Dick Tomlinson, assistant coach and in charge of weight events at Mount Miguel, was suspicious, so he got a long tape measure and began surveying.

Tomlinson said he discovered that the 440-yard oval track at his school was six feet short (two yards) of regulation distance.

The coach told Evening Tribune writer Bill Finley that he also learned that the El Capitan track was 10 feet short (3-plus yards) and that the Helix track while only a foot short, was off on the 220-yard distance on the curve.  It came up 235 yards.

Tomlinson might have been reacting to Sweetwater coach Dave Ashley’s frustration.

The Red Devils’ oval, where County records had been set in long relay races, was reported as being anywhere from three to 14 feet (almost five yards) less than 440, according to Ashley.  The most glaring example was when Armando Valencia stunned the track world with a 4:07.2 mile in the National City Junior Chamber of Commerce Relays at Sweetwater in 1967.

Valencia actually ran four laps and at least 12 yards less than a mile. Valencia, a fine runner, finished high school a year later but his career best, in his final race, was 4:08.8.

San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson, who also was boss of City Schools athletics, said all district tracks had been measured years before and were up to standard.

Not all marks were bogus and despite apparently legitimate times in races from the 440 to the two-mile, San Diego Section runners came up short in the state meet, not winning an individual championship for the third straight year, after winning one title in each of the section’s first six .

HORNETS LOSE DUAL MEET TITLE

Student complaints and campus unrest resulted in Lincoln’s being closed for several days in early April.  A showdown dual meet with Crawford and other events eventually were declared no contest.  The Colts won the league championship with a 5-0 record to Lincoln’s 4-0, which ended the Hornets’ streak of five straight titles dating to 1964.

4/18/69

Vincent Breddell ran the 100 in :09.8, 220 in :21.8 and teamed with Michael Cornell, Gary Downes, and Lloyd Ellis to win the 440-yard relay in :43.1 and Kearny outscored Crawford and Chula Vista, 69-56-24.

—Granite Hills’ 3:32.4 victory in the mile relay was the difference in the Eagles’ 68-67 win over Mount Miguel.

Daryl Guthridge’s 23-foot, 2-inch long jump usually would have been the day’s highlight, but that was reserved for Mount Miguel’s Steve Dougherty, who beat teammate Billy Joe Winchester with a 60-foot, 3-inch shot put.

—Jim Downs’ Vista Panthers came up short in a 60-57 loss to Escondido, whose Jon Cnossen, said Downs to Bill Center of the San Diego Union, turned in “the greatest performance I’ve ever seen by a high schooler.

“He picked up a point in the 440, won the mile, and then anchored their winning mile relay team. Heck, the mile isn’t even his race,” said Downs.

4/19/69

Fallbrook won varsity competition and the overall Sweepstakes trophy in the Laguna Beach Trophy meet.

The Warriors edged Brea-Olinda, 41-40, for  the varsity title and used Class B and C points to top Laguna Beach, 92-60, for the overall championship. San Marcos and Coronado tied for fourth in varsity competition with 37 points.

Top marks were the 2:00.2 880 by San Marcos’ John McFarland and the 15.3 high hurdles effort by Coronado’s Robert Mansueto.

4/25/69

A team of Stu Williams (4:29), Jon Freyer (4:32), Bob Brenner (4:28.8), and Chuck Dyer (4:22.4) covered the four-man, four-mile relay in a County record of 17:52.2 at the Mt. San Antonio Relays in Walnut.

The infrequent race bettered a Kearny mark of 17:58.4 at the San Diego Relays in 1967.  Monte Vista finished second to Point Loma in 17:59.2.

Billy Joe Winchester heaved the discus 174 feet, 9 inches, breaking the school record of 172-8, set a month before by Mount Miguel teammate Steve Dougherty. Winchester also hurled the shot 60-9 ½. The Matadors won the Grossmont League dual meet, 72-64, over El Cajon Valley.

5/2/69

Marion Franklin tied a school record of :14.1 in the 120-yard high hurdles, won the 180 lows in :19.6, and ran a leg in the 440-yard relay as the Lincoln clocked :41.6, fastest time of the season in California.

The Hornets’ 75-43 win over San Diego included Charles Robertson’s :09.9 100, Charles Patterson’s, :22.2 220, and Clive Carrero’s :50.8 440.

San Diego’s Tori Meza won the 880 in 1:59.8 and Joe Herrington beat Michael Lee of Lincoln with a 54-3 shot put.

—El Cajon Valley’s Chris Woods long jumped 22 feet, ¾ inch, and skipped to 45-8 in the triple jump, third all-time in the County, behind Lucky Fleming’s 46-4 ¼ in 1967 and Bob Beckus’ 46-1 ¾ in 1938, in an 81-55 win versus Santana.

—Billy Joe Winchester and Mount Miguel teammate Steve Dougherty showed why they are 1-2 in the weights in the Matadors’ 76-60 win over Grossmont.

Winchester won the shot put at 61-8 and discus at 170-9 and Dougherty was second at 58-8 ½ and 170-5.

5/9/69

EASTERN LEAGUE TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Mike Lee, a 210-pound linebacker for Lincoln in the fall and, until recently, most notably a 12-foot pole vaulter In the spring, hurled the shot 56-9 ½ for an Eastern League record  and broke the school record of 54-9 by Richard (Stein) Howell in 1960.

Nate Harris of St. Augustine logged a :48.9 440, Charles Patterson of Lincoln a :09.8 100, Charles Robertson of Lincoln :09.9 and :22 in the 100 and 220, and Class B sprinter Bill Smith of Morse :09.9 in the 100.

WESTERN LEAGUE TRIALS, @KEARNY

The wind blew and sprinters flew with Kearny Mesa breezes.

Vincent Breddell of the host Komets won heats in the 100 and 220 in :10 and wind-disallowed :21.2.  Mission Bay’s Jim Koudelka tied 100 mark of :09.9 by Mission Bay’s Rick Tauber in 1965 but also with too much breeze, same as in Koudelka’s :21.6 220.

Bennie Martinez of Mission Bay ran the mile in 4:23.7, setting up a Friday duel with Clairemont’s David Harper, who eased to a 4:28.8 heat, slower than the 4:22.4 he logged several days before.

Madison qualified 20, Mission Bay 17, Kearny 16, Point Loma 14, Clairemont 8, University 5, and La Jolla 4.

5/13/69

GROSSMONT LEAGUE TRIALS, @HELIX

Helix led all qualifiers with 29 and Art Evins of the Highlanders set a league record of :14.8 in the 120-yard high hurdles; teammate Rick Ely logged :19.8 in the 180 lows.

Mount Miguel, which qualified 16, got a double from Billy Joe Winchester, 61 feet, 2 inches in the shot put and 170-1 in the discus.

Granite Hills, which had 14 moving to the finals at Mount Miguel, had a triple winner in Daryl Guthridge, :10 in the 100, :22 in the 220, and 23-1 ½ in the long jump.

El Cajon Valley qualified 14, Monte Vista and Grossmont, 12 each; El Capitan 10, and Santana, 7.

AVOCADO LEAGUE RIALS, @SAN DIEGUITO

Blake Martinson of Vista long jumped 23 feet, 11 inches, to break the meet record of 22-6 1/2, set in 1967 by Ira Raibon of Oceanside, and moved Martinson ahead of the 23-3 ½ by James (Sporty) Willis of Oceanside for the San Diego Section lead.

Martinson also won his 100 and 220 heats in :10.2 and :23.

Lower division records were set by George Allen of Orange Glen, 60 feet ½ inch with the Class C, eight-pound shot and Steve Magdaleno of Oceanside, 1:25 in the B 660.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TRIALS, @CASTLE PARK

Mar Vista and Sweetwater each qualified 11. Chula Vista had 8, Bonita Vista and Hilltop 6 each, Coronado and Castle park 5 each.

The Mariners’ Valley Coleman ran the 120-yard high hurdles in :14.9 and the 180 lows in :20.

Sweetwater’s Jesse Davis raced the 220 on Castle Park’s gusty straightaway in :22.1 and teammate Steve Ruiz ran the B 220 in :21.8, better than the :22 meet record by Steve Adams of Grossmont in 1960.

5/16/69

EASTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lincoln ran away with the team championship with 89 points, but may have lost star middle-distance runner Milton Mitchell.

Mitchell, the area leader with a time of :48.4 in the 440 and with a best of 1:55.9 in the 880 as a sophomore, was leading St. Augustine’s Nate Harris when Mitchell suddenly tied up about 15 yards from the finish.

Harris won in :48.9 and Mitchell staggered home second in :49.

Lincoln coach Darryl Nelson said Mitchell aggravated an abdominal muscle injury.  “I don’t know how bad it is; we’ll just have to wait and see the next couple days,” Nelson said when asked how long he expected the Hornets’ runner to be sidelined.

Mitchell sustained the injury earlier in the season and had not run since April 5.

Lincoln won seven events in varsity competition and qualified 18 for the following week’s San Diego Section trials.

Charles Robertson and Marion Franklin were double winners for the Hornets, Robertson in :09.8 and :21.9 in the 100 and 220 and Franklin in :14.3 and :19.8 in the 180-yard low hurdles.

A 54-foot, 11 ¼-inch shot put win by Mike Lee was sandwiched around Lincoln’s 440 and mile relay victories of :42.1 and 3:24.3.

Morse and Crawford were closest with 38 and 37 points respectively.

WESTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @KEARNY

Vincent Breddell led coach Jim Cerveny’s Kearny Komets to the team title with wins of :09.8 in the 100-yard dash :21.9 in the 220, and anchored a winning, :43.4 effort in the 440-yard relay.

Breddell avenged three earlier losses to Mission Bay’s Jim Koudelka, who was second in both sprints in :10 and :22.

Clairemont sophomore David Harper won the fastest mile of the season, 4:19.5, topping Mission Bay’s Bennie Martinez’ 4:20.5. Point Loma’s Chuck Dyer’s 9:29 two-mile also was an area best.

Five runners bettered two minutes in the 880, with Madison’s Pat McCallion leading the way at 1:55.8, another best mark of the season.  Mission Bay’s Tom Lee was second in 1:57.

Kearny scored 80 points to the 50 by Mission Bay, which had tied the Komets for the dual-meet championship.  Point Loma followed with 40 and Clairemont with 36.

AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS,  @VISTA

Oceanside’s Jerry Culp cleared 6 feet, 9 inches in the high jump, fourth highest in County history, but officially not his best.  Culp cleared 6-10 in a dual meet at San Diego on March 7, but an over-zealous teammate accidentally knocked off the bar before the jump could be measured.

Blake Martinson of Vista was a triple winner, :10 in the 100, :22.4 in the 220, and 21-9 in the long jump.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @MAR VISTA

Host Mar Vista outscored Sweetwater, 56-45, for the team championship and Valley Coleman set Mar Vista records of :14.8 in the high hurdles and :20 in the lows. The Mariners also set a meet record of 3:28.5 in the mile relay.

Hilltop (35), Chula Vista (30), Castle Park (21), Coronado (15), and Bonita Vista (12) followed in team scoring.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @MOUNT MIGUEL

Dick Tomlinson, the weight events coach at Mount Miguel, waxed reverently about Billy Joe Winchester, the 225-pound shot put and discus County leader:

“This guy has to be Superman.  Tuesday he hurt his arm throwing the javelin.  I don’t know what he was doing with the thing, but he can use it every week if this is what happens.”

Winchester increased his San Diego Section lead to 62-2 ¾ in the shot put and set a County record of 180 feet in the discus.

Winchester’s shot put was third best in area history, behind the 64-11 by San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock in 1968 and the 64-3 ½ by Granite Hills’ George Brown in 1967.  Brian Wadlington of Granite Hills had held the discus record of 176-1 in ’67.

Winchester shared some props with Granite Hills’ Daryl Guthridge, who tripled with victories of :09.8 and :22.6 in the 100 and 220, 23-2 ¼ in the long jump, and anchored the Eagles’ :43.4 victory in the 440-yard relay.

Helix sophomore Ed Mendoza surprised by winning the two-mile in 9:36.5 over favored Dave Carter of Monte Vista.  Landis Bender of El Cajon Valley vaulted 14 feet, 4 inches. Norm Lumpkin of Santana bettered the three-day old record in the 120 high hurdles with a time of :14.7.

Helix won the team title with 53 points to Granite Hills’ 51.  Mount Miguel had 44, followed by El Cajon Valley, 32; Monte Vista, 28; El Capitan, 22; Santana, 22, and Grossmont, 7.

5/19/69

Art Evins of Helix ran :14.7 in the 120-yard high hurdles in a “runoff” at Helix to determine the third qualifier for the San Diego Section trials. Rick Ely of Helix was second and Mike Nielson of Monte Vista third.

5/22/69

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Billy Joe Winchester of Mount Miguel led nine qualifiers with a discus toss of 173 feet, 9 inches. Teammate Steve Dougherty reached 167-10, followed by Monte Vista’s Pat Foley at 165-10, more than 18 feet further than the next entrant.

El Cajon’s Richard Norkunas cleared 13-2 in the Class C pole vault finals, breaking the record of 12-2 by Grossmont’s Bob Lesh in 1966.

5/23/69

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lincoln, without injured 440 favorite Milton Mitchell, still advanced toward its seventh team championship in nine seasons, leading all qualifiers with 11, followed by Oceanside and Helix with 9 each.

Mitchell, who re-injured a groin muscle in the Eastern League  440, was limited to a lap on the Hornets’ mile relay squad after San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson, citing Section rules, declared Mitchell couldn’t be “byed” into the finals.

The Hornets, whose team was the ninth qualifier in the relay, hoped to get Mitchell for that event the following week.

Oceanside’s Jerry Culp set a meet record of 6-8 ½ in the high jump, a quarter-inch higher than what Morse’s Harold Greenwood cleared in 1966.

Culp’s performance was matched in the Class B 220 and C shot put.  Morse’s Bill Smith’s :09.8 100 bettered the mark of :09.9 by Mike Turnipseed of Carlsbad in 1964 and Henry Shaw of Lincoln in 1965.  Orange Glen’s George Allen set a record by hurling the eight-pound ball 61 feet, 2 ¼ inches, shattering the record of 57-3.

San Diego’s William Ricks was one of the leaders in the pole vault at 13 feet, 4 inches, breaking the school record that had stood since Bill Miller cleared 13-3 in 1929.

5/29/69

SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lincoln scored 48 points and won the team championship, outdistancing Oceanside, 18; Helix, 14; Vista, 13; Mount Miguel, 11; St. Augustine and El Cajon Valley, 10 each, among the leaders.

The Hornets’ state-leading 440 relay ran :42.0, with Reese Jarrett replacing sore-legged Melvin Maxwell on the first handoff.   The Hornets also prevailed in the mile relay in 3:19 as Milton Mitchell, out of the 440 because of an injury, anchored the victory.

Other winners for Lincoln were Marion Franklin, :14.4 and :19.6 in the high and low hurdles respectively; Charles Robertson, :09.8 in the 100 and Charles Patterson, :21.8 in the 220.

–Billy Joe Winchester was first in the discus with a 175-4 effort, bettering the 175-1 of Pat Foley in 1968.  The Matadors’ junior also took the shot put at 59-11.

–Dave Carter of Monte Vista ran the sixth fastest two-mile in County history, 9:10.4 but was off the school record of 9:03.4 by Don Olsen in 1967.

–Pat McCallion of Madison won a competitive 880 in 1:54.2, followed by Vista’s Jerry Plunkett (1:54.7), Dave Ripley of Mount Miguel (1:55.6), Steve Gillean of Monte Vista (1:55.7), and Jon Cnossen of Escondido (1:56).

–Sophomore David Harper of Clairemont won the mile in 4:16.4, with Mission Bay’s Bennie Martinez (4:17.1) and Granite Hills’ Dale Horton (4:18.2) in pursuit.  Helix’ Darryl Simmons (4:19.8) was the fourth runner to break 4:20.

6/6/69

51ST STATE TRACK TRIALS, @UCLA

A San Diego contingent of 30 qualifiers quickly dwindled to 10 in the Friday trials.

The Section was wiped out in every running event except the 440 relay, in which a Lincoln team of Marion Franklin, Reese Jarrett, Charles Patterson and Charles Robertson was tied for third overall in :41.9.

John Robbins of El Capitan qualified eighth at 58-8 ½ in the shot put and Mount Miguel’s Billy Joe Winchester 10^th at 58-1 ¾.

Pat Foley of Monte Vista was a qualifying 12^th at 158-9 in the discus.  Winchester was a nonqualifying 18^th.

Jerry Culp of Oceanside and Dean Owens of El Cajon Valley were among 12 moving forward with 6-4  high jumps.

Blake Martinson of Vista moved on, ninth in the long jump at 22-9.

Landis Bender of El Cajon Valley was one of 12 who cleared 14 feet in the pole vault.

Ed Mendoza of Helix and Dave Carter of Monte Vista would run the two-mile the following day.

6/7/69

51ST STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, @UCLA

Lincoln was second in the 440 relay in :41.8, unusual in that it was not the Hornets’ best time (:41.6).  They led until the final 15 yards when an Oakland Castlemont anchor passed Charles Robertson in a photo finish :41.8.

Jerry Culp of Oceanside was second in the high jump at 6-8, behind the 7-foot jump of Compton’s Reynaldo Brown, who was a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team. Dean Owens of El Cajon Valley tied for sixth at 6-4.

John Robbins of El Capitan was fifth in the shot put at 58-8.

Helix’ Ed Mendoza was ninth in the two-mile in 9:13.6 and Dave Carter 12th in 9:19.8.

A road map would have been easy to follow in the first nine years of the San Diego Section: Start at 44th Street and El Cajon Boulevard and travel about 1.5 miles East and Southeast to 55th and Trojan Avenue.

The Hoover Cardinals and Crawford Colts, neighbors in the East San Diego enclave eventually known as City Heights, won seven of the first nine championships. Hoover claimed  its third this season, defeating four-time winner Crawford in the  championship game.

Hoover, which began in 1930 and had a history of success punctuated by a campus field named after major league baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ted Williams, was the figurative older sibling but Crawford, whose doors opened for the first time in 1957, challenged from its surging population base.

The Colts flexed their muscles in the decade, winning 13 additional titles in football, basketball, golf, gymnastics, swimming, and tennis.

4/16/69

Ted Schultz had two hits and Vista defeated Escondido, coached by Ted’s older brother Gary, 6-2.  Art Warren hit a three-run home run for the Panthers.

—El Cajon Valley catcher Tom DeHart was hit in the mouth in the seventh inning and left the game.  The pitch reportedly dislodged several teeth and cut DeHart’s lip and gum. The Braves topped El Capitan, 9-2.

4/18/69

Future major leaguer Terry Forster allowed four hits, struck out eight, and scored the winning run on an error in the top of the eighth inning to win a duel from Monte Vista’s Paul Loop, 1-0.

Castle Park’s Hector Cebreros struck out 15, walked three, and faced only 23 batters in pitching a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Coronado.

–Randy Fleetwood’s three-run home run separated Hoover from Morse, 5-3, and allowed the defending Eastern League champion (9-1) to open a 1 1/2-game lead over Crawford (7-2), which was blanked by San Diego, whose Mike Hanson gave up five hits in the 2-0 victory.

–Gary Thomasson had four hits in four times at bat as Oceanside downed Orange Glen, 6-3. Thomasson’s future included almost nine seasons in the major leagues, seven with the San Francisco Giants as an outfielder-first baseman.

–Sam Hinds protected La Jolla’s Western League lead, shutting out Kearny, 1-0, on two hits, while David Blackwell kept Madison a half-game behind, pitching and doubling in two runs in the top of the seventh inning to top University, 3-2.

4/19/69

USC and UCLA teams this weekend were noted for  graduates from San Diego schools.

Pat Roark and Neal Ball of Hoover, Frank Alfano of Crawford, Cal Meier of Grossmont, and Brent Strom of San Diego High were in the lineup for USC.  Mike Reinbach of Granite Hills, Chris Chambliss of Oceanside, Bob Petretta of Crawford, and Jake Molina of Clairemont started for UCLA.

4/22/69

Hilltop’s Mike Likens scored the game’s first run in the second inning and silenced Sweetwater’s powerful lineup, allowing five hits in a 2-0 victory.  The loss was the Red Devils second in 17 games and the Lancers improved to 10-5.

—Mickey Aguirre hit a two-run home run and Rod Boone struck out nine as Crawford overcame a 3-0 Hoover lead to cut a game off the Cardinals’ Eastern League lead, 5-3.

–El Cajon Valley (5-1-1) led the Grossmont League after Brian Applegate’s three-run home run set down Santana, 4-2.  El Capitan, Granite Hills, and Mount Miguel had 5-2 league records.

4/25/69

El Cajon Valley (Grossmont), Madison (Western), and Escondido (Avocado) protected league leads.

Speedy Chase scored on a passed ball and Brian Applegate singled in Chuck Klein in a two-run third inning in the Braves’ 2-1 win over Granite Hills.

—Escondido turned back Oceanside for the Cougars seventh straight win.

—Madison’s Dave Blackwell blanked Point Loma, 3-0, to keep the Warhawks a game ahead of Clairemont.

4/28/69

John D’Aquisto blanked Hoover on two hits and first-inning home runs by Tony DeSanti and Jack Mannix resulted in five runs as the Saints cruised to a 9-0 win that knocked Hoover (9-3) out of a first-place tie with Crawford (9-2) in the Eastern League.

4/29/69

Marian’s Phil Bajo hurled a no-hitter and the Crusaders’ 4-0, Paloma League victory marked the second time this season that Army-Navy had gone hitless.

—Terry Lindsey’s three-run home run in the seventh inning was the difference in Clairemont’s 7-6 win over University.

–Madison (6-2) stayed a game in front of Claremont in the Western after Mike Cohen’s three-run home run and five runs batted in, which needed as Kearny scored five times in the seventh inning before coming up short, 9-7.

5/3/69

Steve Archambault came on in relief in the third inning and allowed one hit, retiring 14 of the 16 batters he faced, enabling Escondido (9-1) retain its two-game Avocado League lead with a 7-1 win over San Dieguito.

–Orange Glen (5-5) blanked Poway (1-9) behind the one-hit pitching on Walt Mack.

–“I like that fence,” said Warren Keagy of the five-foot barrier at Castle Park.  The Sweetwater coach, whose team defeated the Trojans, 3-1, after Carl Sims and Bob Kramer went deep.

–Chula Vista beat Mar Vista, 12-3, behind sophomore hurler Bob Tagye, who gave up three hits and singled, tripled, and homered.

–Sophomore Ken Bretsch of Bonita Vista allowed three hits and hit a two-run home run in a 3-0 win over Coronado.

–Granite Hills amassed 19 base hits in a 16-5 rout of Grossmont, which couldn’t stop Dennis Gillette and Dan Schuldies, who each had four runs batted in; Dan Ritter, who drove in three runs, and Tim Doerr, who had four hits in five at-bats.

–Hoover scored eight runs in fifth inning, profiting from seven walks that included four hit-batters, and outlasted Patrick Henry, 11-10, despite being out hit, 16-5.

5/6/69

Jim Dillahunt’s run-scoring double led Helix to a 2-1 victory over Santana, whose Terry Forster allowed only three hits and struck out 13.

Mickey Robinson was 3 for 4 and Oceanside (8-3) bombed Carlsbad, 15-4, allowing the Pirates to pick up a half game on Escondido (9-1), which couldn’t play Poway because of wet grounds.

5/9/69

“He tries to throw a perfect pitch every time,” El  Cajon Valley coach Harry Elliott said of Dan Corder, who pitched a 4-1 victory over El Capitan that advanced the Grossmont League leaders to a 9-3 record.

“Sometimes he tries to be too fine,” Elliott noted of his ace to Mike Sund of the Evening Tribune.  “He works the corners a lot and if the umpires aren’t calling the close ones for him he gets pretty temperamental.  Then I have go out there and try to settle him down.”

5/13/69

Preston McCracken, six weeks before a member of a San Diego junior hockey team playing a tournament in Minneapolis, stunned Crawford (12-4) with a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory that kept the Cardinals (12-5) in the Eastern League race.

“I took the uniform away from him a couple months ago, because he couldn’t devote enough time to baseball to help us,” said Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow told Mike Sund.

“I love both sports and both were suffering…but the opportunity to go back east for the hockey finals was something I couldn’t pass up,” said McCracken.  “I’m just grateful that coach Bartow gave me a chance to come back.”

–Terry Forester had been forced wear a corset to support a cranky back,  but the 6-foot, 3-inch, 190 pounder made El Capitan feel the pain with a no-hitter in Santana’s 5-0 victory.

5/16/69

Madison (9-3) clinched the Western League championship, 8-2 over University, with which the Warhawks shared the title in 1968.  Madison had four, two-run innings to support Dave Blackwell’s seven-hit pitching.

–Ed Evilsizor’s two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Kearny (6-6) a 3-2 win over La Jolla (5-7).

STANDINGS

Not all scheduled games were reported or played.  Ties are half-game won, half-game lost.

EASTERN LEAGUE

TEAM	W	L	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Crawford	13	4	.765	—	17-5, .778
Hoover	12	5	.706	1	15-6, .714
San Diego	12	6	.667	1 ½	13-9, .591
Lincoln	8	6	.571	3 ½	8-10, .471
St. Augustine	6	11	.353	7	11-12, .478
Patrick Henry	5	12	.294	8	6-16, .273
Morse	3	15	.167	10 ½	5-17, .222

WESTERN LEAGUE

TEAM	W	L	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Madison	9	3	.750	—	14-8, .636
Clairemont	8	4	.667	1	13-9-2, .583
Point Loma	7	5	.583	2	11-10, .524
Kearny	6	6	.500	3	11-12, .478
La Jolla	5	7	.417	4	11-12, .478
University	5	7	.417	4	9-9, .500
Mission Bay	2	10	.167	7	6-16, .273

GROSSMONT LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST/TIED	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
El Cajon Valley	10	3-1	.750	—	16-8-1, 667
El Capitan	10	4	.714	1/2	11-8, .579
Granite Hills	8	6	.571	2	14-8, 636
Mount Miguel	7	7	.500	3	15-9
Monte Vista	7	7	.500	3	12-11
Santana	7	7	.500	3	14-10
Helix	3	8-1	.291	7	6-14-1, .310
Grossmont	1	13	.071	9	3-18, .143

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Sweetwater	10	2	.833	—	21-3, .875
Chula Vista	9	3	.750	1	13-9, .591
Castle Park	8	4	.667	2	12-10, .545
Hilltop	7	5	.583	3	11-11, .500
Mar Vista	5	7	.417	5	10-12-1, .457
Bonita Vista	3	9	.250	7	5-18, .217
Coronado	0	12	.000	10	3-20, .130

AVOCADO LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Escondido	13	1	.929	—	18-4, .818
Oceanside	10	4	.714	3	14-6-1, 690
San Dieguito	10	4	.714	3	16-6-1, .717
Vista	8	4	.667	5	11-10, .524
Orange Glen	7	7	.500	6	10-9, .526
Carlsbad	4	10	.286	9	10-12, .455
Poway	3	11	.214	10	4-17-1, .205
Fallbrook	1	13	.071	12	3-15-1, .184

SOUTHERN PREP

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
San Miguel	7	1	.875	—	10-5-1, .656
San Diego Military	4	5	.444	3 ½	8-10, .444
La Jolla Country Day	3	4	.429	4	4-11, .286
Julian	3	5	.375	4 ½	4-5, .444

FREE LANCE

TEAM	WON	LOST/TIE	Pct.
Rancho del Campo	8	1-0	.889
Francis Parker	4	3-0	.571
Borrego Springs	7	8-1	.469
Mountain Empire	6	12-1	.342
Christian	1	3-0	.250

5/17/59

A published report had said that El Cajon Valley and Helix would replay an earlier tie game at the hour of 9 a.m., but the game apparently was called off.   CIF bosses made no mention why when they revealed pairings later in the day for first-round playoff games.

El Cajon Valley became the league  winner with a 10-3-1 record and .750 won-loss percentage, while El Capitan was 10-4, .714.

5/20/69

SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

Sweetwater 7, San Dieguito (16-7-2) 4, 10 innings, @San Diego State. 

Relief pitcher Bill Oxidine’s three-run home run, which cleared a 402-foot sign in left centerfield in the third extra inning, was part of a four-run rally that finally separated the Red Devils from their tough Avocado League opponent.

Three Sweetwater errors had allowed the Mustangs to take a 4-3 advantage in the top of the 10^th.  The Red Devils scored in the bottom of the sixth for a 3-3 tie.

Crawford 8, Castle Park (13-10) 2, @Hoover.

Rod Boone went the distance for the Colts in one of his last appearances.  Boone, who struck out seven, will miss a couple postseason all-star games because he will soon report to the Fairbanks Goldpanners team in Alaska.

Hoover 3, Clairemont (13-10-2) 1, @Mesa College.

Floyd McCracken pitched a five-hitter and Randy Fleetwood singled in two runs in the first inning.

Oceanside 3, El Cajon Valley (16-9-1) 1, @Grossmont College.

Two El Cajon Valley  errors put runners on the bases in the seventh inning and led to Allen Soto’s two-run double that boosted the four-hit pitching of Rob Bressi.

Escondido 2, Granite Hills (14-9) 1, @Palomar College.

Madison 6, Chula Vista (13-10) 4, @Helix.

San Diego 11, San Miguel School (10-6-1) 6, @Madison.

El Capitan 10, Marion (13-8-1), 7, @Mar Vista.

5/23/69

QUARTERFINALS

Hoover 7, Oceanside (15-7-1) 4, @Mesa College.                                                                      

“He’s going to be the best hitter we’ve ever had round here,” Hoover coach Jerry Bartow said to Mike Sund of the Evening Tribune of sophomore Stan DeKoven, whose two-run single in the sixth inning was the essential hit in the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory.

DeKoven hit .440 after being called up from the junior varsity three weeks before the end of the regular season.

Bartow used 17 players. Three finished in the positions at which they started the game.

Crawford 12, El Capitan (12-9) 0, @Helix High.

Crawford erupted for  19 hits, including home runs by Dan Gonzalez and Mike Coronado, who had four hits.  Pitcher Rod Boone was three for three and gave up two hits in six innings. The Colts’ Dave Hoppe and Rick Lee also had three hits.

Escondido 2, Madison (15-9) 0, @Cal Western University.

Joe Reyes, No. 2 in the pitching rotation of Cougars coach Chuck Leaf, gagged Madison, giving up two hits and picking off the Warhawks’ two base runners.

Sweetwater 9, San Diego (14-10) 0, @San Diego State.

The second time was not the charm for San Diego, which had dropped a nonleague, 5-1 decision to the Red Devils 10 days before.

5/27/69

SEMIFINALS

Hoover 3, Sweetwater (23-4) 2, @Mesa College.

The Cardinals’ Charlie Johnson singled to right field with one out in the top of the seventh inning and advanced to second base after pitcher Bill Oxidine threw wildly on a pickoff attempt.

Hoover’s Dale Roland struck out on a wild pitch, allowing an advance to third by Singleton, who scored the winning run on John Helfrick’s single between third base and shortstop.

Normally a first baseman or outfielder, Bo Martinez was a surprise pitching choice by coach Jerry Bartow.  Martinez gave up nine hits and was in and out of trouble, but refused to be pushed over the cliff.

Crawford 2, Escondido (20-5) 0, @San Diego State.

Crawford went with Rod Boone for the third straight playoff and the 6-foot, 3-inch righthander needed only 74 pitches to stop the Cougars on six hits. The Colts scored on three walks and a single by Dan Gonzalez and double by Mickey Aguirre that scored Bruce Altschuler and Gonzalez.

5/29/69

CHAMPIONSHIP

Hoover (19-6) 5, Crawford (20-6) 4, @Beeson Field.

Preston McCracken shut out Crawford on three hits and drove in Hoover’s last two runs with a single in the sixth inning.

As written by Bill Center in The San Diego Union, “McCracken, who threw a no-hitter at Crawford three weeks ago, retired the first nine Colts he faced until Mike Tice’s single in the fifth inning.”

Crawford’s Rod Boone, pitching his fourth consecutive playoff game and second in three days, was almost as effective, allowing only two hits, both in the bottom of the sixth.

Bo Martinez tagged up and scored from third after Wes Daw lined out to leftfield in the fourth inning and Ray Garcia, moving with Daw’s catch, scored on a wild throw from the outfield.

“Pres (sic) wants to be a pitcher,” Hoover coach Jerry Bartow said of the 5-foot, 9-inch McCracken.  “When he wasn’t in shape I said, ‘Prove it to me.’ Well, he’s proved it to me.”

Boone, the younger brother of Bob Boone, the star of Crawford teams earlier in the decade, elicited rare praise from coach Bill Sandback: “He has the greatest desire of any player I‘ve ever coached.”

Attendance for the game on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot diamond was estimated at close to 1,000.

 

 

 

 

 

The shots wouldn’t go down for Bonita Vista, which converted 14 per cent of its attempts from the field in the first half to trail, 29-18, and went on to lose to  Fresno Central, 52-41, in the CIF state Division II championship at the Sacramento Golden Center Saturday afternoon.

In a game in which the 3 ball most often determines who holds the trophy and who gets the second-place medal, the Barons were a stunningly inaccurate 2 for 27 from behind the three-point arc.

Trailing, 36-23, at the end of three quarters, the Barons battled back and closed to 48-41, but another couple of missed treys ended the threat and the San Diego Section’s last try for a state championship.

GIRLS

DIVISION	TEAM	SEED	TEAM	SEED	SCORE
II	Fresno Central (23-12)	4	Bonita Vista (24-10)	2	52-41

And then there was one.

The Bonita Vista Barons girls  won the Southern California Regional Division II championship, 80-67, over Lawndale Leuzinger, while Del Norte was defeated in the D-I final at Corona Centennial, 52-39.

Bonita Vista will play the Fresno Central Grizzlies (22-12), who defeated Chico Pleasant Valley, 62-51, in the Northern final, at 2 p.m. Saturday for the state championship in Sacramento’s Golden Center.

Bonita Vista trailed the Leuzinger Olympians, 34-32, at halftime.  Alyssa Alvarado scored 21 points for the Barons and her five three-point baskets gave her 113 for the season.

“Whenever she walks into the gym, she’s dangerous,” Barons coach Tristan Lamb said of his sharpshooter to Don Norcross of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Del Norte girls (24-11)  struggled against the taller, defensively-oriented Sharks (26-9), who kept the  Nighthawks at a distance until turning the ball over nine times in the fourth quarter as Del Norte, once behind by 19 points, cut the deficit to nine in the last minute.

Bailey Barnhard led the Nighthawks with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

TIP INS

San Diego Section teams were 18-31 in the playoffs, the boys 7-17 and girls 11-14…the Section sustained five losses to teams with higher-numbered seeds and posted three wins, two by the No. 14 seed Mount Miguel girls, against favored seeds…Pleasant Valley, loser to Fresno Central in the Northern Regional, is alma mater of pro football quarterback Aaron Rodgers…Leuzinger, alma mater of NBA star Russell Westbrook, opened in 1931 and became known as the Olympians after the school was site for selected training venues and events leading to the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles…Corona Centennial, 89-67 conqueror of St. Augustine in the Open Division semifinals, was hammered in the regional final, 80-61, by Studio City Harvard-Westlake…Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda, which knocked out favored La Jolla Country Day in the girls’ Open semifinals, defeated Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 55-54, in the regional championship…the San Diego Section had two regional champions in 2021-22…Scripps Ranch won the Boys’ D-IV and Imperial the Girls’ D-V….

GIRLS

DIVISION	TEAM/VISITOR	SEED	TEAM/HOME	SEED	SCORE
I	Del Norte (24-11)	5	Corona Santiago (26-9)	2	52-39
II	Lawndale Leuzinger (30-6)	2	Bonita Vista (23-9)	1	80-67

From a starting lineup of 36 teams, there are two survivors as the San Diego Section season nears the finish line with the State Regional playoff championships Tuesday night, winners of which then moving on to state championships against Northern California opponents in Sacramento March 10-11.

St. Augustine, the last Boys squad to reach the semifinals, was beaten in the Open Division round of four by Corona Centennial, but Del Norte continued to advance in Girls D-I and favored Bonita moved on in Girls D-II.

St. Augustine was eliminated by Corona Centennial, 89-67, and the La Jolla Country Day girls lost in the Open Division semifinals for the second year in a row, to Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda, 47-42.

The Saints, perhaps winded from a grueling, 63-60 victory over Valencia West Ranch earlier in the week, fell out of contention early, lagging, 24-14 after one quarter and 49-30 at the half.

Del Norte knocked out Orange Lutheran, 67-58, and Bonita Vista edged Temecula Rancho Christian, 70-69. Both San Diego teams will be home for the regional final.

San Diego winners highlighted.

BOYS SEMIFINALS

DIVISION	TEAM/VISITOR	SEED	OPPONENT/HOME	SEED	SCORE
Open	St. Augustine (27-5)	4	Corona Centennial (31-3)	2	89-67
V	Ramona (23-11)	3	Santa Monica Pacifica (28-6) @Playa del Rey St. Bernard	2	71-52

GIRLS SEMIFINALS

DIVISION	TEAM/VISITOR	SEED	TEAM/HOME	SEED	SCORE
Open	Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda (30-3)	3	La Jolla Country Day (29-4)	2	47-42
I	Orange Lutheran (26-8)	9	Del Norte (24-10)	5	67-58
	Mount Miguel (25-8)	14	Corona Santiago (25-9)	2	72-52
II	Temecula Rancho Christian  (27-7)	4	Bonita Vista (22-9)	1	70-69

Winning San Diego teams highlighted.

BOYS QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION	TEAM/VISITOR	SEED	OPPONENT/HOME	SEED	SCORE
Open	St. Augustine (27-4)	4	Valencia West Ranch	5	63-60
III	Lincoln (30-3)	10	Culver City (19-12)	2	82-77, OT.
	San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (23-9)	11	Mission Bay (24-10)	3	67-57
	Ventura Buena (29-5)	8	La Jolla Country Day (24-8)	1	48-44
IV	Victory Christian (24-9)	6	Ventura St. Bonaventure (25-9)	3	59-48
V	Cerritos Whitney (22-10)	11	Ramona (22-10)	3	77-59

GIRLS QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION	TEAM/VISITOR	SEED	TEAM/HOME	SEED	SCORE
Open	La Jolla Country Day (29-3)	2	Bye
I	Del Norte (22-10)	5	Mission Hills (22-12)	4	61-57
	Mount Miguel (25-7)	14	Granada Hills Charter (26-6)	11	53-45
II	La Canada Flintridge (30-3)	8	Bonita Vista (22-9)	1	93-61
III	Oak Park (22-11)	11	Cathedral (15-14)	3	60-51
IV	Oceanside (22-8)	5	Victorville Silverado (21-3)	4	72-58