Roger Engle and Mikel Moran serving as co-coaches at Scripps Ranch and former Scripps Ranch coach Sergio Diaz becoming the new boss at Serra, where Brian Basteyns exited after 11 seasons. Nehemiah Brunson is new at Army-Navy.
Morrison ranks 15th among San Diego Section coaches with 146 victories and his .686 winning percentage, is 16th among those with at least 100 victories (see link on website home page).
MORRISON MADE MARK
Morrison took over at Parker in 1997 and built the program into one of the finest among California’s smaller schools (500 or less enrollment).
The Lancers won five league titles, 3 San Diego Section championships and made eight San Diego Section championship game appearances.
Parker lost an epic battle, 44-40, to Modesto Christian in the state small schools title game in 2009.
Dobson was 29-16 (.644) in five seasons at Mountain Empire. The Redhawks were 9-2 in 2011, tying a school record for victories set by the 1983 squad.
The Pine Valley school, which opened in 1925 in Campo, earned one Manzanita League co-championship and was 5-0 in the “Battle for the Nest”.
A perpetual trophy goes to the winner of the annual Laguna Mountains bragging rights game between the Redhawks and Julian Eagles.
Diaz was 41-47-1 from 2002-09 at Scripps Ranch, but had a 34-25 record in his last five seasons.
NFL BECKONS
Joe Cardona, a long snapper at Navy who attended Granite Hills, was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. Cardona was the only player chosen from the San Diego Section.
QUICK KICKS
Brian Basteyns’ record at Serra from 2005-14 was 49-67-1 but included four league championships and a 9-3 record in 2012…D.J. Walcott has been serving as interim coach at Francis Parker…Dave Rodriguez, a former Oceanside player and assistant coach, replaced Carroll, who retired with 248 victories, second most in the San Diego Section to Herb Meyer’s 339…Charles James was 11-12 in two seasons at University City…Engle was Scripps Ranch’s first baseball coach and is the son of Roy Engle, who starred as a player at Hoover in the 1930s and was the Cardinals’ head coach from 1955-77…Calvary Christian Vista is said to be closing….