Crawford moved on after a 26-7 victory in the semifinals versus No. 5 Mar Vista.
Classical retired 2 Escondido Charter, 28-14.
Crawford’s Matt Marquez is in his fourth season as head coach, 23-18 overall, with records of 5-7, 3-2, 4-8, and 11-1.
–Classical’s Josiah Cruz is in his second season, 9-12 overall, with records of 1-9 and 8-3.
Central League champion Crawford opened in 1957 and is playing in sixth championship game. Other appearances were in 1961, ’85, 2013, 15, and ’17, with 1-4 record.
The Colts defeated Kearny, 13-0, in 1961; lost to Lincoln, 28-0, in ’85, 42-6 to Holtville in 2013; 21-7 to Coronado in ’15, and 45-3 to Calexico, in ’17.
Crawford was 8-0-2 in 1961 and 12-1 in 2013. They were 7-2 in 1972, 8-2-1 in ’83, 8-2 in ’84, 11-1 in 2003, and 9-2 in ’04.
Crawford has an all-time record of 290 wins, 358 losses, and 12 ties for a .448 won-loss percentage.
The Colts have had 27 winning seasons of 65.
–Pacific League No. 3 team Classical opened in 2010 and is playing in first championship game.
–Classical’s all-time record is 64-60 for a .532 percentage.
–The Caimans have had 6 winning seasons of 13.
The teams have met twice, with Crawford winning, 32-19, in 2013 and 15-13 in 2015.
Crawford has a -2.3 power rating as assigned by Calpreps.com. Classical’s is -4.1. Max Preps ranks Crawford 41st and Classical 43rd in the San Diego Section.
The pick: Crawford.
D-IV
1 Fallbrook (9-3) vs. 7 Blythe Palo Verde Valley (12-1), Friday, 7 p.m., Escondido High.
Fallbrook advanced with a 21-3 win over 5 Mission Bay.
Blythe Palo Verde Valley defeated 3 Coronado, 35-15, in the semifinals.
Ross Johnson’s is in his first year as head coach at Fallbrook, which has a 9-3 record.
–Wally Grant is 32-11-1 in four years with the Yellowjackets, with records of 6-6, 3-1, 11-3, and 12-1.
Fallbrook opened in 1893 but did not field a football team until 1936. The Warriors also did not play football in the World War II years of 1942 and ’43.
Valley League champion Fallbrook is playing in its fourth championship game. Other appearances were 1986, 2000, and ’03, with a 2-1 record.
The Warriors defeated Vista, 28-14 in 1986 and Carlsbad, 50-12 in 2000. The Warriors lost to Torrey Pines 7-3, in ’03.
Fallbrook was 8-2 in 1947, 10-1 in ’83, 11-2-1 in ’86, 11-2 in 2000, and 10-4 in ’01.
Fallbrook has an all-time record of 316 wins, 472 losses and 21 ties, for a .404 won-loss percentage.
The Warriors have had 24 winning seasons of 84.
–Desert League champion Blythe Palo Verde is playing in its third championship game since joining the San Diego Section in 2000 with a 1-1 record.
–The Yellowjackets lost to Santa Fe Christian, 20-12 in 2004 and defeated Mission Bay, 41-19, in ’21. They lost to Quartz Hill of the Southern Section, 26-21, in a Southern California D-VI playoff.
–Palo Verde Valley was 10-2 in 2004, 8-4, in ’06, and 11-3 in ’21.
Fallbrook has a 14.2 Calpreps.com strength rating. Palo Verde Valley’s rating is 7.2.
Max Preps ranks Fallbrook 21st and Palo Verde Valley 25th in the San Diego Section.
The Pick: Palo Verde Valley.
D-III
1 University City (10-2) vs. 2 Point Loma (10-2, Friday, 2 p.m., Southwestern College.
University City eliminated 4 The Bishop’s, 24-20, in the semifinals.
Point Loma was a 49-14 victor over 3 Del Norte.
Joel Allen is in his third season as head coach of the City League runner-up team, with a record of 14-9. Allen was 100-35-7 as head coach at The Bishop’s from 2009-19.
Allen’s career won-loss percentage is eighth best among coaches with at least 100 victories.
Allen coached The Bishop’s to a state D-V championship in 2014, defeating Stockton Brookside, 40-14. The Knights were defeated, 47-0, by Oakdale in the state D-V title game in 2016 and his teams were 3-3 in San Diego Section championship games.
The Pointers’ first season was 1926. They have an all-time record of 532 victories, 368 losses, and 37 ties, for a .588 won-loss percentage.
The Pointers have had 63 winning seasons of 97.
Point Loma is playing in its 10th section championship game, including 1949, when the Pointers defeated Bonita, 27-14, for the Southern Section small schools title.
The Pointers are 4-4-1 in championship games. They tied El Camino, 6-6, in in 1982 in a California Tiebreaker overtime.
The Pointers were 6-0-1 in 1936, 8-0 in ’37, 8-1 in ’38, 7-0 in ’39, 7-0-1 in ’46, 9-1-1 in ’49, 7-1 in ’62, 11-0-1 in ’82, 13-0 in ’87, 13-1 in ’91, and 12-1 in 2005.
–Paul Lawrence is in his third season as coach of University City, with a record of 19-10.
–The Centurions are making their first appearance in a section championship game.
–U. City’s first season was 1983. It has an all-time winning record of 171 wins, 243 losses, and 6 ties for a won-loss percentage of .414.
–The Centurions have had 13 winning seasons of 41.
–U. City was 7-3 in 1986, 7-3 in ’88, 9-2 in ’92, 9-3 in 2015, and 10-2 in ’17.
Calpreps.com gives Point Loma a 29.3 strength rating and University City 25.1.
Point Loma ranks 10th and University City 13th in the San Diego Section, according to Max Preps.
The Pick: Point Loma.
NEXT: Divisions I and II.
2022 Week 12A: An Evenly Matched Open Division Title Game
Tonight’s Lincoln-Carlsbad game for the San Diego Section Open Division championship in Snapdragon Stadium will be the first since 2013 not involving Helix or Cathedral.
Lincoln and Carlsbad have been here before, as recently as 2019 and 2021, and each is looking for a breakout.
The Hornets lost in the Division I championship game to Oceanside, 28-10, in 2019 and to Helix, 28-21 in 2021.
Carlsbad, competing in the Open Division, lost to Cathedral, 28-20, in ’19 and to the Dons again in ’21, 48-19.
Carlsbad is 36-4 since 2019. Lincoln is 32-9 over the same period.
RECORDS EVEN
Each is 10-1. Lincoln dropped a 14-7 decision at Los Angeles’ Mission Hills Bishop Alemany in Week 2. Carlsbad was defeated at home, 34-18, by Inglewood in Week 2.
Cal-Hi Sports rates Lincoln as the No. 13 team in the state and Carlsbad No. 14 (Inglewood, 12-0, is No. 9; unranked Alemany finished 3-8). Max Preps rates Carlsbad 16th and Lincoln 17th. Cal Preps.com assigns the Lancers a 57.6 strength rating and Lincoln 56.5.
Lincoln defeated Mater Dei, 56-20, in a Week 4 home game. Carlsbad won its opening game, 36-35, in double overtime at Mater Dei.
Lincoln is 9-7 in championship games since the school played its first varsity schedule in 1954. Carlsbad is 6-6 in championship games since it opened in 1957.
COACHES HAVE STAYED
Each team has longevity at the head coach position.
Carlsbad’s Thadd MacNeal is 86-46 since 2011. Lincoln’s David Dunn is 80-57-1 since 2011.
The rival coaches are 1-1 after a home-and-home series in 2014-15. MacNeal’s host team blanked Lincoln, 45-0, in 2014 but lost at Lincoln, 20-16, in 2015.
The Lancers (Avocado) and Hornets (Western) play in the toughest leagues in the San Diego Section.
Each team has a superstar player headed for the Southeast Conference. Carlsbad quarterback Julian Sayin has committed to Alabama and Lincoln running back Roderick Robinson has announced for Georgia.
Another Hornet, linebacker DJ Peevy, has committed to USC.
The pick: Lincoln.
Full disclosure: I graduated from Lincoln.
THE OTHER GAMES
Semifinal contests in Divisions I-V are tonight. Finals will be next week at Escondido High and Southwestern College.
The D-VI eight-man championship, Victory Christian (10-0) vs. St. Joseph’s (9-1), will be Saturday night at Escondido.
1968 Track: Great Marks, But Section Size Means No Additional State Entries
The season was outstanding, perhaps the best ever overall in San Diego, but the section was a legislative loser.
San Diego Section commissioner Don Clarkson made a request to the state CIF during a meeting in Berkeley the week of the state meet.
Clarkson asked that his section be allocated three berths in each event at future state meets. The section was allowed one berth in 1961 and ’62 and that number was raised to two in 1963.
CIF officials said no. The bosses declared it was a matter of student enrollment, in which the San Diego Section lagged when compared to other sections, according to Clarkson.
Track and Field News’ Fran Errota provided an interesting observation after the meet, when he computed scoring on the percentage of each section’s entries.
The Southern Section, with five entries, scored 37.3 per cent of the points. The Central Section, with three entries, scored 28.9 per cent. The San Diego Section, with its two entries, was third with 23.3 points.
The locals outscored the Los Angeles City and North Coast sections, each with four entries, and the three-entry Central Coast and Sac-Joaquin sections.
It would be years later, in 1980, but San Diego eventually was granted three. By the decade of 2010-19 the rule became three entries plus anyone who met a CIF-imposed standard for each event.
5/2/68
El Cajon Valley’s Tom Davidson announced he had chosen the mile over the two-mile for the big, late-season meets and ran 4:14.6 in the shorter event as the Braves subdued Granite Hills, 90-46.
Davidson had set a state-leading mark of 9:02.2 in the two-mile at the Mt. San Antonio Invitational in Walnut on April 27. “He’s got stars in his eyes for the mile and I know he’ll do a good job,” said Braves coach Joe Brooks.
Jim Cochran, Davidson’s teammate, upped his pole vault best to 14-8 ¼, close to the county record of 14-9 by El Capitan’s Andy Steben in 1965.
–Monte Vista’s Dave Carter won the mile in 4:22.8, but will move to the two-mile.
–Larry Gillham logged a 1:57.8 in the 880 and outran Monte Vista’s Steve Gillean’s 1:58.2, but Gillean and teammates scored a 70-66 win over Grossmont. The Monarchs got a double win from shot putter-discus ace Pat Foley, who hurled the 12-pound ball 56 feet, ¾ inch and wafted the 3.9-ounce platter 163-4.
–Coach Ed Teagle’s Mar Vista Mariners, claimed the Metropolitan League dual-meet championship, 69-49, at Castle Park as Dan Helton shot putted 58-2 and teammate Wolfgang Weichert 57-2.
Leading by 10 yards coming into the stretch, El Cajon Valley’s Tom Davidson tied up and then stumbled to the ground, opening the door for Sacramento Kennedy’s Clifton West to win the mile in the state meet in 4:09. Davidson scrambled to his feet and finished second in 4:09.5, but there was no joy…
…dejected Davidson could only think about what might have been.
TRIALS
WESTERN LEAGUE, @KEARNY.
Steve Becker’s 4:21.1 mile broke Thornton Bigley’s 1967 record of 4:22.1 and Becker and his Kearny teammates led qualifiers with 27.
Becker’s teammate Dennis Downes covered the 120-yard high hurdles on the Kearny track in :14.8, tying Dee Hayes’ 1965 standard. Downes also was first in a :20.4 180-yard low hurdles heat.
Komet Seneca Godwin doubled (:50.1 440 and 22 feet, 2 inches long jump). Vincent Breddell won heats in the 100 and 220 (:10.1, :23.1). Craig Campbell led shot putters with a toss of 54 feet. High jumper Bob Fulbright and vaulter Carl Geisser also tied for first in their events.
Clairemont’s Larry Castillo won an 880-yard run heat in 1:58 and Point Loma’s Rick Kaye took the other in 1:58.5.
EASTERN LEAGUE, @BALBOA STADIUM
Marion Franklin was one of 20 Lincoln qualifiers and had the day’s best mark, :14.4 in the 120 high hurdles. Hoover’s John Talbot and Lincoln’s Melvin Maxwell won 100 heats in :10.
5/7/68
AVOCADO LEAGUE, @SAN DIEGUITO
“I had a hunch I was going to do something,” said San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock who had “been in a slump, but I had a pretty good practice last week and things were falling into place.”
Shmock was speaking with Evening Tribune reporter Bill (Biff) Weurding after setting a County record of 64 feet, 11 inches, in his home ring. Shmock improved on his previous best of 63-3.
Oceanside’s Ed Johnson won his heat in the 120 high hurdles in :14.9 and led broad jumpers at 22-4. Johnson was recovering from a pulled muscle sustained in a 66-52 dual meet win over San Diego April 16.
(Three days earlier than the dual-meet victory, Johnson and Oceanside teammates Sporty Willis, Willie Buchanon, and Larry Crayton stunned Lincoln with sizzling :41.5 and 1:27.1 victories in the 440 and 880-yard relays, and Johnson won the high hurdles in :14.2 in the San Diego Relays).
GROSSMONT LEAGUE, @EL CAJON VALLEY
Helix had 34 qualifiers to Grossmont’s 19. El Cajon Valley and Mount Miguel followed with 17. Best mark was the 174-3 discus throw by Monte Vista’s Pat Foley.
5/10/68
LEAGUE FINALS
METROPOLITAN, @MAR VISTA
Mar Vista’s Ralph Lopez was named the meet’s outstanding performer after running the two-mile in 9:32.2 as Mar Vista ran away with the team title with 78 points to 34 for runner-up Castle Park.
“He weighs just 106 pounds,” Mariners coach Ed Teagle said of Lopez, “but he’s the guttiest kid I’ve ever had.”
Mar Vista shot putters Dan Helton and Wolfgang Weichert held sway, with Helton reaching a career high 58-5 ½ and Weichert heaving 56-8.
Chula Vista’s Randy McNabb broke 50 seconds for the first time, at :49.9 in the 440.
Ralph Lopez of Mar Vista won Metropolitan League two-mile and praise from coach Ed Teagle.
EASTERN LEAGUE, @BALBOA STADIUM
Lincoln won its fourth consecutive team title with 84 points to San Diego’s 56, and the Hornets served notice to California with outstanding performances in the relays.
With Therlee Murphy anchoring in :47.2 the Hornets raced to a 3:17.4 clocking in the mile after Murphy finished a :41.7 440.
Sophomore Milton Mitchell, who won the 880 in 1:55.9, ran :49.2 on the first leg of the mile, followed by Clive Carrero (:51.4) and Albert Fennell (:49.8). Long Beach Millikan (3:18.5) and Compton Centennial (3:18.9) were closest to the Hornets in the long race and Los Angeles Fremont, the presumed leader of the L.A. City Section, was disqualified in its league meet because of a lane violation.
Lincoln was sandwiched between Centennial (:41.3) and Los Angeles High (:41.9) in the short race, all seemingly headed for a showdown three weeks later in the state meet in Berkeley.
“I like our chances in the mile, but we’re going to get better in the 440, too,” said the Hornets’ first-year coach, Darryl Nelson.
Lincoln’s Doug Jones bettered defending champion Phillip Singleton with a 6-5 ½ high jump. The San Diego high jumper’s 6-4 wasn’t close to his career best of 6-9 ¼ in 1967.
Singleton’s teammate, James (Bouncy) Moore won the long jump at 24 feet. Lincoln’s Herman Woods stunned teammates Marion Franklin and Doug Jones by winning the 120-yard high hurdles in :14.4.
Marion Franklin won the 180-yard low hurdles in :19.6. Therlee Murphy contributed to the Hornets seven first places by running :49.2 in the 440.
John Phillips and John Talbot made the 100-yard dash a 1-2 finish for Hoover, with Phillips winning in :09.8 and he repeated in the 220 in :22.1. The Cardinals’ Lloyd (Brick) Burrows won the shot put at 55-1.
WESTERN LEAGUE, @KEARNY
Dennis Williams set a meet record of :09.9 in the 100, won the 220 in :22.5 and anchored the 440-yard relay team to a first-time-run, record :43 as Kearny scored 90 points and outdistanced Point Loma (41), Clairemont (39), and Madison (32).
The Komets’ Steve Becker improved on his mile record from the league trials, lowering the mark to 4:20.3; Craig Campbell put the shot 57-1 ¾, breaking the record of 56-4 by La Jolla’s Holland Seymore in 1963, Seneca Godwin’s 22-9 long jump topped Komet Bobby Johnson’s 22-7 ¼ in 1964.
Lincoln’s Doug Jones won the San Diego Section high hurdles in :14.3. Others included, with places, Helix’ Roy Gayhart (8), Point Loma’s Steve Noall (7), Lincoln’s Herman Woods (6), Oceanside’s Wayne Raibon (5), Kearny’s Dennis Downes (4), Oceanside’s Willie Buchanon (3), and Lincoln’s Marian Franklin (2).
GROSSMONT LEAGUE, @EL CAJON VALLEY
Bruce Ruff’s :10 and :22.1 victories in the 100 and 220, Tom Davidson’s record, 4:13.4 mile, and Jim Cochran’s record 14-7 ¼ pole vault, plus a 22-6 ½ long jump by Ron Gillilan were the difference as El Cajon Valley’s 68 points won the team championship over Helix, which had 63.
Granite Hills’ Brian Wadlington won the discus at 173 feet, 8 ½ inches, and El Capitan’s John Robbins led shot putters with a 57-5 effort. Helix’ Allen Stevenson anchored 440 (:43.2) and mile relay wins (3:25.6), and won the 440 in :49.9. Teammate Roy Gayhart was a :14.9 winner in the 120 high hurdles.
PALOMAR LEAGUE, @SAN MARCOS.
San Marcos scored 91 points, Ramona 59, Ramona 22, and Army-Navy 21.
SOUTHERN PREP LEAGUE, @Camp Pendleton
Cruzet of Borrego Springs, competing independently, won the 100 in :10.2 and 220 in :22.4. San Diego Military won the team segment with 46 points. La Jolla Country Day had 41, San Miguel School 38, and Julian 18.
AVOCADO LEAGUE, @SAN DIEGUITO
Ed Johnson was ailing, but Oceanside won the team championship with 70 points to Vista’s 59.
Johnson, state meet fourth-place finisher in the 180 low hurdles in 1967 at Grant High in Sacramento, and a champion Oceanside runner in the lower classes as a freshman and sophomore, injured his right leg, a second, disappointing setback for the talented senior.
Johnson still competed in four events, anchoring the Pirates to a :43.1 victory in the first-time-run 440 relay, winning the 120-yard high hurdles in :14.5, and was third in the 180-yard low hurdles and broad jump.
Whether Johnson would be recovered by the CIF Trials in one week was a question coach Tom Shields couldn’t answer.
San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock won the shot put at 62-11 and Johnson’s teammate Larry Crayton was timed in :18.7 in the 180 lows, which would be a County record but disallowed. Timers, across the field, heard only the delayed report of the starter’s pistol and saw no smoke, from which they begin clocking.
Monte Vista’s Pat Foley was San Diego Section champion in discus.
5/16/68
SAN DIEGO SECTION DISCUS FINALS
Monte Vista’s Pat Foley fouled on five of his six attempts, but his first throw was good, Foley setting a CIF meet record of 175 feet, 1 inch, in his home ring.
Foley Bettered the 170-5 mark by Grossmont’s Richard Grise in 1964. Defending champion Brian Wadlington of Granite Hills, who had beaten Foley four times in five meetings this season, was second at 169-9.
Wadlington, who also qualified for the state meet in Berkeley, set the County record of 176-1 in 1967.
5/19/68
Lincoln, seeking its sixth tile in the eight years of the section, qualified 14, tying Kearny.
Oceanside would send 12 to the following week’s finals but all-around star Ed Johnson, plagued by leg problems, qualified in the high hurdles in only :15.1 and did not make the finals in the 180-yard low hurdles, in which Johnson was fourth in the 1967 state meet.
Oceanside led Lincoln at the anchor exchange in the 440 relay, but Therlee Murphy caught Johnson and the Hornets won by four yards in :41.6, second fastest time in the state, to Oceanside’s :41.9.
Murphy came within one-tenth of tying the meet record of :48 in the 440 and also finished the mile relay as Lincoln qualified in an eased-up 3:19.3. Doug Jones ran :14.2 in the 120-yard high hurdles.
Among the casualties was Hoover’s John Phillips, the Eastern 200 champ at :09.8, disqualified after two false starts.
Best in the Class B was Oceanside high jumper Jerry Culp, who cleared 6-5 ½, bettering the mark of 6-5 by Doug Jones in 1966.
5/24/68
SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM
Lincoln set meet records of :41.5 in the 440 and 3:16.8 in the mile relay and Doug Jones doubled, winning the 120 high hurdles in :14.3 and the high jump at 6-6 ¼.
But Oceanside, which trailed the Hornets, 45-33 in team scoring, had the evening’s top performer.
Larry Crayton won the 100 in :09.7, the 180-yard low hurdles in :18.9, and was second to James (Bouncy) Moore’s 24-2 ½ long jump at 23-1 ½.
“This should have been our year,” said Crayton to Bill (Biff) Weurding of the Evening Tribune. “I’ve been waiting four years for this one. I can’t stand to see the CIF go like this. This is torture.”
Crayton’s pain was the pain of Ed Johnson, who was heavily taped but managed to bring Oceanside home second in the 440 relay.
“His injury cost us a first in the highs, a second in the lows, a third in the long jump, and probably a first in the 440 relay, “said Crayton.
El Cajon Valley’s Tom Davidson won the mile in 4:09 and Jerry Culp upped his Class B high jump record to 6-6.
El Cajon Valley’s Jim Cochran, missing at 15-1 in the pole vault, later set a County record of 14-10 3/4 in pole vault. Observing below, second from left, was Evening Tribune sportswriter Bill (Biff) Weurding.
5/31/68
STATE TRIALS, @EDWARDS FIELD, BERKELEY
Therlee Murphy’s :47.2 anchor lap saved Lincoln from disaster in the mile relay. The Hornets had a qualifying time of 3:20.4, ninth fastest in the three heats, and they got another day.
Murphy took the baton in fifth place and ran down two runners to claim the qualifier.
Lincoln also advanced at :42 in the 440 relay and Oceanside, with a not-100-per-cent Ed Johnson, was seventh in :42.5.
San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock was second in the shot put at 62-1. Oceanside’s Larry Crayton was third with a :19.2 180-yard low hurdles but did not qualify after a :10.0 100.
El Cajon Valley’s Tom Davidson was fourth fastest with a 4:14.6 mile. Marion Franklin of Lincoln tied for fourth at :14.4 in the high hurdles. Doug Jones of Lincoln hit hurdles, stumbled and finished last with a time of :15.5 but was among many who qualified at 6-5 in the high jump.
James (Bouncy) Moore was fourth in the long jump at 23-4 ½ and El Cajon’s Jim Cochran and Ron Gillihan were in a parade of 13-6 pole vaulters.
Granite Hills’ Brian Wadlington, the County recordholder at 176-1 in1967, was out of the discus after reaching only 159-2. Pat Foley of Monte Vista qualified seventh at 166-11.
6/1/68
The San Diego Section, with just two entries in each event, came up strong, although it did not produce a gold medal. Scoring was on a point basis of 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.
–Pete Shmock won the shot put with a throw of 63 feet, 11 inches, and Mar Vista’s Dan Helton was a non-scoring eighth at 58-5.
–El Cajon Valley’s Tom Davidson was leading the mile when he tied up and within feet of the finish line, finishing second in 4:09.5 to Sacramento Kennedy’s Clifton West’s 4:09. Kearny’s Steve Becker was sixth in 4:16.7.
Murphy led Lincoln to finish line in San Diego Section 440 relay, with a taped Ed Johnson and Oceanside second.
–Lincoln was third in the 440 relay in :41.7 and third in the mile relay in 3:15.5.
Compton Centennial won the short relay in :41.3 followed by Oakland Castlemont (:41.6). Los Angeles Dorsey was fourth in :41.8. Oceanside was seventh in :42.
Centennial won the mile in 3:14.3. L.A. Fremont, disqualified for a lane violation in its league meet, was allowed to continue by the L.A. City Section and the Pathfinders finished ahead of Lincoln in 3:14.6. San Bernardino trailed the Hornets in fourth place at 3:15.9.
Edesel Garrison anchored Centennial with a :46.6 lap. L.A. Fremont’s John Smith, a future world recordholder, his team home in :46.8 and Murphy’s :46.9 anchor saved third for Lincoln.
–Bouncy Moore was third in the long jump with a best of 24 feet. Larry Crayton tied for third in the 180 lows in :19.1. Jim Cochran was third in the pole vault, going over the bar at an all-time County high 14-10 ¾.
–Lincoln’s Doug Jones cleared a personal best of 6 feet, 8 inches and tied with five others at third place but placed eighth on the basis of more misses in the high jump. After clearing 6-8, Jones passed at 6-9 and almost made 6-10 on his first attempt.
Marion Jones of Lincoln was seventh in :14.3 in the high hurdles.
–Bruce Ruff’s :22.2 220 and Ron Figueroa’s 1:54.9 880 were eighth, respectively, as was the 9:13.9 San Diego’s John Jacobsen in the two-mile. Dave Carter of Monte Vista was ninth in the eight-lap race in 9:22.2 and teammate Pat Foley 10th in the discus at 155-10.
6/20/68
San Dieguito’s Pete Shmock completed an outstanding career by setting a County record of 64 feet,11 inches, in the Golden West Invitational. Shmock, headed to the University of Oregon, set a nother County record of 53-1/4 in the National Junior Championships on Aug. 15 in Eugene, Oregon.
1968 Baseball: Colts Pluck Cardinals’ Hat Trick in Fourth Try
Hoover was favored and aiming for what sportswriters euphemistically called a hat trick. The term, more favored in ice hockey and soccer, meant a player had scored three goals.
The Cardinals were shooting for a third title, having won the Lions Tournament and Eastern League (they could have claimed a fourth after being selected No. 1 in the final Evening Tribune poll).
Despite a 24-4 record, best in the seven-year history of the San Diego Section, Hoover came up short. Crawford (21-7), three-time loser to the Cardinals in the regular season, defeated the Cardinals, 5-1, for the championship, its fourth in seven years under coach Bill Sandback.
CIF bosses adjusted the playoffs, dumping the 12-team, two-division format for a single, 16-team bracket.
As Jose Gonzalez congratulated Mark Stransky after sixth-inning home run, several Crawford teammates follow. Colts beat Hoover, 5-1, for San Diego Section title.
4/30/68
El Capitan and Helix remained in a tie for first place in the Grossmont League. The Highlanders defeated Monte Vista, 4-0, behind the no-hit pitching of Larry (No) Sweat. El Cap’s Joe Thogmartin shut out Mount Miguel, 2-0, behind run-scoring singles by Greg Mulkey and Denny Rupe.
–Bob Prawdzik’s three-run home run was the difference as Escondido (5-3) picked up a game on first-place San Dieguito (6-2) in the Avocado League, 5-3.
–Don Watson’s struck out 12 and gave up one hit in Carlsbad’s 3-0 win over Vista. Fallbrook scored nine runs in the first inning, punctuated by Chuck Perkins’ grand slam home run, in a 12-2 rout of Oceanside.
Crawford’s Jose Gonzalez tagged out Hoover’s Dana Balzer at second base but Cardinals won Eastern League game, 5-0.
–Chula Vista took the Metropolitan League lead on Nacho Bracamontes’ three-hitter that stopped Mar Vista, 4-2.
–University stayed a half game ahead of Madison in the Western League with a 7-6 win over Kearny and Madison stayed apace with a 2-1 win over Point Loma.
–Ron Monks two-run home run was essential for Uni, while Allan Hunt handcuffed Point Loma on seven singles.
–“We didn’t accomplish much, but we’re still in first place and if we can win four of our last five games we’ll stay there,” said Hoover coach Jerry Bartow after a doubleheader split of 4-3 games with chasing Crawford.
“We had to have a split,” said Crawford’s Bill Sandback. “We’re still in the thick of things….”
Conclusion of an earlier, nine-inning tie turned in Hoover’s favor when Gary Stock’s long fly ball scored Mike Harrison from third base in the top of the 10th inning.
The Cardinals scored twice and had the tying run on third base but Colts’ righthander Rod Boone retired Fred Jacobsen and Crawford survived in the second game.
–Dale Davis pitched seven innings in relief and tripled in the winning run in San Diego’s 3-2 win over St. Augustine.
–Morse’s Mike Hawks’ one-hitter blanked Lincoln, 8-0.
Kearny’s Andy Sabatini slid in second base and sustained ankle injury against Clairemont…
…Kearny coach Jack Taylor arrived and signaled for medical wrap for fallen Komet. Umpire is Lou Sternschuss.
5/3/68
Hoover’s Mike Harrison improved his record to 11-2 and kept Hoover in front in the Eastern League, 7-0 over St. Augustine. Harrison scored two runs and drove in another.
–Crawford kept the pressure on Hoover with a 5-0 win over Morse behind Mike Pieratt’s pitching and four unearned runs.
–Jim Erautt, the grandson of Eddie Erautt, who posted 16-12 and 18-10 records for the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres in 1954 and ’55, showed familial moxie for coach Bill White’s Grossmont loop-leading Helix.
Erautt tossed a two-hit, 1-0, eight-inning victory over El Capitan to maintain the Highlanders’ league lead.
–Chula Vista pitcher Frank Enda’s one-hitter was more than enough for the Metropolitan League Spartans’ 4-0 win over the Western’s Point Loma.
“Everybody’s a contender,” said University coach Robert (Bull) Trometter. “We still have to play La Jolla and Mission Bay and I’m scared to death.”
Uni’s league lead had just been trimmed to a half game with two remaining after Clairemont’s Tom Dodd, idled a month with back problems, stopped the Dons, 3-2, on four hits at Beeson Field on the Marine base.
5/7/68
The Grossmont and Avocado league race were nearing photo finishes.
–Helix and El Capitan shared the lead with 8-2 records after El Cajon Valley (8-3) knocked off Helix, 6-5, in 10 innings. Brian Applegate’s infield single scored Brock McRoberts with the winning run.
El Capitan jumped Monte Vista with four runs in the first inning and defeated the Monarchs, 5-2. Santana (7-4) lost ground when Mount Miguel’s Alan Hansen blanked the Sultans on two hits, 5-0, and Bill O’Connor hit a two-run home run.
–Escondido (7-3) caught San Dieguito and tied for first when the Cougars outscored Vista, 12-9, and Oceanside (7-4) moved to within a half game of the leaders with a 12-9, 10-inning victory over the Mustangs (7-3).
–Ben Epstein’s two-hitter and 5-0 win over Lincoln kept Hoover atop the Eastern Lreague with a 10-2 record, while Crawford (9-3) beat St. Augustine, 7-2.
–“If we can’t win two of these next three games we’d better hang it up,” said Chula Vista coach Bob Kennedy after the Spartans took a two-game lead with three to play in the Metropolitan League.
The Spartans won at Castle Park, 5-3, and looked at the possibility of a fourth league title in the same school year, following football, basketball, and wrestling.
Chula Vista’s Nacho Bracamontes retired the first 10 Castle Park batters, including seven by strikeout to improve to 10-2 on the season and 4-1 in league.
El Capitan pitcher Joe Trogmartin stole second base against Santana.
5/10/68
El Cajon, 10-5 since losing its first six, took the Grossmont League lead with a 9-3 record after a 3-0 win over Monte Vista.
The Braves’ Bob Wheelington stifled the Monarchs on three hits, while erstwhile leaders Helix and El Capitan were losing, the Highlanders to Santana, 4-3, and the Vaqueros to Grossmont on an unearned run in the seventh inning, 2-1.
–Frank Endo’s one-hitter and Kent Froede’s two-run homerun paced a 10-1 Chula Vista victory over Bonita Vista that moved the Spartans closer to the Metropolitan League title.
–Castle Park kept pace with the Spartans, 5-2 over Coronado as Ron Iapala hit a three-run home run.
–Marv Thompson’s one-hitter and five Hilltop errors geared a 14-1 victory for Nar Vista, which collected only seven hits.
–San Dieguito and Escondido remained atop the Avocado League. The Mustangs edged Poway, 2-1, and the Cougars overcame Carlsbad, 6-3.
5/14/68
Chula Vista and Marian became the first to clinch league championships, the Spartans claiming a consecutive Metropolitan title, 9-5 over Coronado, and Marian winning the Palomar with a 7-6 edge on Army-Navy.
–University moved back into first place in the Western League when it defeated Mission Bay, 2-0, and Clairemont dropped back a half game when Point Loma blanked the Chieftains, 3-0.
University’s Greg Tomczyk and Point Loma’s Larry Luzenburg were the lockdown pitchers. Tomczyk struck out 10 and allowed two hits. Luzenburg was touched for four hits.
–El Cajon Valley stayed a half game in front of Helix in the Grossmont circuit, nodding El Capitan, 3-2, behind Brian Applegate’s two home runs.
–Chuck Lind struck out 13 and gave one hit in a 1-0, eight-inning complete game triumph over Vista that kept San Dieguito in a tie in the Avocado League with Escondido, 6-0 winner against Orange Glen.
–Hoover earned a tie for the Eastern League championship but an outright title would come necessitate a win over Crawford three days later in the season’s final regular-season game.
Hoover shut out Morse, 8-0, and Crawford stayed as half-game behind with a 4-2 win over Crawford. Gary Stock’s home run and Ben Epstein’s three-hit pitching was too much for Morse and Rod Boone’s five-hitter and Earl Altschuler’s two runs batted in kept the Cardinals from shaking the Colts.
Hoover’s Bill Jacobsen broke up double play attempt by El Cajon Valley, whose Brian Applegate avoided runner while completing throw to first base, with teammate Al James observing.
5/17/68
Hoover wrapped its first outright Eastern League championship since 1961 (it shared with San Diego in 1963) with an in-your-face, 9-0 victory on runner-up Crawford’s diamond.
Hoover collected 15 hits and Mike Harrison, elevating his record to 13-2 gave up hits and hurled his third consecutive shutout.
“He told me not to worry, that he’d shut them out,” said Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow, adding, “This was the first time all year we exploded on somebody.”
Every Hoover starter collected at least one hit. George Cappelletti and John Helfrick had three hits each and Gary Stock homered and drove in two runs.
“We haven’t been beaten this bad in several years,” said Crawford coach Bill Sandback. “We’re not laying down, though, because we’ve won the playoffs a couple of times after finishing second.”
–University and Madison deadlocked for the Western League championship, each with an 8-4 record and league bosses were to vote on which would be No. 1 and No. 2 for playoff pairings.
Madison scored five runs in the fourth inning to beat Mission Bay, 8-3, and forge the tie with idle Uni.
–Helix annexed its first Grossmont League title since 1961 with a 4-0 victory over Mount Miguel that was the third victory in a week for pitcher John Sturgeon. Grossmont opened the door for the Highlanders with a 5-4 win over El Cajon Valley.
–The difficulties that face new schools with undeveloped programs: Bonita Vista took a 19-0 shellacking from Sweetwater, which hit four home runs The Barons finished 1-11 in Metropolitan League play and 3-19 on the season.
Rob Kramer laid down squeeze bunt that scored Ron Nollet (sliding) as Crawford catcher George Horman waited for throw. Colts beat Red Devils, 11-7.
FINAL REGULAR-SEASON STANDINGS
EASTERN LEAGUE
TEAM
W-L
PCT.
GAMES BEHIND
ALL GAMES
Hoover
13-2
.867
—
21-3, .875
Crawford
11-4
.733
2
17-7, .808
San Diego
8-7
.533
5
13-9, .591
Lincoln
6-9
.400
7
7-14, .333
St. Augustine
5-10
.333
8
12-12, .500
Morse
2-13
.133
11
5-17, 294
WESTERN LEAGUE
University
8-4
.667
—
13-6, .684
Madison
8-4
.667
—
12-10, .545
Clairemont
7-5
.583
1
18-6, .750
Kearny
7-5
.583
1
12-10, .545
Point Loma
6-6
.500
2
9-13, .409
Mission Bay
5-7
.417
3
11-11, 500
La Jolla
1-11
.083
7
4-17, .190
GROSSMONT LEAGUE
Helix
11-3
.786
—
15-7, .682
El Cajon Valley
10-4
.714
1
11-12, .478
El Capitan
9-5
.643
2
13-8, .619
Santana
9-5
.643
2
13-8, .619
Grossmont
7-7
.500
4
10-11, .476
Mount Miguel
7-7
.500
4
9-11, .450
Monte Vista
2-12
.143
9
8-13, .381
Granite Hills
1-12
.071
10
2-19, .095
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE
Chula Vista
10-2
.833
—
17-4, .810
Castle Park
8-4
.667
2
17-7, .708
Sweetwater
8-4
.667
2
14-9, .609
Mar Vista
7-5
.583
3
13-9, .591
Hilltop
5-7
.417
5
8-14, .364
Coronado
3-9
.250
7
8-14, .364
Bonita Vista
1-11
.083
9
3-19, .136
SOUTHERN LEAGUE
San Miguel School
6-3
.667
—
9-6, .600
San Diego Military
6-3
.667
—
8-8, .500
La Jolla Country Day
4-5
.444
2
8-9, .471
Julian
2-7
.222
4
2-9, .182
PALOMAR LEAGUE
Marian
9-2
.818
—
14-8, .636
San Marcos
7-4
.636
2
8-13, .381
Army-Navy
5-7
.417
4 1/2
6-11, .353
Ramona
2-10
.167
7 ½
5-16, .238
AVOCADO LEAGUE
Escondido
11-3
.786
—
14-7, .636
San Dieguito
9-5
.643
2
16-6, .727
Oceanside
8-6
.571
3
11-11, .500
Carlsbad
7-7
.500
4
12-9, .571
Fallbrook
6-8
.429
5
8-10, .444
Poway
6-8
.429
5
10-11, .476
Orange Glen
5-9
.357
6
8-11, .421
Vista
4-10
.286
7
8-13, .381
5/21/68
SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
Castle Park (17-8) 3, @Hoover 4.
Gary Stock’s triple was the impetus for a three-run, Hoover fifth inning that was the difference in the Cardinals’ 4-3 win.
El Capitan (13-9) 4, @Crawford 5.
Crawford scored twice in their last time at bat. Rod Boone’s two-run home run in the sixth inning put the Colts ahead, 3-2, and they needed two more when the Vaqueros (13-9) scored two in the top of the seventh.
San Diego 13, @Chula Vista (17-5) 5.
“I can’t remember a day this humiliating since (Ontario) Chaffey beat us, 27-13, in 1958,” said Spartans coach Bob Kennedy, who added, “but I’m happy with the year we had. You can’t laugh off 17-5.”
San Dieguito 2, @Marian (13-9) 1, 15 innings.
The Mustangs needed four hours and 15 minutes. The winning run was unearned and dealt the defeat to Steve Bajo, who went all the way for the Crusaders (14-9).
Sweetwater 3, @Madison (12-11) 0.
Alan Dodson’s two-hit pitching blanked the Warhawks.
Kearny (12-11) 6, @Helix 7.
Keith Baxter’s base hit and two runs batted in was the pivotal shot in the seventh inning as Helix came from behind.
El Cajon Valley 10, @San Miguel School (9-7) 0.
Dan Corder and Bob Wheelington combined on a two-hitter for the Braves.
University (13-7) 2, @Escondido Escondido 7.
The Cougars scored in every inning but one after Uni took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Dana Baltzer created cloud of dust while scoring in Hoover’s 7-2 win over El Cajon Valley. Jim DeHart is Braves’ catcher.
5/24/68
QUARTERFINALS
The Avocado League barged into semifinals with two surprising victories.
Escondido 2, San Diego (14-10) 0, @Cal Western University.
The Cougars’ Dan Gabbard executed a game-ending, unassisted triple play to shock the Cavers.
With runners on first and second and none out in the bottom of the seventh inning, San Diego’s Ron Brown hit a low line drive, caught by Gabbard, who touched first base and raced to touch second, ending the game.
“We were standing around holding our hands (sic) and the first thing we know it’s over,” said Cavers coach Charlie Davidson, who claimed that Gabbard trapped the ball.
San Dieguito 4, Helix (16-8) 3, @MiraCosta College.
Mustang Dan Kilpatrick’s sixth-inning double scored Terry Hernandez with the winning run.
Earl Altschuler homered in the first inning off Alan Dodson, considered by many the top professional prospect in the San Diego Section, and the Colts drove the Sweetwater righthander to cover with a four-run third.
“We had heard a lot about him,” said Altschuler. “We didn’t know what to expect. He throws hard but he’s not the best pitcher we’ve faced.”
Hoover 7, El Cajon Valley (12-13) 2, @Mesa College.
Mike Harrison upped his record to 14-2 for the defending champion Cardinals.
5/28/68
SEMIFINALS
Hoover 7, Escondido (16-8) 2, @Mesa College.
Hoover coach Jerry Bartow did not employ ace Mike Harrison, instead nominating his second ace, Ben Epstein, who moved to 8-0 on the season by holding the Cougars to three hits.
Relief pitcher Steve Archambault shut out Hoover without a hit after the second inning. The Cardinals scored all seven runs on six base hits in the first inning.
Five Hoover batters were averaging at least .300. “We’re hitting .280 as a team,” said coach Jerry Bartow.
Crawford 2, San Dieguito (18-7) 1, @Beeson Field.
Crawford earned its sixth trip in seven years to the championship game behind Rod Boone’s four-hit pitching.
San Dieguito’s Danny Kilpatrick was late with tag on Crawford’s Danny Coronado in Colts’ playoff win.
Mike Harrison retired the first 10 batters and Hoover led Crawford, 1-0, in the fourth inning, but the Colts struck for four runs when Danny Coronado scored on brother Mike Coronado’s single and Rod Boone hit a three-run home run for a 4-1 lead.
Colts starter Mike Pieratt limited the Cardinals to four singles and worked his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning by coaxing a pop-fly out and strikeout to end the game.
“I kept getting more and more nervous until the first pitch,” said Pieratt. “Then the nervousness went away until the seventh inning.
“He did a good job against Hoover in the Lions tournament, so we knew he could do it for us,” said Colts coach Bill Sandback. “Rod Boone (the Colts’ No. 1 starter) was tired, so we went with Mike.”
“When you play a team that many times the percentages are bound to catch up with you,” Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow told Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune. “I still think we have the better team—I wouldn’t trade, I know that.”
Hoover had won three straight without defeat this season in games with their neighborhood rivals.
2022 Week 12: Seeds and Pairings Free of Acrimony; Playoffs Move on to Quarterfinals.
The 62nd San Diego Section playoffs, 64 teams strong, opened last week, with favorites prevailing in 16 of 22 first-round games, a 72.7 winning percentage.
Hats off to CIF commissioner Joe Heinz and his staff, and the voting representatives from the City, North, East, Desert, South, Coastal, and eight-man regions who got the seedings and pairings done with minimal complaints and no controversy, according to an observer.
Such sessions don’t usually evoke thoughts of harmony and campfire songs.
The seven envoys, all coaches from their respective areas, were close in their seeding choices, with only two surprises, but no shockers.
No. 10 Morse (6-4) upended 7 El Capitan (8-2) in a contest coached by recent 100-game winners Tracy McNair (Tigers) and Ron Burner (Vaqueros).
No. 11 Chula Vista eliminated 6 Calexico, which, despite the better seed, had to travel 120 miles over the mountains.
The higher seed Spartans had a legislative edge. Chula Vista automatically was home team after winning its league (Metro South Bay). Upsets highlighted.
DIVISION
SEED/FAVORITE
SEED/UNDERDOG
UPSET SCORE
I
@8 Eastlake
9 St. Augustine
13-6
III
@7 El Capitan
10 Morse
52-28
IV
@8 Hilltop
9 Francis Parker
24-21
6 Calexico
@11 Chula Vista
35-27
VI (8)
4@ San Pasqual Academy
5 Coastal
22-14
6 Foothills Christian
3 Rock @Francis Parker
51-8
RANDOM MATCHUPS
Open Division: No. 2 Lincoln Hornets (9-1) play host to 3 Madison Warhawks (9-1) for the second week in a row in the feature game of the quarterfinals round. The Hive will try to sting again, having won the Western League with a 24-21 win over the Warhawks in Week 10. The Pick: Lincoln.
D-I: No. 5 El Camino (7-3) has come on, winning 6 of last 7. Helix (7-3) is traditionally dangerous, but this Helix is diminished compared to, say, the 13-2 Highlanders of 2017 and those of more recent vintage. The pick: El Camino.
D-I: No. 7 Torrey Pines (4-7) @2 Cathedral (5-5). Schools are two miles and five minutes apart on Del Mar Heights Road. Two old-line powers not so powerful this season. The pick: Cathedral.
D-I: No. 6 La Costa Canyon (7-4) @3 Mater Dei (6-4). North County public school versus South County private. Crusaders have posted six shutouts in a row. They lost to Carlsbad, 36-35. Mavericks lost to Carlsbad, 35-0. The pick: Mater Dei.
D-I: No. 9 St. Augustine (4-6) @1 Mission Hills (7-3). Saints rebuilding under first-year coach Ron Gladnick should be saluted for getting this far. They were 1-9 in ’21 amid coaching crisis. The pick: Mission Hills.
D-II: No. 7 Brawley (8-3) @2 El Centro Central (6-3). Wildcats will try to reverse 20-16 loss to neighbors in Week 10. The two desert stalwarts have been dodging cactus and chaparral since 1921. The pick: Brawley.
D-V: No. 5 Mar Vista (6-5), behind quarterback Aleks Wojcik, who passed for eight touchdowns last week (35 for the season) in the Mariners’ 69-40 win over Hoover, will test defensively potent and No. 4 @Army-Navy (9-1), which has given up 13 points. The pick: Mar Vista.
WEIRDNESS
There have been 37 games decided by 8-0 scores since the first in 1892, according to our webmaster Henrik Jonson.
Not unheard of but Brawley’s 8-0 playoff win over Mt. Carmel still seemed unique. The Wildcats advanced on two field goals and a safety. Since high schools embraced the two-point conversion option in 1969 many if not most of the other twenty-two 8-0 scores were reached by a touchdown and a successful two-point try.
2022 Week 11A: As Regular Season Ends, Playoffs Begin
Ten things, among many, to remember about the 63rd San Diego Section regular season:
–Nineteen teams won or tied for 18, eleven-man league championships. Fallbrook and San Pasqual deadocked for first in the Valley.
–Carlsbad ruled the Avocado League for the fourth consecutive year.
–Chula Vista won an outright championship for the first time since 2003.
–Poway is undefeated and untied (in a post-pandemic, full season) for the first time since 2007.
–Granite Hills won the Grossmont Hills and defeated Helix for the 13th time in 59 games, and did it in four overtimes, a first in San Diego Section history.
–Blythe Palo Verde Valley’s 9-1 is its best since the 10-0 of 2004.
–Crawford’s 9-1 is its best since 2013.
–Oceanside (0-10) was winless for the third time in the school’s 97 seasons, matched by the 1941 (0-7) and 1927 (0-7-1) squads.
–Grossmont (0-10) was winless for the fourth time in the school’s 103 seasons, rivaled by the 1953 (0-8), 1944 (0-5-2), and 1920 (0-4) teams.
–Army-Navy’s 13 points allowed the best since the 1976 (59 points) and 1940 (36) squads, which played eight-game seasons.
LEAGUE
TEAM
RECORD
OVERALL
COACH
Avocado
Carlsbad
6-0
9-1
Thadd MacNeal
Central
Crawford
4-0
9-1
Matt Marquez
City
University City
4-0
8-2
Paul Lawrence
Coastal
The Bishop’s
3-0
8-2
Shane Walton
Desert
Blythe Palo Verde Valley
3-0
9-1
Wally Grant
Eastern
Christian
4-0
6-4
Patrick Bugg
Grossmont Hills
Granite Hills
3-0
8-2
Kellan Cobbs
Grossmont Valley
El Capitan
6-0
8-2
Ron Burner
Imperial Valley
El Centro Central
4-0
6-3
David Pena
Metro Mesa
Mater Dei
3-0
6-4
John Joyner
Metro Pacific
Chula Vista
4-0
6-4
Howard Bannister
Metro South Bay
Montgomery
3-0
8-2
Freddie Dunkle
Pacific
Escondido Charter
3-0
8-2
Jon Goodman
Palomar
Poway
5-0
10-0
Kyle Williams
Sunset
Army-Navy
3-0
9-1
Nehemiah Brunson
Valley*
San Pasqual
4-1
7-3
Tony Corley
Fallbrook
4-1
7-3
Ross Johnson
Western
Lincoln
4-0
9-1
David Dunn
*San Pasqual defeated Fallbrook, 14-6, in head-to-head matchup. San Pasqual lost to Valley Center, 19-7. Fallbrook defeated Valley Center, 42-20.
