Coach John Olive’s Falcons completed an 8-0 January and have a 10-game winning streak as they visit Rancho Bernardo tonight.
The 21-2 Falcons have six remaining regular-season games against teams with a combined record of 61-65.
None of those opponents, Rancho Bernardo, twice (11-9), Mt. Carmel (12-10), Poway (13-9), Westview (8-14), and Canyon rest (6-14), will be favored.
The Falcons had December losses of 64-47 to Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson and 51-49 to El Camino. The Del Mar school has a 46.30 power rating in Division I, with El Camino (17-4) at 46.24 and San Marcos (20-1) at 46.14.
Win out and Torrey Pines should claim a No. 1 seed.
There are no San Diego teams in Cal-Hi Sports’ state top 20 this week. The Falcons are 24th as selected by Max Preps.
UT-San Diego poll #7:
#
Team (1st place votes)
W-L
Points*
Previous
1
Torrey Pines (8)
21-2
107
1
2
Foothills Christian (3)
15-7*
99
2
3
La Costa Canyon
15-6
84
3
4
San Marcos
20-1
81
4
5
Army-Navy
18-4
56
5
6
El Camino
17-4
54
6
7
Mission Bay
16-1
37
7
8
Francis Parker
14-5
36
8
9
Morse
18-5
26
9
10
St. Augustine
17-6
17
`0
*Awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *Includes two forfeits.
Eleven San Diego County sportswriters and broadcasters, and a CIF San Diego Section representative vote each week. The panel includes John Maffei and Kirk Kenney (UT-San Diego), Terry Monahan (UT-San Diego correspondent), Bill Dickens (eastcountysports.com), Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section), Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com), Aaron Burgin (fulltimeshoops.com), Rick Willis (KUSI Chl. 51), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com), Drew Willis (sdcoastalsports.com).
2014-15 Week 6: Give Morse Some Respect
Where have I gone wrong?
I voted for Morse as No. 5 in the UT-San Diego basketball poll this week.
I assigned No. 10 to Army-Navy.
The poll of 11 voters released today shows Army-Navy No. 5 and Morse No. 9. No change from last week for either team.
Morse defeated Riverside John North, 96-88, in double overtime and Serra, 81-70, last week.
Army-Navy beat Francis Parker, 63-54, and lost to Foothills Christian, 76-59.
North has an 18-1 record and Serra is 13-7. Francis Parker is 12-5 and Foothills Christian 16-5 on the floor but 14-7 because of two forfeits.
Army-Navy is 17-3 and Morse 18-4, although the Tigers’ record had been a mystery since the coach or student manager waited weeks before reporting several scores to the San Diego Section.
Morse’s schedule includes an 81-70 loss to Los Angeles Cathedral, the ninth-ranked team in the state.
The Tigers also have losses of 69-53 to Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson, 59-45 to Beverly Hills, and 62-55 to Francis Parker.
Army-Navy’s two additional defeats were to St. Augustine, 60-43, and to La Costa Canyon, 59-45.
Morse’s loss to Parker was in December. Army-Navy beat Parker last week.
The CIF’s “power ratings” lists El Camino (a 54-46 loser to Army-Navy and which has played a mostly local schedule) as the top team in Division 1, with Army-Navy fourth, and Morse 10th.
I give Morse a slight edge, based on strength of schedule, over the Carlsbad boarding school and El Camino.
I give Army-Navy an edge in perceived North county brain lock by some poll voting members.
But maybe it’s me with brain lock.
UT-San Diego poll #6:
#
Team (1st place votes)
W-L
Points*
Previous
1
Torrey Pines (7)
19-2
104
3
2
Foothills Christian (4)
14-7*
102
T1
3
La Costa Canyon
13-6
83
T1
4
San Marcos
18-1
79
4
5
Army-Navy
17-3
59
5
6
El Camino
15-4
54
6
7
Mission Bay
15-1
38
8
8
Francis Parker
12-5
28
10
9
Morse
18-4
26
9
10
St. Augustine
16-5
24
7
*Awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. NR–Not ranked. *Includes two forfeits.
Eleven San Diego County sportswriters and broadcasters, and a CIF San Diego Section representative vote each week. The panel includes John Maffei and Kirk Kenney (UT-San Diego), Terry Monahan (UT-San Diego correspondent), Bill Dickens (eastcountysports.com), Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section), Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com), Aaron Burgin (fulltimeshoops.com), Rick Willis (KUSI Chl. 51), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com), Drew Willis (sdcoastalsports.com).
1998: Helix Mounts Late Run to Championship
Helix’ San Diego Section Division II title represented what may have been the finest coaching performance in Jim Arnaiz’s 27-season career.
The Highlanders had won only 4 of their first 9 games but three ties had made them 4-2-3 when they began a five-week run to the championship.
–They improved to 5-2-3 and clinched second place in the Grossmont South League with a 27-7 victory over Granite Hills, the victim of Arnaiz’ 200th career win.
–The Highlanders won their first playoff game but not before they trailed by 13 points in the first half and had to overcome a 328-yard, 3-touchdown passing performance by Scripps Ranch’s Corey Kroviak.
Jason (Moving) Van bailed out the Scots in the 29-26 triumph with second-half touchdown runs of 12, 4, and 79 yards.
“Number 201 was not easy,” said Arnaiz, “but we’re not worried about how many wins coach Arnaiz has anymore. Right now we’re on a mission, a mission to get to the Q (Qualcomm Stadium, site of the finals).”
–Helix improved to 7-2-3 in the quarterfinals with a 27-24, double overtime win over tough Monte Vista, which had beaten the Highlanders, 15-7, in the regular season.
Van was mobbed by family after 264-yard, 3-touchdown night in championship game.
PLAYERS ALL IN
Arnaiz made a risky but defining decision in the second overtime. Go for a tying field goal on fourth down or go for the victory.
The coach let his players make the call and Van pounded in the winning touchdown from the four-yard line.
“It’s what they (his players) wanted to do,” said Arnaiz, adding that “you could play overtime all night against those guys.”
After a regulation-game tie of 14-14, the teams traded touchdowns, necessitating a second overtime. Monte Vista went ahead, 24-21, kicking a field goal after coming up short on fourth down at the 2.
“I had to get it in,” said Van of his game-winner. “That was all I was thinking. I just had to get it in.”
–The road appeared to get a little easier but still ahead were hard-fought, successive victories of 14-7 over Castle Park in the semifinals and 19-7 over Chula Vista in the championship as Van drove the Highlanders to the title.
The 9-2-3 record was not the best but maybe it represented the most satisfying in Arnaiz’ career.
“We started the season as a medium-ranked team in San Diego County,” said Arnaiz. “We followed our mantra of “good, better, best”, and sure enough we got better each week.”
“Jason Van was a solid running back for us and our quarterback was a good athlete. We had a good defense and our kicking game was solid.”
Arnaiz, not one for hyperbole, was revealing the DNA of one of his typical Helix squads.
Kearny’s Isaac Banks appeared to kick and Madison’s Ted Patrick may have winced, but there was no contact as Banks batted down pass in end zone.
2-8 AND PROUD OF IT
Playoff meetings, almost always controversial and usually rancorous, drew perspective from opposite ends of the philosophy scale.
St. Augustine’s Joe Medina, asked if his team probably was out of the postseason after a loss to University had left the Saints with a 1-5 record:
“Heck no, we’re going to the playoffs,” Medina posited to Steve Brand of the Union-Tribune. “They always have a team with just three wins in our division.”
The Saints finished the regular season with a 2-8 record.
St. Augustine “earned” a Division III postseason berth after Medina successfully argued at the seedings meeting that losses to D-I Morse, D-II second seed Chula Vista, and D-III second seed University meant the Saints deserved inclusion.
Left out in D-II was El Camino (3-6-1), denying coach Herb Meyer a chance to win his 300th game and ending the Wildcats’ streak of 17 consecutive postseason appearances.
HERB CALLS IT AS HE SEES IT
Meyer later revealed to Brand what he said at this year’s seedings meeting.
His team played one of the more difficult schedules but Meyer told a stunned group of peers that his squad had no business participating in the playoffs.
“I argued in favor of (only) eight-team divisions in 1993,” said Meyer, recalling that the decision was made that year to include 12 teams.
“My opinion hasn’t changed,” Meyer told Brand. “If you’re upright and can take a breath you’re in the playoffs these days. It’s a joke.”
“The playoffs,” Meyer added, “should be the reward for having a good season and I certainly didn’t consider 3-6-1 a good season.”
But playoff dye, more like bleach, had been cast years before.
University was powered by Jason Green’s 39 rushing attempts in D-III victory over Oceanside.
BONITA VISTA FIRST TO BREAK THROUGH
Losing teams in the playoffs had been increasing since Bonita Vista, 3-7 in 1984, became the first loser to gain the postseason.
Medina, 56-38-1 with the Saints since 1991 and with three championship appearances, did not apologize.
“Surprised? No,” Medina replied to Steve Brand. “The way the system is set up, with 12 teams making the playoffs, we deserved to go, because I believe we are one of the 12 best teams (in D-III).”
Medina would no longer have to campaign. He stepped down after the season.
And 12 teams eventually would become 16, with more divisions, more losing teams, and more blowouts.
THIRD BEST FEELING
“Except for when I asked my wife to marry me and she said yes and when my kids were born, there’s no better feeling in the world,” said Vista coach Steve Silberman.
The Panthers had just beaten beat Torrey Pines, 24-14, for the D-I title after tying the Falcons, 21-21, in 1997.
Leading by 10, Vista intercepted a pass with less than two minutes remaining and Torrey Pines out of timeouts.
“They’re dead!” Silberman could be heard exclaiming into his headset. “I’m coming down.”
The coach jubilantly exited the San Diego Jack Murphy press box, from which he coached the game, and headed for the elevator to the field.
Mission Bay’s Cory Young is swarmed by La Jolla’s Dan Newman (25), Jason Green (right), and Matt Currie (under Young).
BURKE’S LAW
Torrey Pines had come a long way despite the loss to Vista. The Falcons were 12-0-1 in 1997 but returned only one D-I prospect, wideout-defensive back John Donohue, and head coach Ed Burke was faced with a challenge.
Go with his honed and successful Wing-T offense or adjust. Burke adjusted
The veteran mentor continued to employ the Wing-T with success, but also adopted an aerial offense behind quarterback David Bradley, who passed for 18 touchdowns.
BURKE’S LAW, CONT.
It was a special year for Burke, who coached a California team to a 10-5 victory over a Texas squad in a summer game that originally was the California North-South Shrine game.
Burke also was nominated by the Chicago Bears’ John Allred, one of Burke’s former players, as the NFL’s High School Coach of the Year. He was one of five finalists and was part of a television commercial that played throughout the country.
Burke was 154-40 (.791) in sixteen seasons at Torrey Pines before he retired after the 2008 season. He won 215 games with San Diego Section teams.
Gary Johnson of Francis Parker swept his flank for a second touchdown in 42-12 win over Santa Fe Christian. Johnson’s 190 points were second in the County to the 262 of Mountain Empire’s Chad Cox and Parker reached D-V playoff final.
GOOD AS IT GETS IN SOUTH BAY
Tom Shanahan’s lead in Union-Tribune said it all: “They closed the gates and stopped selling at 5,600 tickets. By then the stands at Chula Vista High were filled and fans lined the fences….”
The host Spartans dressed up Joe Rindone Stadium not only for homecoming. The Hollywood-like halftime program featured a light show, fireworks, and an illuminated stage on the darkened field.
NFL-style Chula Vista and Castle Park helmets were painted at midfield and both end zones were painted “Spartans”.
Flying above the concrete retaining walls were 20 blue-and-white banners, 17 for league titles and three for CIF titles (1953 and ’54 in the Southern Section and 1983 in the San Diego Section).
That was the stage for No. 8 Castle Park’s 13-9 victory over No. 2 Chula Vista. The Trojans (8-1) clinched the Metropolitan League with a 6-0 record and ended the unbeaten season of the Spartans (7-1-1).
Mike Frazier ran 59 yards for a touchdown with 5:30 remaining in the game to give the Trojans a 13-3 lead. Ball game.
NEW SCHOOL, NEW LEAGUE
Valley Center High opened for about 950 students in grades 9-11, setting off a chain reaction that shook up two vintage leagues and meant formation of another.
1–Valley Center became part of the new Valley League, also including Escondido, Orange Glen, Ramona, and San Pasqual.
2–Escondido, Ramona, and San Pasqual left the Avocado League.
3–Orange Glen and Fallbrook moved away from the Palomar.
4–The Avocado League now numbered Fallbrook, Carlsbad, Oceanside, El Camino, La Costa Canyon, and Torrey Pines.
5–The Palomar was aligned with Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Mt. Carmel, Vista, Rancho Buena Vista, and San Marcos.
San Diego’s Maurice Douglas closed in on Escondido’s Jeff Failla in the 100th anniversary of first football game involving two San Diego high schools. Cougars defeated Cavers, 36-13.
FIELD OF DREAMS
Bob Wilson played football at Escondido in 1946 but when Wilson and wife Marion declared their intention donate $1 million to the school they weren’t sure where the money should go.
After considering several options the Wilsons decided on the football facility.
“I couldn’t believe they were playing any games there,” said Wilson. “The field looked awful and the wooden benches in the stands were splintering.”
The Wilsons’ contribution grew to $2.2 million and the result was that this year there was a 5,111-seat concrete structure.
The edifice was dedicated when Escondido and San Diego played in the 100th anniversary of their history-making game.
Chick Embrey Field remained the name of the gridiron and the stadium was named after the Wilsons.
100 YEARS FOR 100 YARDS
San Diego High had a football team. Escondido also had a team, but was it a collection of high school students or various young men who represented a “town” team?
Newspaper accounts of the day didn’t dwell on such mundane matters, so over the years that game came to symbolize the beginning of high school football in the County, although San Diego had played local military squads and such since 1891.
On Dec. 16, 1898, San Diego players and others rode tally ho stage coaches to Escondido, where the Hilltoppers scored a 6-0 victory.
On Sept. 11, 1998, the schools played again in the new Escondido Bob Wilson Stadium. The Cougars won, 36-13.
Maybe just as significant the host school reintroduced a rite that had been abandoned many years before.
The Cougars held a bonfire before the game.
“We are reenacting a tradition,” said principal Ed Nelson. “The whole idea is to relive the past.”
The Cavemen and Cougars had not met since 1971. The biggest victory in school history had been Escondido’s 19-13 win over San Diego in the first year of the San Diego Section playoffs in 1960.
RUNS IN THE GENES
No. 1 Vista gave the ball to Player-of-the-Year Pisa Tinoisamoa, who ran over and around Torrey Pines in finals.
Vista’s Pisa Tinoisamoa dedicated his high school career to his uncle, Sal Aunese, the brilliant quarterback of the Panthers’ 1985 team, which was named No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.
Aunese died of stomach cancer at age 21 after becoming the starting quarterback at Colorado.
Tinoisamoa would go on to play at Hawaii and was a second-round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams in 2002 and played nine seasons in the NFL.
MOUNTAIN HIGH
Chad Cox of Mountain Empire set a section record with 50 points on seven touchdowns and eight points after in a 62-6, first-round D-IV playoff victory over Salton City West Shores.
Santa Fe Christian ended the Redskins’ season with an 18-0, quarterfinals victory the next week, but Cox retired with a record 262 points, topping the 222 by Rancho Buena Vista’s Scott Garcia in 1988.
Forty-four miles west, West Hills’ Monty Duke was operating with Cox-like results, leading host West Hills past Bonita Vista, 39-14.
Duke passed for five touchdowns and ran for another as the Wolf Pack’s no-huddle offense overwhelmed the Barons.
Teammate Mike Murphy (right) congratulated freshman quarterback Jason Swanson after 3-yard touchdown run in the Hornets’ 20-0 win over Crawford.
UNIQUE RECRUITING
First-year coach Dan Leaf, saying he was hopeful of getting more candidates out for practice at Montgomery, was telling prospective players that he was related to Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf.
Montgomery returned 12 starters and Wardell MacNeal, one of the section’s top short racers in spring track.
The Aztecs, 1-9 in 1997, improved to 3-7.
BUT YOUR TEAM LOST!
“It was a great time,” said Army-Navy coach Damian Gonzalez after the 41-13 playoff loss to The Bishop’s.
Let’s try that again.
“It was a great time,” said Army-Navy coach Damian Gonzalez after the 41-13 playoff loss to The Bishop’s.
The loss was no fun, but Gonzalez was looking at a bigger picture.
The coach was proud that the team was so well represented in the stands at La Jolla High. The entire battalion of students was bused to the game from the Carlsbad campus.
Had Army-Navy won, the school would have had to keep a dormitory open and none of the football players and ancillary personnel would have been able to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
And the season was a success.
The Cadets finished with an 8-2-1 record, their best since the 1990 squad was 8-1.
ONCE A ‘DEVIL ALWAYS A ‘DEVIL
Eastlake’s nine-day, two-game Northwest tour included a Seattle Seahawks game.
Twelve-year NFL veteran Dan Saleaumua, who played for Eastlake coach Gene Alim at Sweetwater, purchased 65 tickets to a Seahawks game and arranged for the squad to watch practice.
Gene Alim, retired twice from Sweetwater, became coach at Eastlake.
Eastlake defeated Terry Fox, a school in suburban Vancouver, British Columbia, 55-20, and South Kitsap of Poulsbo, Washington, 28-23.
WIN ONE FOR THE BENNIE
Point Loma drove 75 yards in 15 plays and scored with 33 seconds left to defeat El Camino, 7-6, in the season opener for both teams.
More significant was the Pointers’ first victory since 1955 while being led by a coach other than Bennie Edens.
Mike Hastings, who played for Edens in the 1980s, succeeded Bennie after the 1997 season, which was a 0-10 finale for Edens.
“I hated to see him go out like that, but tonight we beat Herb (Meyer), his longtime friend, and that’s really a compliment to him and all he’s taught me and this team,” said Hastings.
Edens in retirement coached for a former friend at Willamette College in Oregon for one year, and then returned to San Diego.
RANKINGS
Vista, Torrey Pines, University, and Helix were Nos. 1 through 4 in the final Union-Tribune poll.
Vista was ninth in the state, ninth in D-I, and sixth in Southern California as selected by Cal-Hi Sports. Torrey Pines was No. 8 in the state D-II, University third in D-III, Marian fourth in D-IV, and Francis Parker ninth in D-V.
QUICK KICKS
Hoover beat La Jolla, 23-7, in the third postseason game ever played on the Cardinals field and the first since 1986…the first was in 1935, when the Cardinals bowed to Jackie Robinson and Pasadena Muir, 27-0…Coronado coach Walter (Bud) Mayfield was on crutches for half the season after sustaining a broken leg in an accident at home…Morse and Lincoln did not play each other for the first time since 1981…Dave Ponsford was only the third La Jolla head coach since Harry West gave way to Gene Edwards after the 1961 season…Edwards was followed by Dick Huddleston in 1990…San Diego was back in the Central League, where it was a member from 1981-92…the Cavemen were in the Eastern League from 1993-96, and Western League in 1997…Warner Springs Warner played its first season of 11-man football…Ramona, after years of playing home games on a junior high field a mile away, christened a new stadium…permanent seating and a press box were added at Valhalla, which has had lights since 1994…The Bishop’s 31-game winning streak came to an end in a 31-24 loss to Santa Fe Christian…Omar Shaheed, the former Chuck Benbow, brought his Compton High team South to play his alma mater, Kearny…the Komets beat the Tarbabes, 34-6.
Bonita Vista linemen Billy Metzger (left) and Reggie Nance celebrate touchdown in Barons’ 20-6 victory over Orange Glen, their first-ever against a North County team.
2014-15: No Poll Today But Lots of Action
We’re going to hold off on publishing the weekly Union-Tribune basketball poll, because games Monday night would dramatically alter the Top 10, the deadline of which for voters is 10 a.m. on Monday.
The poll’s timeliness often is in question at this time of year, because clubs are involved in the annual series of one-night stands and specially promoted events on various dates before league play permanently locks in.
Torrey Pines hosted a Martin Luther King doubleheader and the No. 3-ranked Falcons defeated La Costa Canyon, tied for No. 1 with Foothills Christian, 68-42. Francis Parker, No. 10, topped St. Augustine, No. 7, 65-55, on the undercard.
Most impressive, at first glance, was Morse’s 96-88, double-overtime victory over Riverside John North in the MLK Classic at La Salle High in Pasadena.
Justin Davis had 42 points and 13 rebounds and 6-foot, 11-inch sophomore Brandon Davis added 27 points for the 16-5 Tigers, who dealt the North Huskies their first loss in a 16-1 season.
Two of North’s starters did not play, according to Cal-Hi Sports.
FOOTHILLS UP AND DOWN
Enigmatic Foothills Christian, ranked 17th in the state, continued to roll with 6-foot, 11-inch T.J. Leaf, in and out of the lineup since an ankle injury in the Under Armour event at Torrey Pines in December.
The Knights were stunned, 48-41, by unranked The Bishop’s but defeated La Jolla Country Day, 76-52, in Coastal League contests which Leaf sat out.
Foothills took a 45-36 lead over state No. 6 Redondo Beach Redondo Union but were outscored, 22-12, in the final quarter and beaten, 58-57, by the 14-4 Seahawks in a MLK event at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
Leaf, who has missed seven games, scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds against Redondo.
NEAR THE PARK
Balboa City is a prep school located on the former Hawthorne Elementary campus at Second Avenue and Hawthorne Street.
The team plays other prep squads and high school opponents and is coached by school principal Zack Jones, the formerly successful mentor at Horizon.
Jones is assisted by Ollie Goulston, who built a powerful program and won more than 250 games at Hoover before being pushed out by a principal who soon moved to La Jolla High.
(The principal has since incurred the disfavor of a group of Vikings football alums who say they are at odds with the administrator on where a plaque could be placed honoring the late Vikings coach and beloved figure Walt Harvey).
Balboa City has a 7-6 record and dropped its most recent game, 65-40, to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, in the Flyin’ To The Hoop Tournament in Kettering, Ohio. St. Vincent-St. Mary is the alma mater of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lebron James.
2014-15: Poll Remains Same, 1-10
The order of the Union-Tribune Top 10 was unchanged after the fourth vote of the season, but there will be changes next week.
No. 1 Foothills Christian was beaten, 48-42, by The Bishop’s at Cuyamaca College last night in what is evolving into a tough Coastal Division race.
Foothills’ 6-foot, 11-inch T.J. Leaf did not play as the Patriots fell to 10-7, while The Bishop’s improved to 10-4.
UT-San Diego poll #4:
#
Team (1st place votes)
W-L
Points*
Previous
1
Foothills Christian (7)
10-6
105
2
2
La Costa Canyon (1)
11-5
97
1
3
Torrey Pines (2)
15-2
89
3
4
San Marcos (1)
14-1
70
4
5
El Camino (1)
12-3
58
5
6
Army-Navy
14-2
57
8
7
St. Augustine
13-4
41
7
8
Mission Bay
11-1
25
NR
9
Morse
14-4
24
6
10
Francis Parker
8-3
14
10
*Awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. NR–Not ranked.
Eleven San Diego County sportswriters and broadcasters, and a CIF San Diego Section representative vote each week. The panel includes John Maffei and Kirk Kenney (UT-San Diego), Terry Monahan (UT-San Diego correspondent), Bill Dickens (eastcountysports.com), Steve Brand (San Diego Hall of Champions), John Labeta (CIF San Diego Section), Bodie DeSilva (sandiegopreps.com), Aaron Burgin (fulltimeshoops.com), Rick Willis (KUSI Chl. 51), Rick Smith (partletonsports.com), Drew Willis (sdcoastalsports.com).
2015: John Kovac, Started Mesa College Football Program
John Kovac, the first head football coach at Mesa College and coach of Coronado’s 1955-56 Southern California basketball championship team, passed away at age 89.
Services for Kovac, who moved from San Diego to Palm Springs in October, will be Jan. 20 at St. Brigit’s Parish, Pacific Beach, on Jan. 20 at 11 a.m.
Kovac opened the Mesa program in 1964 and posted a 30-14-2 record until he stepped down to become the college’s athletic director after the 1968 season.
Kovac (right) and track coach Dick Coxe (left) honored track’s Sterling Jenkins and football’s Richard (Prime) McClendon at San Diego Junior College’s 1963 fall sports awards banquet.
The 1966 Olympians squad posted a 9-1 record and scored a 12-0 victory over San Bernardino Valley in the Elks Bowl game in the Northern city.
Kovac succeeded George Schutte as head coach at San Diego Junior College and his teams were 11-15-1 from 1961-63.
Kovac was a graduate of Penn State University and was the freshman coach at Penn State for future NFL Hall of Famer Lennie Moore and future Pro Bowl defensive lineman Roosevelt Grier.
Kovac’s first coaching position was as basketball coach at Coronado High. From 1953-56 his teams posted a record of 63 wins and 15 losses, going 15-8, 21-4, and 27-1, respectively.
The Islanders were the first County team to score at least 100 points in a game when they routed Rancho del Campo, 103-34, in 1953.
Coronado reached the Southern California small schools finals in 1954-55 but was beaten, by Azusa Citrus, 63-58, in front of more than 2,000 persons at Point Loma High.
Kovac’s small, quick Islanders won a championship rematch, 60-54, before another turnaway crowd of 2,300 at Azusa in the 1955-56 season.
Coronado, whose tallest player was 6-foot, 1-inch Roger Nix, held Citrus star Billy Kilmer to 19 points, several points below his school-record average, and outplayed the Cougars’ starting five, which averaged 6-foot-3.
The Islanders’ only defeat that season was an early December decision, 49-45, to Hoover, which posted a 25-5 record and was the third-place finisher in the Southern California large-school playoffs.
CHULA VISTA STAR
Bob Lusky, who played on Chula Vista’s 1953 and ’54 Southern California small schools champions that had a combined, 23-1 record.
Lusky was all-Metropolitan League in football and baseball for the Spartans and pitched for San Diego State’s 1958 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship squad.
Lusky taught and coached many years in the South Bay and at Palomar College in San Marcos.
SET CARLSBAD SCORING RECORD
Bob Wueste held the Carlsbad High single-game scoring record of 40 points for several years and was a standout on coach Dimitri Poradowski’s 1961-62 squad that posted a 15-4 record and tied for first in the Palomar League.
