There were many good marks during the season, but it remained for Poway’s Kathy Middleton to bring home the only gold medal for the San Diego Section in the 58th State Track meet at Edwards Field in Berkeley.

Middleton had a winning discus throw of 134-5, topping Susan Springer of Salinas (132-11) after Middleton’s 131-6 in the Friday trials set the pace.

To win the first-ever girls state discus, Middleton battled back twice in the finals after falling behind Springer and “showed tremendous poise and determination,” wrote Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

After tying for first at 5 feet, 5 inches in the high jump in the trials, Chris Remmling of San Dieguito was sixth in the final at 5-4.

Hildria Newell of Chula Vista had the best Boys performance, third in the 100 in :10.1 as the field was running into a strong head wind.

Most personally satisfying performance probably was that of Helix discus thrower Kris Lettow, whose throw of 182-9 was a career best and he defeated the usually favored Mark Malone of El Cajon Valley, who finished ninth at 163-7 and who had one of the best marks in the country at 192-6.

5/11/76

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS

Ramona (Coast), Monte Vista (Grossmont), Balboa Stadium (Eastern), Castle Park (Metropolitan), and Mesa College (Western) were hosts for the preliminaries.

—Kris Lettow of Helix won a shot put qualifier in which five Grossmont weight men bettered 50 feet.

Lettow (56-1 ½) topped Mark Malone of El Cajon Valley (55-11 ¼), Ken Pole of El Capitan (54-4 ¾), Matt Gauthier of Valhalla (53-11 ½), Ricondo of El Cajon Valley (52-1 ¾), and Kirk Drummond of Helix (50-2 ¼).

Malone (186-0) bested Lettow (172-1) in the discus.

—Kevin Dorrell of Helix was the leader in the long jump (21-6) and triple jump (44-10 ¾).

—David Russell of Patrick Henry doubled in :09.8 and :21.5 in the sprints at Balboa Stadium. Jimmy Hooker of Morse also was a double winner in :10.1 and :22.

—Chula Vista’s Hildria Newell, a transfer from Oklahoma, paced Metropolitan League sprinters with wins in :09.8 and :22.

—Pursal of Point Loma won Western League sprint heats in :10 and :22.2.

5/13/76

—Cheryl Flowers, 14-year-old Valhalla runner, offered a distinctive perspective on what it would mean to earn a berth in the state track meet:

“The whole thing will be fun if I make it, but the airplane ride with all the other athletes from this area will be the highlight,” she told Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

Flowers’ 5:16.9 mile was almost 10 seconds faster than any other runner in the Girls’ San Diego Section Quarterfinals at Madison, with entries from the Grossmont, Metropolitan, and Western leagues.

—Point Loma’s Karen Taylor won an 80-yard low hurdles race in :11.2, long jumped 17-4, and ran a leg for the winning Pointers’ 440 relay, which was timed in :49.6.

5/14/76

EASTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM.

Amid a routinely controversial 4×100 relay race, Patrick Henry’s David Russell logged a San Diego Section-leading :09.7 100-yard dash, Richard Woodson of Hoover long jumped 23 feet, 5 ¾ inches, Harry Cash of Crawford set a meet record of 45-6 in the triple jump, and Lincoln ran 3:22.5 in the mile relay.

Lincoln also won the short relay in :42.5 but was disqualified for a passing zone violation and Morse was out of it after a dropped baton.

Lincoln protested, noting that starter George Schutte made the decision from across the field on the other side of the track and that there was no judge watching passing lanes.

Similar misfortunes often had happened before in these Eastern showdowns, but on this occasion coaches raised the bar to the absurd, determining Lincoln and Morse could enter the San Diego Section trials as non-scoring relay squads.

Only four teams–also Crawford and Patrick Henry– were in the race and by rule the Eastern League was allotted four entries to the trials.

A peevish San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson chided the coaches, pointing out that anyone or any team entered would be competing and not “non-scoring.”

“If the coaches start playing games that they’re not going to count this and not counting that we’re going to have a mess,” Clarkson told Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune.

—By winning the shot put at 55-2 ½, Milton Wiggins of St. Augustine completed three seasons unbeaten in dual and league competition.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @CASTLE PARK

Chula Vista’s Hildria Newell enjoyed the breezes essentially native to the Trojans track, running a wind-aided 100 in :09.6 and then doubling back to win the 220 in :21.9, and anchored the Spartans to a :42.6 win in the 440 relay.

COAST LEAGUE FINALS, @ESCONDIDO

Mike Brajevich won the 120-yard high hurdles in :14.8 and Poway outlasted Mt. Carmel for the team championship, 66-60.

Best event was the 440, won by Scott Stine of Poway in edging Rudolph of La Jolla, each with the same time, :50, followed by Ramirez (:50.2) and Lines (:50.9) of Torrey Pines.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @MONTE VISTA

Paul Nevue of Grossmont won a hot 880 in 1:54.6 (Helix’ Nick Claccio followed in 1:54.9 and three others shaded two minutes) and edged Matt Throneberry of El Capitan in the 1600 by one tick of the clock in 4:19.6.

El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone won the shot put at 57-8 ½ and the discus at 186-6, beating Helix’ Kris Lettow, who maxed out at 55-5 ¾ and 172-1.

—Helix’ Mike Durden, son of Chargers running backs coach Earnel Durden, won the 440 in :49.9.

AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA

Dokie Williams doubled for Oceanside, winning the long jump at 22-8 ½ and triple jump at 48-1.

Blair Clausen of Escondido trailed Williams in the jumps at 22-7 ½ and 45-1 ¾.

Three high jumpers cleared 6-6, led by Greg Rackley of Escondido at 6-6 ¾.

WESTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @MESA COLLEGE

Chris Powell of Point Loma, byed into the final after a poor showing in the trials because of a hip injury,  qualified third in the 880 at 2:01, behind the 1:58.4 by Williams of Madison.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FINALS, @CARLSBAD

Christian won 11 of the 15 events and outscored Mountain Empire, 212-124 for the team championship.

5/21/76

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Patrick Henry’s David Russell anchored a 440 relay victory of :42.9 and tied Elijah Jefferson’s County records of :09.5 and :21.1 in the 100 and 220.

Russell’s great day was marred when he bobbled and dropped the baton on the last leg of the mile relay, in which the Patriots were favored.

—Battling a sore groin muscle, Oceanside’s Dokie Williams was unplaced at 19-10 ½ in the long jump but managed the day’s best 46-8 ½ in the triple jump.

—Thom Hunt of Patrick Henry, national leader at 4:06.8 in the mile but coming off strep throat, qualified at 4:24.2, second in his heat to the 4:21.2 of Valhalla’s Mark Floyd.

—El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone mused about dropping the shot put after leading qualifiers at 57-11¾  but reinjured his back on an unnecessary throw after he had clinched.

Malone made 163-2 in the discus, second to the 167-0 of Helix’ Kris Lettow, below.

Helix’ Kris Lettow affected hirsute style of the day and was consistent scorer in shot put and discus.

5/28/76

16^TH SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lincoln’s Michael Patrick made up 20 yards on the last lap with a :47.5 anchor leg that got the Hornets to third place and a championship-clinching 26 points to 25 for Helix in a battle for the team championship.

—Patrick Henry, the consensus favorite and a pick to win five events by Steve Brand of The San Diego Union, was shocked when Greg LaCoste, who had cleared 6-10 in the high jump, was unplaced after clearing only 6-4.

Thom Hunt’s 4:14.7 mile was the Patriots’ only first place.  David Russell was beaten by Hildria Newell of Chula Vista in :09.8 and :21.6 sprints, and Hunt, who had a career best of 8:45.7 in the two-mile, was third in 9:16.3.

—Patrick staggered to the end in the mile relay and collapsed at the finish line—“I just pooped out,”—he told Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune,  although Lincoln’s 3:21.6 matched that of the 1-2 teams, Morse and Crawford.

Lincoln, reinstated in the 440 relay, was first in :41.6, and Morse, another second-chancer, was second in :41.9.

—El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone withdrew from the shot put but set a  meet record of 182-5 in the discus.

Individual champions:

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK
100	Newell	Chula Vista	:09.8
220			:21.6
440	Stine	Poway	:48.8
880	Powell	Point Loma	1:54.3
Mile	Hunt	Patrick Henry	4:14.7
Two-Mile	Hughes	Monte Vista	9:09.7
120 High Hurdles	Santos	Lincoln	:14.6
330 Low Hurdles	Calloway	Hoover	:38.1
4×110 Relay		Lincoln	:41.6
4×440 Relay		Morse	3:21.6
High Jump	Sivadge	Granite Hills	6-8
Long Jump	Dorrell	Helix	22-2 1/4
Triple Jump	Williams	Oceanside	48-4
Shot Put	Wiggins	St. Augustine	57-8 1/2
Discus	Malone	El Cajon Valley	182-5
Pole Vault	Sisson	Bonita Vista	14-0

2^ND GIRLS SAN DIEGO SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS, @BALBOA STDIUM

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK
100	Belser	Vista	11.3
220	Gaston	Crawford	:24.6
440	Thompson	San Diego	:57.2
880	Howell	San Dieguito	2:15.8
Mile	Flowers	Valhalla	5:07.5
80 Hurdles	Karen Taylor	Point Loma	:11.2
4×100 Relay		Point Loma	:48.4
4×440 Relay		San Diego	4:02.5
High Jump	Remmling	San Dieguito	5-8 1/4
Long Jump	Karen Taylor		17-4
Shot Put	Middleton	Poway	38-1
Discus	Middleton		129-1

6/3/76

58^TH  BOYS  STATE TRACK TRIALS, @EDWARDS FIELD, BERKELEY.

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Newell	Chula Vista	:09.8	4T
	Russell	Patrick Henry	:09.9w	12T
220	Newell		:22.2	9T
	Russell		:22.2	9T
440	Stine	Poway	:52.31	20th
	Priest	El Cajon Valley	:52.5	21st
880	Powell	Point Loma	1:54.8	4T
	Krueger	Bonita Vista	2:02.8	23rd
MILE	Neveu	Grossmont	4:15.2	2T
	Hunt	Patrick Henry	4:16.5	9T
120 High Hurdles	Santos	Oceanside	:14.6	16T
	Brajevich	Poway	:15.1	25T
330 Low Hurdles	Calloway	Hoover	:38.7	16th
	Dowden	Mar Vista	:39.2	18T
4×110 Relay		Lincoln	:42.4	8T
		Morse	—	DQ
4×440 Relay		Lincoln	—	—
		Morse	—	—
High Jump	Ridgeway	Monte Vista	6-7	13T
	Sivadge	Granite Hills	6-2	15T
Long Jump	Woodson	Hoover	20-2	19th
	Dorrell	Helix	—	—
Triple Jump	Williams	Oceanside	48-3	6T
	Naylor	Oceanside	—	—
Shot Put	Wiggins	St. Augustine	56-9	11T
	Pole	El Capitan	55-3 ¾	15th
Discus	Lettow	Helix	178-5	4th
	Malone	El Cajon Valley	170-10	5th
Pole Vault	Bisson	Bonita Vista	13-9	12T
	Harris	Helix	—	—

1st GIRLS STATE TRACK TRIALS, @EDWARDS FIELD, BERKELEY

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Belser	Vista	:11.4	13T
	Taylor	Clairemont	—	—
			:25.7	7T
	Gaston	Crawford	:25.8	10T
440	Thompson	San Diego	:59.8	18T
	Kim Taylor	Point Loma	:60.5	22nd
880	Howell	San Dieguito	2:20.0	9th
	Bohan	Madison	2:21.0	10th
Mile	Flowers	Valhalla	5:09.7	11th
	Keller	Helix	—	—
80 Hurdles	Karen Taylor	Point Loma	:11.1	11T
	Williams		:11.8	22nd
4×110 Relay		Crawford	:49.6	9th
		Point Loma	:49.7	10th
4×400 Relay		San Diego	4:05.3	13th
		Mount Miguel	—	—
High Jump	Remmling	San Dieguito	5-5	1T
	Stafford	Clairemont	5-4	11T
Long Jump	Karen Taylor	Point Loma	18-1	4th
	Dancy	Oceanside	16-8 ½	15th
Shot Put	Middleton	Poway	37-7 ½	15th
	Nunn	Oceanside	32-2	20th
Discus	Middleton		131-6	1st
	O’Brien	Torrey Pines	120-6	8th

6/4/76

58^TH BOYS STATE TRACK FINALS, @EDWARDS FIELD, BERKELEY

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Newell	Chula Vista	:10.1	3rd
880	Powell	Point Loma	1:54.9	5th
Mile	Hunt	Patrick Henry	4:23.2	7th
Two Miles	Hughes	Monte Vista	9:14.0	8th
	Sadler	La Jolla	—	—
Discus	Lettow	Helix	182-9	4th
	Malone	El Cajon Valley	163-7	9th
Triple Jump	Williams	Oceanside	44-9 1/4	9th

2^ND GIRLS STATE TRACK FINALS, @EDWARDS FIELD, BERKELEY

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
220	Gaston	Crawford	:26.5	8th
880	Howell	San Dieguito	2:25.5	8th
Mile	Flowers	Valhalla	5:14.8	9th
4×110 Relay		Crawford	:49.4	8th
Discus	Middleton	Poway	134-5	1st
	O’Brien	Torrey Pines	106-11	9th
High Jump	Remmling	San Dieguito	5-4	6T
Long Jump	Karen Taylor	Point Loma	18-10	4th

 

The numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 seeds were eliminated in the first round of the San Diego Section playoffs.

Only third-ranked Hoover survived and the Cardinals were ousted in the quarterfinals.

That left the door open for No. 6 seed Madison, which edged No. 12 Crawford, 1-0, for the championship.

Probably most disappointed was Clairemont and coach Ernie Beck, whose top-seed Chieftains took a loss to 16th-ranked Torrey Pines, a second-year school with a 12-10 record from the nascent Coast League.

LEGENDARY COACH

Beck held the County record of 454 victories when he retired after winning his first San Diego Section title in 1984 .

Beck also holds the unique distinction of championships in two of the state’s CIF sections. He coached second-year, no-seniors Clairemont to the Southern Section Class AA title in 1960, the last year of San Diego teams’ participation before the first season of the San Diego Section in 1960-61.

5/11/76

Three league leaders met defeat and two league leaders moved closer to clinching championships.

—The San Diego Union No. 1-ranked Hoover was beaten by Crawford right-hander Curtis Burkhead for the second time, 4-1.

—Tim Muser limited Western League No. 1 Madison to four hits as Clairemont scored a 3-2 victory.

—Metropolitan League leader Mar Vista lost a five-run lead and was defeated by Hilltop, 6-5, moving the Lancers to a half-game lead over the Mariners in the Metropolitan League.

—La Jolla took a two-game lead with three to play in the Coast League, 3-2, in eight innings over Mission Bay.

—Grossmont didn’t play but picked up a half game in the Grossmont League and led by three games with three to play.

5/12/76

Writer Henry Wesch compared Montgomery’s Fermin Singson to the fast-working San Diego Padre Randy Jones when Singson needed just minutes more than an hour to blank Hilltop, 2-0, and gain a tie with Mar Vista (9-3) for first in the Metropolitan League.

Singson gave up three singles and raised his record to 9-3.

Mar Vista stayed apace the Aztecs with a 13-3 win over Chula Vista.

—Patrick Henry scored two runs in the ninth inning to edge St. Augustine, 4-2, in the makeup of a rained-out contest.

—Don Slater’s seventh-inning squeeze bunt scored Scott Brazil and Bonita Vista walked off with a 1-0 victory over Sweetwater.

5/13/76

Steve Dergonc drove in seven runs with a grand slam home run batting lefthanded and three-run homer batting righthanded and Madison won a Western League rout over visiting University, 16-3.

5/14/76

Lee Guetterman’s two-run home run and three-hit pitching resulted in a 7-0 Avocado League victory by Oceanside over Fallbrook that knocked the Warriors out of first place, a game behind Carlsbad, 5-0 winner against San Marcos.

5/17/76

El Capitan scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Grossmont, 6-5, in a game interrupted by a bench-clearing beef, which saw eight players ejected, four from each team.

5/18/76

Patrick Henry stayed alive in the Eastern League by overcoming a 6-1 lead with six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, shocking Morse, 7-6, to remain one game behind Hoover with one to play.

–La Jolla clinched the Coast League title with a 3-2 victory at San Dieguito.

5/19/76

Clairemont and Patrick Henry earned ties for the Western and Eastern League championships, respectively.

The Chieftains, given an opportunity when Kearny edged Madison, 2-1, rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to defeat San Diego, 5-2.

Coach Ernie Beck’s team also was given the league’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs after defeating league leader Madison twice during the regular season.

—Patrick Henry, aided by three errors, rallied for seven runs in the sixth inning to top Hoover, 10-8, but the Cardinals became the Eastern’s top seed in the playoffs after a vote of league representatives following the game.

5/21/76

Championship of the Lions Baseball Tournament, played on April 15, was decided 36 days later, when Kearny’s Bart Bass pitched a 5-0 victory over Clairemont for the Lions 3-A crown.

Bass was working on a one-hit, 11-0 lead when play was halted after a rainstorm hit Smith Field on the San Diego State campus in the fourth inning on April 15.

Five innings were required for the contest to be considered official.

Bosses agreed to replay the final in toto following the last regular-season game.

STANDINGS

AVOCADO LEAGUE

                        LEAGUE                                                                                          OVERALL

TEAM	WON	LOST	PCT.	GBL	WON	LOST	PCT.
Carlsbad	12	2	.857	—	21	4	.840
Fallbrook	12	2	.857	—	17	6	.737
Oceanside	10	4	.714	2	15	6	.714
San Marcos	9	5	.643	3	17	7	.708
San Pasqual	4	10	.286	8	8	11	.421
Vista	4	10	.286	8	10	13	.435
Escondido	3	11	.214	9	6	17	.261
Orange Glen	2	14	.143	3	15	.167	.833

EASTERN LEAGUE

                       LEAGUE                                                                                           OVERALL

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GBL	WON	LOST	Pct.
Hoover	11	5	.688	—	20	6	.769
Patrick Henry	11	5	.688	—	15	9	.625
Crawford	9	7	.563	2	17	10	.630
Morse	6	10	.375	5	6	16	.273
St. Augustine	4	12	.250	7	7	16	.304
Lincoln	3	13	.188	8	4	17	.190

WESTERN LEAGUE

                       LEAGUE                                                                                     OVERALL

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GBL	WON	LOST	PCT.
Clairemont	12	4	.750	—	18	7	.720
Madison	12	4	.750	—	21	6	.778
Kearny	11	5	.688	1	16	9	.640
Point Loma	10	6	.625	2	13	9	.591
University	5	11	.313	7	10	14	.417
San Diego	2	14	.125	10	5	15	.250

OTHER LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS AND FINAL OVERALL RECORDS NOT PUBLISHED.

5/24/76

2-A PLAYOFFS

PLAY-IN ROUND

Torrey Pines 4, @Oceanside (15-7) 3.

Bonita Vista 17, @Santana (12-11) 14.

Scott Brazil had three hits, including a three-run home run, drove in seven runs, and then picked up the victory with two shutout innings in relief after the Barons, trailing, 9-0, in the first inning and 14-12 in the top of the seventh, pulled out the victory.

Tom Tussell was four for five, doubled twice, and drove in four runs, and Dan Meza hit a 340-foot home run for the Sultans.

5/25/76

FIRST ROUND

Patrick Henry 8, @Fallbrook (17-6) 7.

Two-run home runs by Patriots Dave Miller, Mike Messina, and Jim Minerd were enough to offset John Christensen’s 4 for 4 that included a two run homer and run-scoring double.

Montgomery 1, @No. 5 La Jolla (20-4) 0.

Joe Williams’ fourth-inning home run backed Felmir Singson’s 10-strikeout, three-hit pitching.

Torrey Pines 3, @No. 1 Clairemont (18-7) 1.

John Kentera’s three hits and Steve Summers’ four-hit pitching marked the second-year Falcons’ seventh straight win and a stunning playoff loss for the top-seeded Chieftains.

No. 9 Bonita Vista 4, @No. 2 Carlsbad (22-4) 1.

Scott Brazil’s two-run single in the fifth inning provided the winning runs and Brazil’s three-hit pitching shut down the Lancers, whose run was on Brazil’s first-inning balk.

Crawford 5, @No. 4 Grossmont (15-8) 2.

The Colts moved on after Brent Wittmayers’ grand slam home run in the fifth inning.

Kearny (16-9) 3, @No. 3 Hoover 4.

Helix 6, @Mar Vista (16-7) 3.

Mission Bay (14-9) 3, @Madison 6.

Paul Wirkus’ three-run homer and Raymond Lane’s pitching advanced the Warhawks.

1-A CHAMPIONSHIP

Christian (12-6) 10, Francis Parker (11-7) 9, @El Capitan.

The Patriots stole nine bases and built a 10-3 lead, but five bases on balls, two errors, and a hit batsmen had them hanging on to a one-run lead after the Lancers crossed home plate with six runs in the top of the seventh inning.

Patriots pitcher Steve Stockwell weathered the baseball version of a Category Level 4 hurricane, striking out Patriots freshman John Mansfield for the final out with the bases loaded and the ball-strike count 3-2.

QUARTERFINALS

5/26/76

Torrey Pines 12, Patrick Henry (15-9) 3.

The Falcons continued to impress as former San Diego State football great Craig Scoggins’ club rode with first baseman John Kentera, who singled, doubled and tripled, scored three runs and knocked in a run. Paul Salgado and Bryan Bowen drove in three runs apiece.

Crawford 4, Montgomery (18-8) 1.

Leading, 2-1, Crawford scored four times in the sixth inning. Greg Smith and Ken Vasquez combined to hold the Aztecs to seven hits and Brett Wittmayer singled in two runs and scored on a wild pitch.

Helix 4, @No. 3 Hoover (20-6) 3, (8), @Southwestern College.

Chris Myers scored on Larry Fixen’s squeeze bunt in the eighth inning and the Highlanders ushered out the favored Cardinals.

Madison 12, Bonita Vista (18-7) 7.

Brent Hillenga and Steve Derganc hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and the Warhawks built a 6-1 lead after three innings against last year’s playoff runner-up.

5/28/76

SEMIFINALS

Madison 6, Helix (16-11) 3, @University of San Diego.

Raymond Lane (9-1) survived a three-run first inning and struck out 11 for the complete-game win.

The Warhawks were hitless for the first four innings against Al Knerr, who gave up a single to Lane in the fifth inning after a leadoff walk to John Nelson.

Dennis Brickel followed a squeeze play that scored Nelson with a triple that tied the score at 3-3.  Another squeeze, by Scott Fowler scored Brickel.

I had a sore back in practice yesterday and I didn’t think I would start,” said Lane, “but coach (Bob Roeder) likes to keep the rotation and he said I’d have to suck it up and go today.”

Crawford 5, Torrey Pines (15-11) 1, @Mesa College.

CHAMPIONSHIP

5/29/76

Madison (21-6) 1, Crawford (17-10) 0, @San Diego State.

“We’re the first Madison team that didn’t choke,” shouted centerfielder John Nelson.

“We’ve never had a team get past the second round before,” said coach Bob Roeder, “but this team never got down.”

Scott Fowler blooped a single down the leftfield line to score Dennis Brickel in the bottom of the sixth inning for the game’s only score.

The Colts, who had runners in scoring position in the first, fifth and sixth innings, could not get to Warhawks starter Rich Leahy, who worked out of trouble each time and gave up three hits.

The Colts’ Mike Martinez and Ken Vasquez almost matched Leahy’s gem and the Colts, seeded 12^th at the start of the postseason, drew praise from coach Jerry Tooze.

“Not many thought we’d make it (this far), but I did and you couldn’t ask for a much better game than we played,” said Tooze.

 

Lincoln and Cathedral, traditional big shots in the Western League and San Diego Section, appear to be trying to outdo each other.

The Hornets of coach David Dunn, 24-2 over the last two seasons, are signed to play road games at Long Beach Poly, Sacramento Grant, and Coronado High of Henderson, Nevada, plus home games against San Juan Capistrano JSerra, Los Alamitos, and Las Vegas Arbor View.

It is a powerful nonleague gauntlet Lincoln will try to get through before the Hornets take on Western League rivals Cathedral, Madison, St. Augustine, and Point Loma, which is moving over from the Eastern League.

Cathedral, 12-2 and a state 1-AA Division champion in 2021, is coming off 6-6 and 4-8 seasons in 2022 and ’23.  The Dons, 227-102-0 (.690) since 1996 under head coach Sean Doyle, have scheduled nonleague encounters with San Diego Section thoroughbreds Granite Hills, Helix, and Mater Dei.

Cathedral also booked intersectional challenges with L.A. Mission Hills Chaminade, San Francisco St. Ignatius (alma mater of San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts), and Phoenix Mountain Pointe, and then jumps into the Western League.

Lincoln and Cathedral, plus about 95 percent of the 96 other football-playing schools’ schedules,  can be found here.  Additions, corrections, or deletions will be noted as the teams prepare for Week 1 Aug. 23.

Webmaster Henrik Jonson also is accumulating Flag Football schedules.

San Diego High won its third consecutive CIF championship under fifth-year coach Mike Morrow and posted a 19-3 record, according to Don King’s Caver Conquest.

The Great Depression was raging, unemployment was high, young men had time on their hands, and many played baseball.

Possibly without budget for travel beyond obligatory Coast League games, Morrow’s clubs played contests that did not count and several that apparently were official against local amateur clubs, including a team from University Heights playground and another called “Harding’s North Park.”

Morrow’s team wielded heavy lumber, with a combined batting average of .390 for five league games and four playoffs, led by Athos Sada’s .611, 22 hits in 36 at bats.

Table includes usual starters.

NAME	AT BATS	HITS	AVERAGE
Athos Sada	36	22	.611
Allan Storton	31	16	.516
Walter Bostrom	38	17	.447
Tony Galassio	40	16	.400
Irvine (Cotton) Warburton	38	15	.395
Ray Holt	34	11	.324
Bill Howell	51	16	.314
Cecil McElvain	14	4	.286
Roy Holt	39	11	.282
Bill Larson	18	5	.278

3/31/30

Following identical 8-6 victories over Calexico 3/28 and 3/29, St. Augustine won at Sweetwater, 8-6.

—Rod Luscomb slugged two triples and the University Heights playground squad defeated San Diego, 14-5, leaving coach Mike Morrow’s team with a 4-2 record and evening their series at one victory each.

—Sweetwater defeated San Diego High’s visiting second string squad, 5-4.

4/1/30

Fourteen St. Augustine players and coach Herb Corriere embarked on barnstorming tour of four games in five days, at Fallbrook, at Ventura, at Los Angeles Roosevelt, where former San Diego High star Coney Galindo was coach; and at USC Freshmen.

4/3/30

Johnny Funk hit a three-run home run and pitched a three hitter and George Albin had three hits as St. Augustine beat Ventura, 10-2.

—Tony Galasso set down the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on two hits and San Diego High amassed 15 hits in a 7-0 victory at Navy Field.

4/4/30

—Pacific Beach’s Army-Navy opened the season with a 9-6 win over visiting Sweetwater.

Coach Viggo Hansen announced an upcoming northern trip to Anaheim, Brea, Claremont Webb, L.A. Pacific Military, and Venice.

—Johnny Fink hit a three-run home run and allowed three hits as St. Augustine won at Ventura, 10-3. George Albin supported Fink with three hits and Fred Traynor, Tony Moreno, and Jimmy Aguirre added two each.

4/8/30

Athos Sada, who would become deputy chief of the San Diego Police Department and raised Eddie and Don Sada to be stars at Point Loma, had three hits as San Diego defeated the University Heights playground squad, 17-5.

4/9/30

St. Augustine scored a run in the eighth inning for a 7-6 win over Escondido at Golden Hill Playground.

4/15/30

After San Diego High defeated the University Heights Playground team, 9-7, in the City Stadium, coach Mike Morrow was faced with a scheduling question.  Some of Morrow’s players also were on the track team.

The baseball squad was scheduled for a Coast League opener against visiting Alhambra on April 26, the same day Cotton Warburton, Eddie Reed and others were scheduled to be part of the Hilltoppers’ aggregation in the Southern California track and field trials at Los Angeles High.

Morrow was willing to move the game with Alhambra to April 25, but if the Moors did not want to travel on that date, Morrow said he would take his team to Alhambra on April 25.

—St. Augustine won at Sweetwater, 8-2, as shortstop Frankie

Morehouse collected three hits.

—Army-Navy socked Anaheim for seven runs in the fifth inning and five more in the seventh en route to a 17-3 victory on the Pacific Beach diamond.

—Rod Luscomb hit two triples but San Diego defeated University Heights, 9-7, in the Hilltoppers’ final game before league play, improving their record to 10-2.

4/16/30

Frankie Morehouse singled, doubled, and hit a home run and St. Augustine topped Anaheim, 7-3, at Navy Field.

4/17/30

The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Devildogs shut out Escondido, 6-0, at Navy Field as Carl Parker had four hits in five times at bat, including a single, double, and two home runs.

4/22/30

Point Loma defeated Army-Navy, 5-2, on the cadets’ Pacific Beach diamond despite a home run, triple, and single by the Warriors’ second baseman Ritchie.

4/23/30

Brothers Pete and Steve Coscarart starred in the field as Escondido’s defense played a prevailing role in a 6-4 win over traveling St. Augustine.

4/25/30

San Diego opened defense of its Coast League championship by raining 17 hits on City Stadium and crushing Alhambra, 13-3, a day earlier than originally scheduled.

Home runs by Cotton Warburton and pitcher Tony Galasso highlighted the Hillers’ attack.

—Sweetwater (2-1, Point Loma) and Grossmont (11-6, Mountain Empire) of the Bay Division and Escondido (14-3, Oceanside), and Fallbrook (7-3, Ramona) of the Mountain Division won opening games in Southern Prep League play.

4/30/30

San Diego High coach Mike Morrow reached agreement to play Glendale on May 1 instead of May 2, so shortstop Irvine (Cotton) Warburton could compete in the Southern California track finals 440-yard run at Los Angeles High.

—Roy Holt had five hits and the San Diego varsity defeated the University Heights playground team, 5-4, for their fifth win against one loss versus skipper Rod Luscomb’s team.

—Host Mountain Empire evened its Southern Prep League Mountain Division record at 1-1 with a 4-3 win over La Jolla.

5/1/30

Sweetwater mustered two hits in a 9-0 loss to the San Diego State Freshmen.  Future Hoover football coach Pete Walker tripled twice for the Frosh and starting pitcher George Sunderman was 4 for 4 at the plate.

—Tony Galasso struck out 19 Glendale Dynamiters and gave up four singles as San Diego won the rescheduled Coast League game, 4-1.

The Hillers broke a 1-1 tie with runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Galasso was the offensive catalyst with four hits, including a home run.

Thirteen players plus coach Mike Morrow and manager Louis DePablo left at 7 a.m. for the 3-hour, 130-mile jaunt.

5/4/30

St. Augustine (19-5) concluded its season in Calexico, where the Saints divided two nine-inning games, losing, 8-7, on 5/3 and winning, 6-5, today.

The Saints, with a team batting average of .318, out hit the Bulldogs, 24-20, and their George Albin hit the game’s only home run.

Fred Traynor led he Saints with a .453 season batting average, 24 hits in 53 times at bat. Jimmie Loftus hit .439 and Frankie Morehouse .385.

–Ran played havoc with Southern Prep League teams, washing out four games.

5/8/30

Bill Howell singled in Roy Holt with the winning run from second base and Tony Galasso set down Long Beach Poly in the bottom of the ninth inning, and San Diego won a tense Coast League battle, 4-3.

Home runs by Irvine (Cotton) Warburton and Walter Bostrom had given the Hilltoppers a 3-0 lead after three innings.

A writer in a special dispatch to The San Diego Union declared the game was “one of the hardest fought contests ever seen on a Long Beach diamond.”

5/13/30

Escondido won the Southern Prep League Mountain Division with an 8-3 victory at Fallbrook.  Sweetwater maintained its lead in the Bay Division with a 4-3 win over Mountain Empire.

—It was determined before the season that the league champion would not participate in the CIF playoffs.

5/14/30

Flat and thinking ahead, San Diego dropped a 5-1 decision in City Stadium to Harding’s North Park team.

Roy Holt homered for the Hilltoppers in the ninth inning.

The game result was published in The San Diego Union as an official game, but perhaps was a scrimmage.

–Memorial Junior High defeated the Southern League Bay Division contender Sweetwater varsity, 13-5, on the National City Diamond.

5/16/30

San Diego earned a tie for the Coast League championship with a 9-2 win over the visiting Pasadena Bullpups.

Tony Galasso’s triple in the second inning usually was a home run in City Stadium but special ground rules were in effect for this game.

Galasso turned his ankle on the play and had leave the field.  Pasadena consented to allow Hilltoppers coach Mike Morrow to insert Cecil McElvain as a pinch runner but let Galasso return at the end of the inning to continue pitching.

5/20/30

Point Loma remained in contention with Sweetwater in the Southern League Bay Division with a 10-0 victory over Grossmont.

The Pointers have one loss and Sweetwater is undefeated.

—Erstwhile St. Augustine stars Reid Jaggers and Fred Traynor aided Harding’s North Park team, but San Diego scored a 5-3 victory in City Stadium.

5/22/30

Harding’s North Park team, coached by Rod Luscomb, won its second of three contests from the host Escondido Cougars, 4-3, as second baseman Lee Ramage, a future heavyweight boxing championship contender, had three hits in five times at bat.

5/23/30

Warren Bridgens hurled a near-perfect game, allowing one base runner and no hits, and Point Loma routed La Jolla, 20-0, in the season-ending game one week after Bridgens had measured Mountain Empire on one hit.

—Sweetwater claimed the Bay Division title with a 3-2, eight-inning win over Grossmont and will meet Mountain Division champ Escondido for the Southern League title.

Sweetwater had defeated Point Loma, 2-1, in the league opener, after which Point Loma outscored league foes, 58-2.

5/24/30

Athos Sada homered, doubled, and singled and Bill Howell had three hits; Cotton Warburton had a home run and single; Tony Galasso gave up three hits and San Diego, starting slowly scored 15 runs in the final three innings and claimed its third straight Coast League title, 22-0, over last-place Santa Ana.

The Hilltoppers, who had 18 hits, also received two safeties each from Allan Storton, Walter Bostrom, Bill Larson, and Roy Holt.

1. Higashi of Santa Ana earned some dubious distinction.

He started the game in left field…

…and then shifted to third base…

…and then shifted to the pitcher’s mound…

…and pitched long enough to walk three consecutive batters…

…and then shifted to second base…

…and then finally relocated to right field, where he finished the game.

5/26/30

A CIF semifinals playoff home game against Calexico for San Diego High 5/30 or 5/31 was nixed.

The board, which governs the property in South Balboa Park, declared that the City Stadium grass field was to be resurfaced today.

Hilltoppers coach Mike Morrow tried to book Navy Field but learned that it was scheduled for games May 29-31.

Various other area locales were not considered worthy of such a game’s import and it looked as if the Hilltoppers, trying to win their third consecutive title, would have to go to the Imperial Valley.

5/27/30

Calexico agreed to a Thursday, May 29, contest at Navy Field. The Bulldogs would have been unavailable May 30-31, Morrow learned. Graduation and assorted weekend events and gigs were on the desert school’s weekend calendar.

6/2/30

After much burning of telephone wires and shouting voices between San Diego and the Imperial Valley, another agreement was reached and Calexico arrived San Diego today for a playoff tomorrow.

6/3/30

Calexico took advantage of Tony Galasso’s wildness to jump into a 4-0, first-inning lead, only to see San Diego score six runs in its first en route to a 13-4 CIF first-round victory at Navy Field.

Home runs by Athos Sada, who also tripled in two runs in the first, and Galasso were part of the Hilltoppers’ 14-hit attack.

6/7/30

Tony Galasso gave up two singles and struck out 13 and won a CIF semifinals playoff at Huntington Beach, 4-0.

Roy Holt’s homerun in the second inning gave San Diego a two-run lead.  Holt’s twin brother, Ray, got on base later with a two-base hit.

6/10/30

San Diego reached the Southern California finals by defeating Colton in a second CIF semifinals playoff, 9-1, at Navy Field.

Colton, behind, 7-0, mounted a mild threat in the fifth inning but Hilltoppers catcher Cecil McElvain threw out a runner at second base and Cotton Warburton’s throw back to McElvain doubled up another Yellowjacket, thwarting an attempted double steal.

6/15/30

Los Angeles Cathedral, rested and ready, was coached by Mike Pecarovich, future University of San Diego football coach.

San Diego, in its fourth playoff, more than any other playoff team, defeated the Phantoms, 9-0, for their third consecutive championship.

Tony Galasso gave up two hits and struck out 13 and helped himself with two hits and two runs scored.

I’ve seen at least 40 state meets since my first in 1957 at Edwards Field in Berkeley and they evolve each year, becoming arguably one of the best high school events in the country.

Buchanan High in Clovis has been the venue since 2009 and the site of some of the San Diego Section’s finest moments, especially in 2024 as 10 individuals won gold medals, a record for the section and the most since there were seven in 2019.

PARTING OBSERVATIONS

Brandon Arrington, Jr. became the fifth San Diego Section runner to win the sprint double since the first state meet in 1915 and the second since 2019.

Arrington’s grace and power that resulted in two dynamic 100 (:10.33) and 200 (:20.55) victories were more impressive in that the tall Mount Miguel runner is in the 10^th grade and will be a favorite when he takes to the starting blocks in 2025.

Tables include previous state winners.

DOUBLE 100 & 200 

NAME	SCHOOL	TIME	TIME	YEAR	SITE
Jimmy Willson	San Diego	:09.8*	:21.4*	1929	L.A. Coliseum
Janice Wiser	La Jolla	:10.8*	:24.2*	1974	Bakersfield College
David Russell	Patrick Henry	:09.61*	:20.97*w	1977	UCLA Drake Stadium
Kenon Christon	Madison	:10.30w	:20.69w	2019	Clovis Buchanan High
Brandon Arrington, Jr.	Mount Miguel	:10.33	:20.55	2024

*—Race at 100 yards, others at 100 meters. w—Over allowable wind assistance of 2.0 kilometers.

TOUGHING IT OUT

—La Jolla’s tiring Payton Smith determinedly held off a  stretch run by Hannah Rutherford of Mountain View to join Monique Henderson and University City’s Katrina Wright as a 400 winner:

NAME	SCHOOL	TIME	YEAR	SITE
Monique Henderson	Morse	:53.41	1998	Norwalk Cerritos College
Henderson		:52.87	1999	Sacramento Hughes Stadium
Henderson		:50.74	2000	Cerritos
Henderson		:51.34	2001	Sacramento
Katrina Wright	University City	:53.93	2019	Clovis Buchanan High
Payton Smith	La Jolla	:53.39	2024

—Poway’s Tessa Buswell, a savvy state meet veteran, was the ninth of 12 qualifiers in the 800 at 2:12.39 in the Friday trials but bided her time before cueing a :60.85 last lap to overtake Carlsbad’s Makenna Herbst and Keaton Robar of Newport Beach Newport Harbor in a San Diego Section-record 2:06.51.

Buswell refused to be pushed over the cliff, beating back challenges down the stretch to become the first from the area to earn an 800 gold medal.

—San Diego’s Anisa Bowen Fontonot overcame slow starts in the trials and finals but grinded through the rounds to win the 100 hurdles in :13.59 and joining former Cavers champ Charlize James, who won at :13.95 in 2022:

NAME	SCHOOL	TIME	YEAR	SITE
Gail Devers	Sweetwater	:13.41*	1984	L.A. Coliseum
Charlize James	San Diego	:13.95	2023	Clovis Buchanan High
Anisa Bowen-Fontonot	San Diego	:13.59	2024

*Devers won when the height of the hurdles was 30 inches; they have been 33 inches since 1993.

—Cain Evans of Carlsbad lurked in the middle of the pack as the 800 runners approached the final 200 and then opened up on the curve and won in 1:50.21, fighting off fast-closing Wyland Obando of Long Beach Wilson, who ran 1:50.25.

NAME	SCHOOL	TIME	YEAR	SITE
Jim Cerveny	Mission Bay	1:52.7*	1957	Edwards Field, Berkeley
Bob Hose	Madison	1:51.7**	1964	L.A. Coliseum
Terry Rogers	Hilltop	1:51.5**	1966	Berkeley
Mark Senior	Mount Miguel	1:51.37	1988	Norwalk Cerritos College
Charles Jock	Mission Bay	1:51.83	2008
Alexander Monsivaiz	Army-Navy	1:51.34	2012	Clovis Buchanan High
Cain Evans	Carlsbad	1:50.21	2024

*Race at 880 yards and three turns, starting with 15 others from a chute.
**Race at 880 yards.

WHAT ABOUT MONIQUE?

The future Olympic gold medalist  as a member of the 2004 4×400 relay team, achieved probably the most impressive pair of victories in County history.

Monique won the 200 in :23.19 and the 400, a virtual sprint, in :50.74, in 2000 at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

There were three competitors, hurdlers Anisa  Bowen-Fontenot and Morgan Herbst, and distancer Jaelyn Williams, with No. 1 rankings, and 15 performances that ranked in the top five, as compiled by Athletic.net.

EVENT	MARK	NAME, SCHOOL	STATE	OTHER	NAME	SCHOOL
100	:11.50w	Shaheed, Madison	4th	:11.38w	Wright	Temecula Chaparral
	:11.64w	Gilhooly, Coronado	14th
	:11.83	Smith, La Jolla	22T
200	:23.52	Shaheed	2nd	:23.48w	Wright
	:23.67w	Smith	5th
	:24.36	Gilhooly
400	:53.39	Smith	2nd	:53.17	Mosby	Inglewood St. Mary’s
	:54.38	Burkhardt, Steele Canyon	7th
	:55.94	Arciaga, Westview	24th
800	2:06.51	Buswell, Poway	3rd	2:03.48	Engelhardt	Ventura
	2:07.23	Makenna Herbst, Carlsbad	5th
	2:07.32	Arciaga	6th
	2:09.87	Williams, Eastlake	10th
	2:11.89	Dailey, La Jolla	20th
	2:12.53	Scuba, Sage Creek	25T
		Aguirre, Patrick Henry	25T
1600	4:40.29	Williams	3rd	4:29.86	Engelhardt
	4:42.26	Dailey	3rd
	4:50.61	Lopizzo, La Costa Canyon	22nd
3200	9:57.11	Williams	1st	9:59.81	Thomsen	Santa Rosa Montgomery
	10:05.65	Lopizzo	4th
	10:09.78	Dailey	7th
100H	:13.59	Bowen-Fontenot, San Diego	1st	:13.81	Holden	South Pasadena
	:14.24w	Cook, Steele Canyon	10th
	:14.42	Gates, Point Loma	15T
300H	:41.26	Morgan Herbst, Carlsbad	1st	:42.0	Edwards	L.B. Wilson
	:42.27	Bowen-Fontenot	4th
	:43.27	Cook, Steele Canyon	13th
	:43.40	Mack, Otay Ranch	14th
4×100 Relay	:47.00	Steele Canyon	11th	:45.67		Westlake Village Oaks Christian
4×400 Relay	3:51.20	Carlsbad	12th	3:41.40		L.B. Wilson
	3:55.18	Del Norte	21st
	3:55.31	Steele Canyon	23rd
4×800 Relay	9:10.51	Cathedral	8th	8:57.21		Ventura
	9:13.90	Del Norte	12th
High Jump	5-6	Schroeder, Otay Ranch	10T	Five at 5-8
		Stein, Patrick Henry
	5-5	Lopez Valenzuela, Poway	21T
Long Jump	18-10	Frith, La Costa Canyon	12th	20-9 1/2	Webster	Long Beach Wilson
	18-8	Hoagland, Rancho Bernardo	14th
	18-4	Jones, Oceanside	24T
Triple Jump	38-11 1/2	Jones, Oceanside	10th	40-11	Alumbres	Vista Murietta
Shot Put	42-2	Colon Gipson, Otay Ranch	12th	48-5	Schnayer	Moraga Campolindo
	42-0	Ford, Helix	13T
	39-8	Lauifi, Helix	23rd
Discus	157-11	Driscoll	2nd	158-10	Johnson	Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
	139-8	Williams, Cathedral	17T
	138-6	Frankel, Sage Creek	19th
Pole Vault	13-5	Echsner, Del Norte	2nd	14-4	Muhammad	Pittsburg
	12-10	Downing, La Costa Canyon	5th
	12-9	Humer, Rancho Bernardo	6T
	12-8	de Jong, Maranatha	11th
	12-3	Khieu, Del Norte	17T