We’re on holiday, in the process of enriching the Las Vegas economy, so this will be short, in more ways than one.
This week’s fearless, if not peerless, Division I-V predictions:
D-I, Lincoln 31, Helix 20. Can’t go against my alma mater.
D-II, Scripps Ranch 38, La Jolla 35. I live in the community of three million eucalyptus trees and my daughter went to school there.
D-III, Mater Dei 26, Ramona 21. Bulldogs have bite but this is coach John Joyner’s best Crusaders team since 2015 state champion.
D-IV, Patrick Henry 49, University City 42. Gotta’ roll with club coached by J.T. O’Sullivan, friend of my son-in-law’s since their days at University of California-Davis.
D-V, Mission Bay 35, Blythe Palo Verde Valley 14. Yellowjackets travel more than 200 miles for first championship game since 2015. Buccaneers beat Mountain Empire, 49-0. Blythe measured the Red Hawks, 34-21.
And congratulations to Cathedral and coach Sean Doyle, who coached his 11th San Diego Section championship, a 48-19 win over Carlsbad.
Have a happy Thanksgiving.
2021 Week 13: Great Open Division Championship Matchup
I went out on a very unstable limb last week and crashed.
Picking Torrey Pines to beat Carlsbad and Mission Hills to knock off Cathedral not only was ill-advised but was punctuated with an in-your-face (mine) combined, 82-17 score by the winning teams.
Now we have a championship that brings together two clubs representing, on paper, the closest matchup in several years of teams in the highest division.
Coach Thadd MacNeal’s 11-0 Carlsbad Lancers take on the Sean Doyle-coached Cathedral Dons for the Open title at Escondido High.
Wilson Stadium, named after a 1946 Escondido Cougars player who financially backed a new stadium, which opened as a 5,111-seat concrete edifice in 1998, will be the site.
Championship games have been played at Balboa Stadium, Aztec Bowl, San Diego-Jack Murphy-Qualcomm Stadium, and Southwestern College since the San Diego Section was formed in 1960 .
Plus Escondido, site of championship games in 2012 and the smallest venue yet for the Section.
“You probably could get a comfortable six thousand or seven thousand, cheek to jowl,” said John Maffei of The San Diego-Union-Tribune.
Southwestern, which officially seats, 7,275, was the site since 2014.
Southwestern offered more seats but Escondido, especially for the two North County clubs in this week’s Open finale, is much easier to reach. Escondido High has a sports-oriented staff and was able to offer the CIF more agreeable arrangements.
11-0 vs. 9-2
Carlsbad (11-0) has won 16 in a row dating to the 2019 season and is 26-2 since 2018. The Lancers have won the last three championships in the deep and tough Avocado League.
Cathedral (9-2) played one of the toughest schedules in the state, most notably traveling and losing to Concord De La Salle and Corona Centennial. They are 22-5 since 2018. The Dons have won four straight Western League titles and six of the last eight.
OUTSTANDING RECORDS
Lancers coach Thadd MacNeal, a 1985 Carlsbad graduate, replaced the retiring Bob McAllister in 2011 and has a 76-44 record.
Sean Doyle played at Cathedral and became their head coach in 1996, succeeding Ron Hamamoto. Doyle last week moved into a tie with Helix’ Jim Arnaiz for ninth place on the all-list for victories and has a 213-96 career record.
Carlsbad holds a 9-8 lead in an off-and-on series. The first time the teams met was in the 1964 Class A (small schools) championship and the then University of San Diego High, coached by Robert (Bull) Trometter, won 40-0.
A reintroduction was needed before the next Lancers-Dons meeting 17 years later, in 1981. They didn’t cross paths again until 2010.
Doyle has a 5-5 record against Carlsbad and is 45-14 in postseason contests with a stunning, 10 championships.
MacNeal is 2-2 versus Cathedral, 7-9 in the postseason, and was on the winning end of a 21-20 game in the 2019 semifinals against Cathedral.
HOW OTHERS SEE THEM
Carlsbad moved up from 13th to 10th in Cal-Hi Sports’ rankings this week. The Lancers are 17th in the state, according to Max Preps, and have a 56.9 rating from CalPreps.com.
Cal-Hi Sports jumped Cathedral from 19th to 13th this week and MaxPreps ranks it 14th. The Dons have a 63.0 rating by CalPreps.com
THE PICK
It should be a Lucky (running back Sutton) night for Cathedral over the Lancers and sophomore QB Julian Sayin.
1956 Baseball: Cavers Lose 4 in Row, Longest Streak in 28 Years
The Cavers were out of sorts.
San Diego High finished with an 18-8 record, its poorest since the 17-10 of 1950, and the Cavers lost four games in a row down the stretch to fall out of City Prep League and playoff contention.
According to Don King’s Caver Conquest, the athletic history of the school, the streak was the longest since the 1928 team lost six in a row.
The ’28 squad, the second of legendary coach Dewey (Mike) Morrow’s career, rebounded to post a 22-8-1 record and win the CIF Southern Section championship, 3-0, over El Monte.
The Hoover era of basketball, baseball, and track and field domination continued as the Cardinals dethroned San Diego in the City Prep League baseball race and advanced to the Southern California playoff quarterfinals.
3/2/56
After dropping its opener, 5-3 to a Sweetwater team it defeated, 30-2, in 1955, the San Diego High Cavers struck for 23 hits and beat Helix, 19-5.
Jim Gilchrist had four hits and Willie West three hits, including a home run.
Larry Elliot wasn’t sure but Fulton Vickery, his Hoover coach, knew Elliot could play anywhere.
3/7/56
Lefthander Allan Raitt, righthander Victor Graham, and righthander Joe Barca combined to pitch a no-hitter in La Jolla’s 8-1 win over Fallbrook.
The Warriors run came when a stratagem reversed on Vikings coach Ed Sanclemente.
Sanclemente removed Raitt and positioned Raitt at first base and had first baseman Victor Graham pitch to Jim Gooch, who walked, forcing in a run.
Graham got Pete Andrews on strikes to end the inning, with Raitt returning to pitch and Graham to first. Barca pitched the last inning.
Larry Elliot wasn’t sure but Fulton Vickery, his Hoover coach, knew Elliot could play anywhere.3/14/56
Hoover, still waiting for basketballers Larry Elliot, Walt Baranski, and Steve Evans to get their baseball legs, was drilled by Helix, 10-2.
—Ron Palermo had three hits for the Highlanders and Duane (Rudy) Rudzinski and Ron Svalstad two each.
—John Asakawa and George Hook each hit home runs and Lincoln won at Mar Vista, 14-3.
3/16/56
Lefthander Bob Imlay gave up one hit and Point Loma silenced St. Augustine, 8-1. Brad Griffith and Ron Miller combined on a seven-hitter and Lincoln beat Chula Vista, 7-1.
3/17/56
Plans were announced for the sixth annual Lions Club tournament, 16 teams in the Unlimited Division and 8 in Limited.
Games would be played at Kearny, Point Loma, San Diego High, Golden Hill and University Heights playgrounds, and Navy Field, on which championships would be contested.
Outsiders included Santa Monica, Inglewood Morningside, Inglewood, and Hawthorne from the Bay League in Los Angeles.
3/19/56
Clyde Crockett gave up 10 runs and 10 hits but teammate George Graham had four hits including a triple and home run and Crockett survived and won,19-10, at Vista.
Anaheim’s Allan Story is tagged out at third base by Ernie Miller, who took throw from catcher Duane (Rudy) Rudzinsky in Helix 8-3 playoff win.
3/21/56
Deron Johnson’s one-hit pitching and John Harmon’s home run and five runs batted in propelled San Diego to a 13-0 win over Chula Vista.
Johnson did not walk anyone, struck out nine, and faced 28 batters, one over the minimum for nine innings.
—Hoover broke a four-game losing streak as Larry Elliot had three hits in a 9-1 win over Sweetwater.
—Benny Corrales tripled in two runs and pitched San Dieguito past La Jolla, 9-6.
3/23/56
San Diego, leading, 13-8, scored 12 runs in the seventh inning for a 25-9 victory at Oceanside.
—Nine days after a 10-2 loss, Hoover reversed the defeat with a 4-3 win over Helix behind the pitching of Larry Elliot and Paul Richter.
—Ralph Myatt hurled a one-hitter and Kearny won at Escondido, 6-1.
3/27/56
UNLIMITED DIVISION
San Diego teams were 2-2 against teams from the Los Angeles-area Bay League on opening day of the Lions Tournament.
Inglewood’s Sentinels rode two home runs by John Horn and outlasted Sweetwater, 6-5. A 360-foot, three-run home run by Mike Lillard was instrumental in Santa Monica’s 8-4 win over Mission Bay.
La Jolla improved to an 11-2 record with a 7-1 win over Inglewood Morningside, and Kearny topped Hawthorne, 6-3. Point Loma scored a mild upset over Helix, 3-2.
Defending champion Hoover improved to 8-5 but was extended by first-year El Cajon Valley. The Cardinals’ Steve Evans gave up three hits and outdueled Jim Portlock, 2-0.
Phil (Moon) Rico of San Diego set down Grossmont, 9-0, on three hits.
Sweetwater’s Ralph Pennington lost race with Kearny pitcher Ralph Myatt, who took throw from Ervin Green. Sweetwater won, 7-1.
3/28/56
Defending Unlimited Division champion Hoover was knocked out in the morning quarterfinals by Santa Monica, 4-2, but the Vikings fell in the semifinals to Kearny, which scored a run in the fifth inning and two in the sixth to win, 3-2.
—Deron Johnson outpitched Victor Graham and San Diego advanced over La Jolla, 6-4, in the morning and rubber-armed Phil Rico, on no rest, pitched another shutout, allowing three hits in a 5-0, semifinal win over Inglewood.
—Kearny’s John Nunez did not allow a hit for 4 1/3 innings and had a one-hitter into the sixth, but San Diego, behind Deron Johnson, who allowed four hits, capitalized on six Komets errors and won its fourth title in six years, 8-1.
Johnson had two of the Cavers’ four hits and was 2-0 in the tournament. Same as Phil Rico, who was declared the event’s most-valuable player.
—Helix defeated big brother Grossmont, 4-3, for the consolation championship.
LIMITED DIVISION
Defending champion San Dieguito bombed Ramona, 15-4, in the first game of the three-round bracket. Escondido also moved on, defeating Thermal Coachella, 5-0.
—Escondido dethroned San Dieguito with a 3-2 victory the following afternoon, which followed a 2-0 win over El Centro Central in the morning semifinals.
—San Dieguito had outscored St. Augustine, 7-3, in the morning to gain a shot at another championship.
—Thermal Coachella won the consolation title, 11-0 over Oceanside.
4/2/56
City Prep and Metropolitan teams opened league play.
Catcher Duane (Rudy) Rudzinski made four putouts at home plate, stopping Sweetwater runners from scoring in Helix’ 11-inning, 4-2 victory.
—El Cajon Valley’s Bobby Contreras, all of 130 pounds in full gear, put on the heavy tools and played catcher with starter Al Hall idled by the flu.
Contreras homered and was behind the plate 11 innings as Jim Portlock stopped Grossmont on five hits, 2-1.
—Three walks, a Kearny error, and singles by Jim Gilchrist, Deron Johnson, John Harmon, Pete Gumina, and Jerry Whitworth resulted in eight runs in the sixth inning to give San Diego a come-from-behind, 8-4 victory.
San Diego coach Les Cassie could rely on his slugging pitcher and third baseman Deron Johnson, a future, 16-year major leaguer.
4/6/56
A first-inning single by Eddie Sada was all that Point Loma could manage as lefthander Larry Elliot struck out 12 and pitched Hoover to a 5-0 CPL victory.
—La Jolla committed seven errors for the second game in a row and San Diego took advantage and won, 7-3, behind sophomore Dick Floberg, relieved by Deron Johnson in the seventh inning.
—Bill Collins’ three-hit pitching and Bob Perrin’s three runs batted in was enough for Chula Vista to top Grossmont, 5-1.
4/10/56
La Jolla cut errors to one and Victor Graham held Hoover to three hits but the Cardinals scratched out a 1-0 victory.
Larry Elliot’s triple scored Alex Cremidan with the game’s only run in the fourth inning.
—Brad Griffith’s seven-hit pitching was enough as Lincoln defeated Kearny, 5-2.
–Mar Vista, cruising and needing only three outs, saw visiting St. Augustine erupt for eight runs in the seventh inning for a 10-8 Saints win.
4/11/56
Ernie Miller and Ron Svalstad hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and Bob Schulz added another in the fourth, and Bill Westphal pitched a three-hitter as Helix whipped Grossmont, 10-1.
—Deron Johnson homered and struck out six and San Diego beat Mission Bay, 7-2.
4/16/56
Larry Elliot hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning and relieved Steve Evans in the seventh to close out a 3-0 Hoover victory over El Cajon Valley.
Jerry Booth of Point Loma was safe at third base as ball eluded San Diego’s Dave Conger.
4/18/56
Sophomore Bobby Jordan’s one-hit pitching stymied Grossmont in a 6-1 Sweetwater victory and Lincoln (3-0) was knocked from the unbeaten ranks in the CPL after the battery of Victor and George Graham propelled La Jolla to a 2-1 win.
4/19/56
San Diego struck for 17 runs and 23 hits and bombed visiting Lincoln, 17-0. St. Augustine jumped on Chula Vista, 10-0.
4/27/56
A six-run ninth inning brought El Cajon Valley a 10-9 triumph over Helix and knocked the loser out of a tie for the Metropolitan League lead with Sweetwater.
The Red Devils were idle in league play but stepped out and struggled to a 5-5, 11-inning deadlock with St, Augustine, the game called by a time limitation.
5/1/56
Bob Lasoya of Mission Bay authored the season’s first no-hitter, blanking host Lincoln, 3-0, striking out seven and allowing two runners on walks.
—Bob Imlay stifled Hoover, giving up one-hit in an 11-0 victory for Point Loma. Another 11-0 game favored San Diego and winning pitcher Phil Rico over La Jolla.
5/4/56
Mission Bay’s Leroy Brandt outdueled Deron Johnson and the Buccaneers (3-6) defeated San Diego (7-1), 5-4 in 10 innings.
The loss ended a 14-game winning streak for the Cavers and set up a City Prep League showdown the following week with 7-1 Hoover.
—The Cardinals caught the Cavers in the standings as Steve Evans held La Jolla to two hits in a 12-0 victory.
—Grossmont’s defending champion turned spoilers and damaged visiting Sweetwater’s Metropolitan League hopes with an 8-1 victory.
The Red Devils fell a game behind league-leading Helix as the Foothillers’ Earl Carlton set down the Red Devils on six hits.
Hoover’s Carl Oberg (left) and Alex Cremidan watched as San Diego’s Willie West stole second base, but Cardinals won, 6-2.
5/8/56
Hoover collected all its runs and seven hits in the final three innings to beat San Diego, 6-2.
Deron Johnson’s home run in the first inning staked Phil Rico to a 2-0 lead and Rico had a perfect game until Larry Elliot led off the fifth inning with a ground-rule double over the Cavers’ right field fence.
Elliot struck out 13 and permitted only one hit after Johnson’s home run.
—Mission Bay’s Bob Lasoya missed a second consecutive no-hitter in a 5-2 win over St. Augustine. The Saints’ Ed Downey had a first-inning single.
—A ground ball which bounced off a third baseman’s leg and through the gate on a fence at Sweetwater helped the Red Devils beat Helix, 4-1, and tie for the Metro lead.
Dave Olsen of Helix is ruled out for not touching home plate after apparent three-run home run. San Diego’s Jerry Whitworth awaited late throw. Cavers won, 19-5.
5/11/56
Bob Imlay pitched Point Loma into second place in the CPL, giving up four hits and shutting out San Diego, 8-0.
The Cavers were shut out for the first time at home.
Lennie Serrano homered, singled and tripled, and stole home with the final run in the seventh inning.
—Ron Palermo and Dave Olson each had three hits and Helix defeated El Cajon Valley, 7-2, and climbed back into a first-place tie with idle Sweetwater in the Metropolitan League.
5/15/56
Lefthander Larry Elliot’s no-hitter earned Hoover at least a tie for the CPL championship, 8-1, over Kearny, but that was just part of the story.
Elliott struck out the side in the first four innings and had fanned 13 in a row before the Komets’ Hugh McMillan made contact in the fifth inning.
The only other Kearny batter in the seven-inning game to hit the ball was Chuck Cartmill, who popped out in the sixth.
Elliott struck out 19 and walked 10, including four in the third inning to force in the Komets’ run.
—Bob Lasoya got the nod Point Loma’s Bob Imlay, 4-3, in 11 innings for the Bucs’ fourth CPL win in a row and fifth overall.
Fred Matteson singled home Larry Brindley for the winning run.
—San Diego continued to stumble, losing its fourth in a row at Lincoln, 6-1. George Hook’s three-run home run in the second inning led the way for the Hornets.
—Helix outlasted last-place Grossmont, 7-6, in 10 innings to take first place in the Metro League. Ron Palermo’s sacrifice fly scored Ernie Miller with the winning run.
—San Dieguito clinched the Avocado League championship, 9-0 over Vista and Ramona won a Southern Prep League game with visiting San Miguel School, 23-6.
Willie West got hand slaps from teammates after his grand slam home run beat Hoover, 5-4, in season finale.
5/18/56
Hoover and Helix claimed league championships, the Cardinals 7-1 over Lincoln behind Steve Evans’ two-hitter, and the Highlanders 8-4 over Chula Vista.
—Kearny prevented Point Loma from clinching second in the CPL, 2-1 in 12 innings.
John Nunez replaced Ralph Myatt in the first inning and went the rest of the way for the Komets.
—Escondido snapped San Dieguito’s eight-game winning streak in the Avocado League, 4-3.
5/19/56
Willie West slammed a bases-loaded home run in the sixth inning and San Diego ended its losing streak with a 5-4 win at Hoover.
Phil Rico, with relief from Deron Johnson in the seventh inning, got the win over the Cardinals’ Larry Elliot.
5/21/56
Sweetwater won a Metropolitan League playoff, 4-2 over Chula Vista after the teams had tied with 7-5 records and second place behind Helix’ 9-3.
—Sweetwater’s opponent in the playoffs became Point Loma, which tied at 8-4 with San Diego behind Hoover’s 10-2 in the CPL.
Hilbert Crosthwaite, Point Loma athletic director and president of the CPL, conducted a poll in which league bosses chose the Pointers over the Cavers for the postseason berth.
Umpire Roy Engle, tongue in cheek, made serious call when he ruled La Jolla’s Victor Graham out at plate in Lions Tournament game against Inglewood Morningside. Vikings won, 7-1.
5/22/56
Sophomore Bobby Jordan lined a pinch hit single in the ninth inning to deprive Point Loma’s Bob Imlay of a perfect game after the lefthander set down the first 26 batters.
Imlay told Jerry Magee of The San Diego Union that the pitch Jordan hit, on a 2-2 count, was the only curve ball Imlay threw during the game.
Imlay had two hits including a single that drove in the Pointers’ first run.
Point Loma won, 2-0, to advance to the second-round against Newport Beach Newport Harbor.
—Helix beat visiting Anaheim, 6-3, to earn a second-round game against Hoover, which had a first-round bye.
—San Dieguito won a wild game at home, 8-7, against El Centro Central, which hit five home runs off Mustangs pitcher Richie Salbato, two of them when the Spartans scored three times to take a 7-4 lead in the top of the 11th inning.
Greg Arnett’s bases-loaded single scored two runs in the bottom of the 11th. Chuck Salbato followed with a double to tie the score and George Seckington’s bunt scored the winning run.
Richie Salbato struck out 18 batters but was relieved by Chuck Salbato in the 11th.
Major league scouts took in Lions Tournament game between Santa Monica and Hoover. From left, Harold (Lefty) Phillips, Brooklyn Dodgers; Gene Handley, Boston Red Sox, and Floyd (Babe) Herman. Philadelphia Athletics.
5/25/56
Hoover, having to move from its home diamond to San Diego State, beat the Highlanders, 8-6.
Larry Elliot doubled in one run, Alex Cremidan two, and Lynn Rowland pinch hit a triple for 3 more in a six-run Hoover fourth inning.
Elliot walked nine batters, threw 31 pitches in one inning and 151 for eight innings before coach Fulton Vickery brought in Steve Evans after Elliot walked the first two batters in the eighth.
Elliot’s 13 strikeouts gave him 60 in the last 28 innings. The CIF had deemed the Hoover field not suitable for a playoff game because of the short, 197-foot distance to the right field fence.
—Point Loma was informed by the CIF that its win at Sweetwater was within 15 miles of the Pointers’ campus and thus a home game when considering the site for its second-round game.
The peninsula squad hit the road north and host Newport Beach Newport Harbor claimed a 3-2 victory
—San Dieguito, on the strength of two double steals, which resulted in an eighth-inning run and the winning run in the tenth, moved on after a 5-4 victory at Tustin.
5/28/56
Host Ontario Chaffey struck for a run in the second inning and three in the third, enough for Harold (Hal) Reniff’s 18th victory in his last 20 decisions.
Reniff, who struck out five of the six last batters he faced, stopped Hoover, 4-3.
6/1/56
Puente atoned for its loss to Grossmont in the 1955 championship with a 13-1 rout of San Dieguito in the small schools’ final at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot’s Beeson Field.
Right-hander Jerry Dawson allowed the Mustangs four hits and accounted for five runs, two on home runs from opposite sides of the plate, and another on an infield out.
Dawson’s homers each cleared the wall at the 353-foot sign in left centerfield.
2021 Week 12: Playoffs Shift Into High Gear With Open Division Play
Round two of the San Diego Section playoffs offer quarterfinals in Divisions I-V and semifinals in the Open Division.
The four clubs in the highest bracket, beginning play after a week off:
4 TORREY PINES (6-3) @1 CARLSBAD (10-0)
The Falcons get another shot at the unbeaten Lancers, a team Torrey Pines had on the ropes, 33-27, only to lose, 34-33, in the final seconds after a 90-yard Carlsbad touchdown drive in Week 6.
The Falcons’ second and third losses were to the other semifinalists, Cathedral, 28-14, in the season opener and Mission Hills, 20-14, in Week 8.
Coach Thadd MacNeal is 75-44 in 11 seasons at Carlsbad. Ron Gladnick is 38-23 in six seasons at Torrey. MacNeal and Gladnick are 3-3 against each other, but Carlsbad has won the last three.
Carlsbad takes a 15-game winning streak and 25 wins in the last 27 into the contest.
The Lancers lead the all-time series, 18-9.
Carlsbad has a 55.2 Cal Preps.com rating and Torrey Pines 44.4. The Lancers are Cal-Hi Sports’ No. 13 team and Torrey Pines No. 37.
Another barnburner could be in the works and Carlsbad will try to defeat this tough opponent a second time in the same season.
The pick: Torrey Pines.
3 MISSION HILLS (8-2) @1 CATHEDRAL (8-2).
Cathedral was a 44-21 winner in the 2016 playoff semifinals in the only meeting between the schools.
Sean Doyle and Chris Hauser have head-coached 429 games in their long careers but this will be only the second time they’ve been on opposite sidelines.
Doyle and Hauser are two of the most successful coaches in San Diego County history.
Doyle is 212-96, .688, in 26 seasons at University-Cathedral and a victory would tie Helix’ Jim Arnaiz for the ninth most wins in County history.
Hauser is 180-76, .703, in 22 seasons at Vista and Mission Hills.
Cathedral has a 58.0 Cal Preps.com rating, the Grizzlies 50.5. Cal-Hi Sports has Cathedral at 16th in the state and Mission Hills 20th.
Cathedral beat Torrey Pines, 28-14, in the season opener. Mission Hills edged the Falcons, 20-14, in Week 8.
Cathedral received a forfeit, 1-0 win over Lincoln in Week 10. Mission Hills lost to Lincoln, 30-13, in Week 3.
It will have been 18 days since their last game and the ensuing controversy surrounding Lincoln’s decision to not play the Dons after racial taunts last season by Cathedral players.
The pick: Mission Hills.
“POWER PERCEIVED IS POWER INDEED”
That was a line uttered by Ernie Hudson, the crooked principal at Florida’s Miami Columbus High, to Tom Berenger in “The Substitute”, a 1990’s movie starring Berenger as a faux substitute teacher who cracks a drug ring.
Power indeed was the story in the first round.
Seeded favorites had a combined 34-6 record, with a few mild upsets (3) two not-really upsets, and one sort-of shocker.
The latter was manufactured by San Ysidro, a 12 seed in Division V, squeezing past No. 5 Escondido Charter, 16-13.
TENS ROLL SEVEN
Three 10’s dispatched 7 seeds.
Granite Hills eliminated Oceanside, 31-14, in D-I. El Cajon Valley topped No. 10 Army-Navy, 21-14 in D-IV, and El Centro Central ushered out Otay Ranch, 33-28 in D-II.
A couple No. 9’s edged No. 8’s.
D-I Grossmont edged Steele Canyon, 17-14, and D-II Christian beat San Diego and retiring coach Charles James, 31-28.
There were blowouts of 49-7 (Brawley over Westview) 50-18 (Rancho Buena Vista over Mar Vista) and one why-did-they-bother-with-this (Sweetwater 73-6 over Valhalla).
1956 Track: 5 Stars Deliver in Five-Star State Track Meet
Track and field made a leap with multiple outstanding performances in several events. All five area qualifiers scored points in the greatest state meet in history, witnessed by about 4,500 persons on a 100-degree day in Chico.
—Coach Raleigh Holt’s Hoover Cardinals won another City Prep League championship with depth in every race, jump, and throw, headed by miler Bob Monzingo, who finished third at the state meet with an all-time County best of 4:20.7.
Monzingo and Lincoln’s Luther Hayes, Mission Bay’s Jim Cerveny, El Cajon Valley’s Bill Logan, and Sweetwater’s Bill Walters were among state leaders and earned national rankings.
—El Cajon Valley, following Helix’ 1951 beginning, took a sizeable chunk of Grossmont talent and produced a first-year power that won the Metropolitan dual-meet championship and lost only to Hoover.
Mission Bay junior Jim Cerveny (third from left) tied for fifth with Riverside Poly’s Wayne Lemons in 1:54.4 in epic state 880 final, won by Willits’ Jerry Siebert in 1:53.2. Los Angeles Fremont’s Louie Miller (obscured by Siebert) was second in 1:54.1, followed by Bruce Knapp of Alhambra (1:54.1) and Tom Brown (right) of Merced (1:54.3). Three other runners ran at least 1:55.5 and the 10th-place finisher was timed in 1:56.
3/2/56
The eighth annual City Prep League Relays had a change of venue, moving from Balboa Stadium to Kearny, but the result was much the same as in 1955.
Hoover outdistanced San Diego with 66 points to 38 in Class A, was runner-up to Lincoln in Class B, and dominated Class C.
Individual winners were La Jolla’s Lucian (Junior) Jackson in the 120-yard high hurdles and San Diego’s Roscoe Cook in the 100-yard dash.
Jackson tied the record of :15.1, set by the Vikings’ Jerry Wood in 1950, and Cook was first in :10.0.
Cook also ran the leadoff leg, connecting with Essex Hutton, Willie Jordan, and Bobby Staten, as San Diego raced 880 yards in 1:31.8, breaking the record of 1:32.2 by San Diego in 1951.
3/6/56
Dick Verdon pushed the 12-pound shot 55 feet, 4 ¾ inches, bettering his school record of 54-4 ¾ in 1955.
Verdon and his Hoover teammates eased past San Diego for the third time in four years, 60 ½-44 ½, winning seven of the 12 events and sweeping four.
Luther Hayes, who started at Lincoln in 1955, transferred to San Diego and was fourth in the Southern California broad jump, was back at Lincoln and jumped 22 feet in his first meet, an 82-22 victory over Point Loma.
3/10/56
LARGE SCHOOLS
Hoover’s Bob Monzingo smashed a 28-year-old mile record in the Southern Counties’ Invitational at Huntington Beach High.
Monzingo covered the distance in 4:28.1, compared to the 4:29.4 by Santa Ana’s Harold Breeding in 1928.
Defending state 220 champion Bob Poynter of Pasadena won the 100 in :09.7, with San Diego’s Roscoe Cook second in 09.8.
Poynter returned to run :20.9 in the 220 with San Diego’s Bobby Staten second in :21.7.
Wes Hill of Point Loma broke the 880 record with a time of 1:59.8, better than the 2:00.5 by Bob Suess of the host school in 1952.
San Diego was seventh in team scoring with 19 points
Lincoln baseball stars Bob Mendoza (left) and Brad Griffith congratulate track-and-field ace Luther Hayes, the school Key Club’s choice of athlete of the month. Mendoza and Griffith also had earned the same honor.
SMALL SCHOOLS First-year El Cajon Valley was second with 34 points to Compton Centennial’s 46. Lincoln was third with 13.
The Braves’ Max Cheney won one of two 880 races in 2:02.7 and Bill Logan was first in the pole vault at 13 feet.
Jack Ratelle finished second in :50.5 in one 440-yard dash and La Jolla’s Mike McCartney was third in another in :51.4.
3/13/56
Roscoe Cook ran the 100 in :09.9 and Bobby Staten the 220 in :21.9 as San Diego outscored visiting Sweetwater, 64 1/3-39 2/3.
Sophomore Windell (Bill) Ernest ran :10 flat in the 100 and :23.2 in the 220 and Helix topped Point Loma, 67-36.
3/16/56
Roscoe Cook logged :09.9 in the 100 and Bobby Staten doubled, winning the 220 in :22 and the 180-yard low hurdles in :20, but Mission Bay’s Jim Cerveny made the big news with a school record, 4:37.7 mile.
San Diego won the City Prep League dual, 69 ½-35 ½.
3/18/56
Grossmont’s Jim Griswold ran 4:28.6 in the mile, but upstart El Cajon Valley outscored seven other teams at Sweetwater in the second annual South Bay Relays, a meet that copied the format of the CPL Relays.
The Braves scored 41 points, Grossmont 35, Helix 26 1/2, Chula Vista 23, Lincoln 20 1/2, Sweetwater 8, Mar Vista 6, and Coronado 2.
Griswold’s time was third fastest of the season in Southern California.
El Cajon Valley coach Joe Brooks is not sure which Hudson twin is which, Lester or Chester.
3/23/56
Bill Walters’ departure from San Diego High was even more acute. Imagine an 880 relay team with Roscoe Cook, Bobby Staten, Walters, and Willie Jordan or Essex Hutton?
Walters became one of the fastest sprinters in Southern California after transferring to Sweetwater for his junior year in 1955.
That was punctuated by Walters’ :09.8 100-yard dash in the Red Devils’ dual meet with rival Grossmont.
There were six watches on Walters and all agreed on :09.8, according to Sweetwater coach Dick Coxe.
The visiting Foothillers won, 54-50, overcoming an 18-0, Walters-led Sweetwater sweep in the sprints.
Grossmont’s Jim Wade hurled the shot 51 feet, 8 1/2 inches, and Sweetwater’s Keith Luhnow broad jumped 21-7.
Walters also won the 220 in :22.1 and anchored a 1:32.6 win in the 880 relay.
4/6/56
El Cajon Valley, spoiling for success, knocked off Grossmont, 60-44, in a stunning statement of first-season success.
The triumph, coupled with Helix’ 68 ½-35 ½ win over Sweetwater, set up a Friday the 13th dual meet for the Metropolitan League title.
Grossmont was feeling the effects of losing several Class B and C performers to the Braves of coach Joe Brooks.
The pain was similar to what the Foothillers felt when Helix opened in 1951 and took several stars and prospects in the realignment of enrollment boundaries.
Surprise of El Cajon Valley’s diversity was a :51.9 victory in the 440 by Lester Hudson, who was expected to run the 880.
Sweetwater expected to battle Helix on more even terms but 440 star and sprinter George McElvain, with a best of :51.5, was declared out for the season with an intestinal ailment.
The Red Devils’ Bill Walters won the 100 in :10 and the 220 in :21.7 in a pair of duels with Helix sophomore Bill Ernest.
Charlie Love won the 120-yard high hurdles (:16.3), 180 lows (:21.1), broad jump (19-2), and ran a leg on the winning relay (1:37.9) for 16 ¼ points in Coronado’s 77-27 win over San Dieguito.
Bob Monzingo was nosed out at finish line by Fullerton’s Grady Neal in CIF Divisional mile.
4/10/56
Bobby Staten’s :19.5 in the 180-yard low hurdles was second fastest in Southern California and San Diego’s 1:30.2 in the 880 relay was third.
San Diego won a 71-33 dual-meet decision over La Jolla. Staten also won the 220 in :22 and Roscoe Cook took the 100 in :10, while La Jolla’s Mike McCartney ran the CPL’s quickest 440, :51.1.
4/16/56
Third-year Lincoln was getting better but not ready for prime time.
The Hornets extended San Diego but the Cavers wrapped a 55-49 dual meet victory by winning the 880-yard relay in 1:30.6.
Luther Hayes was first in the broad jump, edging San Diego’s Roscoe Cook, with a 22-3 effort and the Hornets’ Benny Sanders set a school record in the mile, 4:39.1.
4/18/56
Jack Ratelle of St. Augustine lowered his County-leading 440 time to :50.1 in a meet at Sweetwater. Surveys years later determined the Red Devils’ track was about three yards short of a full quarter mile.
Sweetwater won the triangular meet with 51 1/3 points to 33 1/3 for St. Augustine and 19 for La Jolla.
4/20/56
T.C. Johnson of Kearny and Jim Cerveny of Mission Bay set school records in Kearny’s 53-51 victory.
Johnson high jumped 6 feet, 3 1/8 inches, and Cerveny ran 1:59.3 in the 880.
Hoover shaded El Cajon Valley, 57 ½-46 ½ in a dual of arguably the best teams in San Diego County.
The Braves’ Doug Benson tied his school record of :09.9 in the 100.
Charlie Love of Coronado won the 120 high hurdles in :15.2 and set a school record of :20 in the 180 lows in the Islanders’ triangular triumph, 52 1/3 points to Escondido’s 44 5/6 and Oceanside’s 31 2/3.
Jim Cerveny of Mission Bay ran fastest 880 in County history, 1:54.4 at state meet.
4/23/56
El Cajon Valley won the Grossmont League showdown with visiting Helix, 58-46, to earn at least a tie for the Metropolitan league dual-meet title.
Helix sophomore Bill Ernest tied his school record of :09.9 in the 100 and set a school record with a :22.1 220. Ernest also anchored the Scots to a school-record 1:33 in the 880 relay.
Ernest’s teammate, Gael Barsotti, also ran a leg on the relay and set a school record of 5-11 in the high jump.
4/24/56
Roscoe Cook logged :09.9 in the 100-yard dash and Bob Waterhouse broad jumped 22-3/4 as San Diego scored a 72-32 win over St. Augustine.
4/26/56
Don Brizendine’s :51.8 in the 440 broke the Chula Vista record of :52.3, set in 1949 by Fentriss Neal. The Spartans beat Helix, 55-49.
4/27/56
Hoover wrapped a 6-0, City Prep League season with an 88-16 win over Mission Bay, which could point to an emerging Jim Cerveny, who set an 880 school record for the second time, 1:57.5.
Bob Waterhouse broad jumped 22 feet, 7 ¾ inches, taking the team lead from Roscoe Cook, who earlier had jumped 22-6 ½ as San Diego defeated Kearny, 70-34.
Had he not transferred back to Lincoln, Luther Hayes would have made it a trio of outstanding jumpers at San Diego. Hayes set a Lincoln school record with a jump of 23-5, best in the County since John Parker leaped 23-9 1/2 at San Diego in 1951.
Sweetwater tied a school record of 1:31.5 in the 880 relay but Grossmont won the Metropolitan loop dual, 69-35.
Gael Barsotti won the 120-yard high hurdles over Gerald King of Sweetwater but the Red Devils won, 55-49.
5/1/56
CITY PREP LEAGUE TRIALS @BALBOA STADIUM
Lincoln was a surprise leader with 15 qualifiers, followed by Hoover, 13, San Diego and La Jolla, 8 each, Kearny, 5, and Mission Bay, 3.
San Diego’s Bobby Staten tied the 100 record of :09.9 record, set in 1954 by the Cavers’ Herman Thompson.
The Cavers’ scoring chances in Class A were diminished when Roscoe Cook moved down to Class B, in which he set a record of :10 in the 100, bettering Cook’s and Bill Walters’ :10.1 in 1955.
Chuck Hansen of Hoover ran :09.1 in the 70-yard high hurdles and Lincoln’s Eddie Hartman logged 1:24.9 in the 660.
Cook returned to run :22 in the 220, a B record for the Balboa Stadium curve. Alfred Woerner of San Diego ran :21.6 on the Kearny straightaway in 1955, aided by over-the-limit wind.
Kearny’s George Williams leaped 21 feet, 11 inches in Class B. Field event finals were in B and C.
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TRIALS @SWEETWATER
Grossmont’s Jim Walton hurdled the 180-yard lows in :19.6, bettering the :19.8 by La Jolla’s Art Barnard in 1947.
Eight records were set in Classes B and C which held finals in field events.
CLASS B
Armstrong of Grossmont went 52-1 in the 10-pound shot put, topping his record of 51-3 ½ in 1955.
Doug Benson of El Cajon Valley equaled the 100 record of :10.2, set in 1948 by Jerry Weed of Grossmont and equaled by Grossmont’s Jim Walton in 1955.
CLASS C
Jerry Carlton of Grossmont hurled the eight-pound shot 56-10, topping a mark of 50 feet in 1950.
Joe Rubidoux of El Cajon Valley’s :13.9 in the 120-yard low hurdles bettered a :14.1 from 1939 and his 20-2 1/8 broad jump improved on a 20-1 1/2 in 1937. Teammate Wendell Maize ran 1:28.7 in the 660.
An :18.7 in the 180-yard dash by Paul Adams of Helix smashed a record of :19.7 in 1948. Jim Stewart of Sweetwater ran :10.1 in the 100, breaking a 19-year-old record.
Millard Woods (right) of Hoover edged Kearny’s Charles Harrod in :10.1 100-yard dash in City Prep League trials. La Jolla’s Joe Keefe was third.
5/4/56
Laguna Beach won the eighth annual Vista Relays, outscoring a field of 12 teams with 41 points. Vista was second with 36 ½, followed by Tustin, 32 ½, Escondido 28, and St. Augustine 26.
Also in the Vista field were Valencia, Army-Navy, Ramona, Fallbrook, San Dieguito, Oceanside, and Mar Vista.
5/6/56
AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @ESCONDIDO
Charlie Love did all he could but Vista won the team title with 56 7/10 points to Coronado’s 49.
Love tied the meet record with a :15.5 triumph in the 120-yard high hurdles, set a meet record of :19.9 in the 180 lows, won the broad jump at 20-1 ¼, and anchored the Islanders’ 880 relay team to a record 1:34.3.
Five other meet records were set, including a 51-foot shot put by Coronado’s Jon Crawford and 2:03 880 by Vista’s Knox.
The high jump saw five contestants in an event won at 5-9 ½ tie for third, resulting in points rounding out to tenths.
METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @CHULA VISTA
Coach Tom Rice’s Chula Vista Spartans were surprising winners of the team championship, outscoring dual meet champion El Cajon Valley, 42 3/8-42 1/8.
Sweetwater’s Bill Walters came from behind to top Helix’ rising sophomore Bill Ernest in a :09.9 100 and won the 220 by 10 yards in :21.6.
Walters’ 100 was off the meet record of :09.8, set by Oceanside’s Bill Huntales in 1937. Walters also came close to the 220 record, held by Point Loma’s George Able, who ran :21.5 in 1938.
Wendell Maize of El Cajon Valley topped the record he set in the Class C trials with a 1:27 in the 660. Max Cheney of the Braves lowered the B 660 to 1:26.3 and Bill Hudson the B 1320 to 3:19.7.
San Diego’s Roscoe Cook, winning City Prep League Class B 100-yard dash final, later tied world record of :09.3.
CITY PREP LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM
Dual-meet champion Hoover needed a sweep of the mile and victory in the 880 relay to pass Lincoln, 50 points to 42, and win the team title.
Bob Monzingo bettered the meet record of 4:31.8, set by Kearny’s Jim Weir in 1954, with a time of 4:30.1, leading teammates John Thinnes and Bob Larsen.
The Cardinals also won the 880-yard relay in 1:32.2.
Luther Hayes’ 23-foot, 9 1/8-inch broad jump bettered the record of 23-6 by John Parker of San Diego in 1951.
Jim Cerveny’s 1:57 880 lowered the standard of 1:58.9 by Grossmont’s Jim Giyer in 1954, and McCartney’s 50-second 440 erased the :50.7 by Lee Buchanan of Kearny in 1954.
Point Loma’s Wes Hill set a fast pace with a :56 first quarter, but Cerveny pulled even in the final 200 yards and ran down Hill coming home, with the Pointer second in 1:57.4.
Roscoe Cook equaled his :10 flat 100 and anchored a 660 relay that tied the Southern California record of 1:07. Cook’s teammates included Essex Hutton, Jiro Sato, and Willie Jordan.
Chuck Hansen of Hoover tied his Class B 70-yard high hurdles record of :09.1 and the 120-yard low hurdles record of 13.3 by Kearny’s John Rushing in 1951.
5/14/56
SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISIONAL, @SAN DIEGO STATE
Grossmont’s Jim Griswold was timed in 4:27 in the mile and finished third to Fullerton’s Grady Neal (4:25.7) and Hoover’s Bob Monzingo (4:26.3).
SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISIONAL SEMIFINALS, @ONTARIO
Roscoe Cook bettered Southern Section Class B records with a :9.7 100 and :21 flat 220 at Chaffey High, but the century record was disallowed because of a 5 miles-per-hour tail wind.
Cook, with an allowable breeze less than 4.447 m.p.h., took down the 220 record of :21.6 by Hoover’s Clyde Yakel in 1937.
San Diego’s 660-yard relay team bettered the CIF record with a time of 1:06.8 but was disqualified because Cook was judged to have cut in too soon on a Montebello runner.
Sophomore Windell (Bill) Ernest surprised with a :09.7 100 that edged San Diego’s Bobby Staten and Sweetwater’s Bill Walters. Only two advanced in each race.
Walters came back to win his 220 heat in :21.1.
Hoover’s Bill Stephenson caught Chula Vista’s Dave Morrison at tape in Cardinals’ 1:31.3 victory in 880 relay race at CIF Division Trials.
5/28/56
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS, @INGLEWOOD
For a while it appeared San Diego had earned at least a tie for the Class B title after Roscoe Cook’s :09.8 and :22 flat sprint victories and a third in the 100 by Essex Hutton.
But a post-meet review of film of the race showed that a Long Beach Poly runner had earned a fourth in the 100-yard dash and the Jackrabbits won the championship with 14 1/2 points. San Diego and Rosemead had 13 each.
Cook was the only winner from San Diego, but Luther Hayes tied for first with Compton’s Bobby Smith at 22-9 ¾ in the broad jump.
Hayes was hampered by the extremely short broad jump runway at Inglewood High, forcing Hayes to start his approach beside an adjacent fence.
6/2/56
STATE MEET, @CHICO
Bill Logan of El Cajon Valley upset the field with a 13-foot, 6-inch pole vault, tying for first place after finishing second in the Southern Section the week before at 13-3 ½.
Bob Monzingo of Hoover ran 4:20.7 and was third behind Ron Larrieu of Palo Alto (4:20.1) and Grady Neal of Fullerton (4:20.6) in the mile.
Luther Hayes was fourth in the broad jump at 24 feet, 1/8 inch and Jim Cerveny tied for fifth in the 880 at 1:54.4, joining Monzingo as County record holders.
Sweetwater’s Bill Walters was fourth in the 220 in :21.3.
All five San Diego-area qualifiers earned points.
Kearny student Gail Jones, believed to be the only female manager of a prep track team, met with coach Clarence Pike and sophomore George Williams, who set City Prep League meet record in Class B broad jump at 21-11.
2021 Week 11: Hat’s Off! Eighteen League Champions
League championships can be forgotten amid the giant second season of playoffs.
if a team has a pulse, no matter how few W’s and how many L’s, it’s most likely a postseason participant.
But don’t pass that along to the San Diego Section’s regular-season winners. Players identify these achievements on their letter jackets, coaches enhance their resumes, and student bodies and communities take pride.
Take a bow, champions.
LEAGUE
TEAM
RECORD
OVERALL
COACH
Avocado
Carlsbad
6-0
10-0
Thadd MacNeal
Central
Mission Bay
4-0
8-2
Greg Tate
Citrus
Victory Christian
5-0
7-1*
Earl Benson
City
Patrick Henry
4-0
7-2
J.T. O’Sullivan
Coastal
Santa Fe Christian
5-0
9-0
Jon Wallace
Desert
Blythe Palo Verde Valley
4-0
8-2
Dominique Hill
Eastern
Mira Mesa
3-0
6-3
Chris Thompson-Aurelo Morales
Grossmont Hills
Helix
3-0
6-3
Robbie Owens
Grossmont Valley
West Hills
6-0
10-0
Casey Ash
Imperial Valley
Brawley
4-0
8-2
Jon Self
Metro Mesa
Mater Dei
4-0
8-0
John Joyner
Metro South Bay
Sweetwater
4-0
5-3
Ervin Hernandez
Ocean
San Diego Jewish
5-0
7-0*
Justin McKenzie
Pacific
Escondido Charter
4-0
8-1
Greg Brose
Palomar
Mt. Carmel
4-1
9-1
Drew Westling
Valley
Ramona
5-0
7-3
Damon Baldwin
Western
Cathedral
3-0
7-2
Sean Doyle
*Playing for San Diego Section 8-man championship. RATINGS GAME
RANK
TEAM
RECORD
POINTS
PREVIOUS
1.
Carlsbad
10-0 (16)
232
1
2.
Cathedral
8-2 (9)
224
2
3.
Mission Hills
8-2
180
4
4.
Mater Dei
9-0
172
3
5.
Torrey Pines
6-3
140
6
6.
Madison
8-2
115
7
7.
Helix
6-3
88
6
8.
Lincoln
6-3
80
5
9.
Santa Fe Christian
9-0
39
9
10.
Scripps Ranch
8-1
23
10
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Mt. Carmel (9-1, 21 points), West Hills (10-0, 7), El Camino (4-6, 3) Mira Mesa (6-2, Eastlake (7-3, 2), Poway (7-3, 2), Patrick Henry (7-2, 1).
VOTING PANEL
Twenty-four sportswriters and sportscasters throughout San Diego County.
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune.
Steve Brand, Thomas Gutierrez, Rick Hoff, Jim Lindgren, Terry Monahan, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, freelance contributors.
John Carroll, Nick Pollino, KUSI Ch. 51.
John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3-FM The Fan).
Adam Paul, ECPreps.com.
Bodie DeSilva, scorebooklive.com.
Rick Smith, Partletonsports.com.
Christian Pedersen, San Diego Sports Association.
Troy Hirsch, Fox 5 San Diego.
Raymond Brown, sdfootball.net.
Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez, Mike Dolan, CIF San Diego Section.
Ramon Scott, Eastcountysports.com.
Steve (Biff) Dolan, Mountain Country, 107.9-FM.
How others see San Diego’s Top 10: *The second entry in each rating is from the previous week.
