The hand shake was a vise grip.

I first shook that hand in September, 1964, when Eddie Olsen was hired to manage the Billiard Den, a trendy, new watering hole and pool parlor at 58^th Street and El Cajon Blvd.

I last saw Eddie months before he passed recently at age 89 and the handshake had not lost any of its strength. That was a reflection of Olsen, direct, sometimes blunt, but always honest.

He left with a legion of friends from an almost lifetime of baseball.

ORGINALLY A PADRE

Olsen was in the game from as a pre-teen serving as a ball boy and bat boy and working in the clubhouse for the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres.

He played baseball for coach Walt Harvey at La Jolla High and earned all-Southern California second team honors as a first baseman and occasional pitcher. The 1953 Vikings ousted San Diego High for the City Prep League championship and advanced to the CIF finals, bowing to Compton, 5-2, and posting a 24-4 record.

Eddie played professional baseball for seven years and served a stint in the Marine Corps before going into coaching, first at Morse High, then as head coach for nine seasons at El Capitan High.

Olsen moved in 1982 to Grossmont College, where his teams posted a 516-373-7 record in 22 seasons before he retired in 2004.  He was inducted into the California Community College Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

The San Diego Section’s 65^th season opens this week with the usual fare of nonleague games, intersectionals, and interstates.

Five interesting matchups:

CARLSBAD @LAKEWOOD.

Lancers coach Thadd MacNeal will return to where he had a very successful program in the Long Beach Poly-dominated, Southern Section Moore League, posting a 41-19 record from 2006-10, including 21-4 in his last two seasons.

Why leave Lakewood?

MacNeal is a 1989 Carlsbad graduate. He replaced the retiring Bob McAllister in 2011.  The Lancers have done well on MacNeal’s watch, 96-48 overall and 46-6 since 2019.

LONG BEACH ST. ANTHONY @MOUNT MIGUEL

The Saints have not met a San Diego team since 2000, when Marian (renamed Mater Dei in 2007) visited and won, 35-6.

St. Anthony, which opened in 1920, is 7-5 vs. local teams, beginning with a 13-6 loss to St. Augustine in 1935. The two Saints were aligned in the Southland Catholic League from 1945-50.

The St. Anthony Saints beat San Diego High, 20-12, in the first round of the 1948 playoffs as CIF player-of-the-year and future NFL running back Johnny Olszewski rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon Arrington, who transferred from Helix in time last year to become a double sprint winner in the state track meet, is on the Matadors’ squad.

Torrey Pines vs. Bethlehem Freedom, Pennsylvania, @Staten Island, N.Y., Tottenville.

Freedom is the “home” team, 75 miles from its campus north of Philadelphia.

SAN LUIS OBISPO MISSION PREP @SANTA FE CHRISTIAN

San Diego teams have played Central Coast Section squads in the state playoffs — Scripps Ranch 31, Santa Clara Wilcox 28, in 2021—and Helix won a regular-season game, 45-21, at Mountain View St. Francis in 2023, and plays the Lancers here in Week 2.

The Royals and Eagles are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. Friday, meaning Mission Prep, facing a 305-mile trip, likely would leave on Thursday and guessing could stick around Saturday and go to the Zoo… catch the pandas!

‘Prep, with lineage back to 1875, will face one of the San Diego Section’s most successful schools. Eagles coach Jon Wallace embarks on his 13^th season in Solana Beach and is 81-41 (.664).

LAS VEGAS ARBOR VIEW, @LINCOLN

The Aggies were only 4-6 in ’23 but are ranked third in the Nevada preseason poll, behind Bishop Gorman and Henderson Liberty.

Lincoln is Cal-Hi Sports’ and Max Preps’ state-ranked No. 9 team and quarterback Akili Smith, Jr., son of the former Hornet and NFL veteran, have become a power under coach David Dunn, 94-58-1 since 2011.

COACHING CAROUSEL

SCHOOL	IN	OUT
Bonita Vista	Jay Hernandez	Tyler Arciaga
Brawley	Lawrence Landy	Rick Rubio & Ray Vandiver
Calexico Vincent Memorial	David Wong & Fernando Santana
Castle Park	Arrien Smith	Paco Silva
Coastal	Stephen Patton	Glen Henton
El Cajon Valley	James Simon	Nick Osborn
Francis Parker	D.J. Walcott	Stephen Cooper
Mabel O’Farrell	Bruce Newland	Jake Passot
Mater Dei Catholic	Rashard Cook	John Joyner
Mountain Empire	Ben Gooding	Bernard Vann
Orange Glen	Santiago Rocha	Tido Smith
Point Loma	Ryan Price	Joel Allen
Poway	Brandon Harris	Kyle Williams
Rancho Buena Vista	Terrence McKinney	Shane Graham
Rock Academy	Ben Jameson	Rali Schwartz
St. Augustine	Ron Caragher	Ron Gladnick
Sweetwater	Brandon Burris	Ervin Hernandez

LEAGUE CHANGES

SCHOOL	TO	FROM
Bonita Vista	South Bay	Metro Mesa
Chula Vista	Metro Mesa	Metro Pacific
Classical Academy	Pacific	Coastal
Coastal Academy	Sunset	Ocean
Coronado	Central	City
Escondido Charter	Pacific	Coastal
Francis Parker	Pacific	Coastal
Mabel O’Farrell	Sunset	Pacific
Maranatha Christian	Sunset	Pacific
Mission Bay	Eastern	City
Morse	City	Eastern
Mount Miguel	Grossmont Hills	Grossmont Valley
Mountain Empire	Sunset	Pacific
Point Loma	Western	Eastern
Rock Academy	Sunset	Pacific
Santana	Grossmont Valley	Grossmont Hills
Scripps Ranch	Eastern	City
Sweetwater	Metro Mesa	Metro South Bay
Tri-City Christian	Sunset	Pacific
University City	Eastern	Western
Victory Christian	Freelance	Ocean
West Hills	Grossmont Valley	Grossmont Hills

San Diego produced three state champions, the most since 1929.

David Russell of Patrick Henry won the boys’ 100 (:09.61) and 220 (20.97 with 2.2 wind, over the allowable 2.0), and the Crawford girls’ 440 relay squad of Danita Young, Judy Reed, Jewell Lovelady, and Katie Gaston, set a national record, :46.14.

Forty-eight years before San Diego High had won the state championship in the Los Angeles Coliseum with four individual winners:  Jimmy Willson, 100 and 220 (:09.8 and :21.4, and the last time there had been a double sprint champion from the border city); Irvine (Cotton) Warburton, 440 (:49.6), and Bill Miller, pole vault (12-6).

Russell stayed in his blocks through three false starts in the 100 and then raced away from the field and runner-up Ivan Cleveland of Pasadena, who ran :09.74.

Electronic time for sprints is about .24 hundredths slower than hand time, meaning Russell probably covered the distance in :09.4, according to previous methods.

Russell, not ready for prime time, with two disappointing efforts in the 1976 state trials in Berkeley, again jumped the field in the 220 and outpaced Pasadena’s favored James Sanford, who had won the 440 in :46.6 just minutes before but was second in :21.24.

Russell had become a fan favorite among the 16,200 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.

Gambling is de rigueur at big, or small, track meets and fans showed their appreciation, showering the surprised Russell with a fistful of money as he took a “victory lap” through a section of the stands.

VERY FAST COLTS

Danita Young, Judy Reed, and Jewell Lovelady gave anchor Katie Gaston space in the 440 relay. Compton Centennial, with future (1984) Olympian 4×100 relay member Jeannette Bolden anchoring, closed fast but was second in :46.42.

5/4/77

An anticipated 440 race between Patrick Henry’s David Russell (:49.2) and San Diego’s Danny Stewart (:49.9) didn’t materialize.

Russell won the 100 (:09.7) and anchored a :42.6 440 relay win.  Stewart was headed to a personal best but cramped in the stretch and settled for a :50.6 victory.

The Patriots settled for a 98-36 Eastern League dual-meet win.

5/5/77

—Danita Young of Crawford ran the 100 in :10.8 in the Crawford girls’ 83-21 win over Clairemont. Mike Brown clocked :09.8 in the 100 in a meet the day before in the Colt boys’ 89 ½-46 ½ victory.

5/6/77

—Alex Williams high jumped 6-6 ¾ and triple jumped 44-1 1/2 in El Camino’s 82-54 win over Torrey Pines.

—Howard Wickham of Bonita Vista ran the 300 low hurdles in :38.9, fastest time in the County, and took the 100 in :10.3 in the Barons’ 98-37 cruise against Mar Vista.

—Randy Wagner’s wind-aided :14.5 in the 120 high hurdles took the County lead and Hilltop posted a 73-63 win over favored Castle Park, which found solace in Charles Kathan’s wind-aided :09.7 100 and :22.2 220.

—Randy Wallace’s 6-6 ¾ high jump in Grossmont’s 75-61 win over Santana bettered the school record of 6-6 by Bill Jones in 1961.

5/10/77

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TRIALS, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

Harlow Naase won 100 and 220 heats in :09.7 and :21.7 and his Castle Park teammate Charles Kathan doubled in :09.8 and :21.9.

Naase was asked by Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune about a potential race against Patrick Henry’s David Russell, unbeaten this year: “I’m certainly not in awe of Russell.  As far as I am concerned he’s just another guy. Now if he were out running :09.3s and :09.4s I might be in awe.”

—Bonita Vista’s Laura Nagel’s :14.5 was fastest of the year in the 110 hurdles in the City Conference Girls Trials in Balboa Stadium.

Crawford’s Danita Young and Judy Reed tied at :10.9 in the 100.  The Colts ran :47.5 in the 440 relay and Jewell Lovelady led long jumpers at 18 feet, 1 inch.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE TRIALS, @EL CAPITAN

Ken Pole of El Capitan put the shot 59 feet, 2 inches and Matt Gauthier of Valhalla followed at 57-7.

—Marc Keller of Helix ran a 4:21.9 mile.  Carol Keller, Mark’s sister, logged a 5:12.8, with Cheryl Flowers of Valhalla trailing in 5:20.5.

5/11/77

CITY CONFERENCE (EASTERN & WESTERN LEAGUES) TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

David Russell, citing a sore leg, eased to a :09.8 100 but blazed a :21.2 220, while Patrick Henry teammate Kipperr Bell turned in :09.9 and :21.7 times.

—Six ran :50.6 or better in the 440, led by the :49.6 of San Diego’s Danny Stewart and six timed at least 1:59.3 in the 880 led by the 1:56.8 of Morse’s Richard Wheeler.

—Lincoln and Crawford each ran :42.5 in the 440 relay, Morse :42.7, San Diego :43.1.  Morse came in at 3:20.5 in the mile relay, San Diego at 3:23.3.

—James Shine of San Diego ran a :09.9 100 and took the long jump at 23-7 ½.  Nine others made at least 22-0 1/2.

—Team favorite Patrick Henry was disqualified for a lane violation in the 440, keeping with an Eastern League tradition of baton-changing mishaps.

5/13/77

GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @EL CAPITAN

Sophomore Cheryl Flowers of Valhalla set a County record of 5:01.78 in the mile, defeating Helix’ Carol Keller, who returned the favor, beating Flowers with a record 11:08.2 in the two-mile.

Second-place times were 5:10.4 in the mile for Keller and 11:26.8 in the long race for Flowers.

—Carol Keller’s brother Marc doubled in the mile (4:19.1) and two-mile (9:27.8).

—Matt Gauthier won a shot put battle with El Capitan’s Ken Pole when Gauthier, coming from behind, pushed the 12-pound ball 59 feet, 8 ¾ inches, on his last try. Pole reached 59-5 ½.

Gauthier whirled the discus to the third longest distance in County history, 191-2, behind only Mount Miguel’s Billy Joe Winchester, 195-8 in 1970, and El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone, 192-6 in 1976.

—Helix’ Mike Durden won the 440 in :50 and El Capitan’s Robert Klemmer pole vaulted 14 feet.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

Harlow Naase won the sprint duel with Castle Park teammate Charles Kathan, running :09.8 in the 100 and :21.9 in the 220.  Kathan was second in :09.9 and :22.3.

—Bonita Vista sophomore Mike (Ace) Adkins won the 440 in :49.8 and Rick Krueger took the 880 in 1:58.4. The Barons won the mile relay in 3:24.6 and were team champions, outscoring runner-up Castle Park, 71-39.

—Billy Wagner of Hilltop doubled in the hurdles, :14.8 in the 120 highs and a County-leading :38.3 in the 330 lows.

—Debbie Wilford of Castle Park long jumped a County-leading 19-2.

5/14/77

CITY CONFERENCE (EASTERN AND WESTERN LEAGUES) FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Glenn Vieira of Madison pole vaulted 14-4 to break a 13-year-old County record of 14-3 ¼ by Lincoln’s Vic Montano in 1964.

—A Morse foursome of Donald Guillory (:49.4), Terrell Williams (50.6), Richard Wheeler (:49.6) and sophomore Tony Banks (:48.4) ran 3:18.0, third fastest mile relay in County history.

Lincoln ran 3:15.5 in 1968 and Morse 3:16.8 in 1974.

—The 9:09.7 two-mile by Kearny’s Ricky Perez bettered the record of 9:11.6 by Kirk Pfeffer of Crawford in 1974.

AVOCADO CONFERENCE TRIALS, @ESCONDIDO

Dokie Williams of El Camino led qualifiers in the long jump at 23-10 ½.  Teammate Craig Montgomery was the triple jump leader at 47-1/2.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FINALS

Christian won nine of 14 events and repeated as team champion with 190 points.  Army-Navy, with 89, and Mountain Empire, with 84, followed.

5/16/77

AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA

Vicky Belser was excelling on her home turf.

The Panthers’ senior won the 100-yard dash in :10.8, the 220 in :25, and the discus with a toss of 125-7.

Postponed twice because of rain, league athletes competed on a dry track amid a chilling wind.

“My start has been terrible,” said Belser, who revealed that she competes in the sprints in starting blocks but  from a standing position.

—El Camino’s Craig Montgomery leaped 47-8 ½ to win the triple jump, edging Dokie Williams’ brother Alex, who bounded 47-2 ½.

Dokie Williams, apparently ailing, did not participate and was byed into the San Diego Section trials.

5/21/77

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Crawford girls Danita Young, Judy Reed, Jewell Lovelady, and Katie Gaston stunned the crowd when they blazed the 440 relay.

A few moments later, track announcer Augie Escamilla, uttered his trademark, “Listen to this one, ladies and gentlemen!” and told the gathering that the Colts had just set a national record of :46.6.

Crawford bettered the :46.7, set a couple weeks earlier in the Texas state meet by Fort Worth Trimble Tech.  The Colts also shattered the San Diego Section record of :48.4 by Point Loma in 1976.

Crawford had run :47.6, :47.3, and :47 earlier and Danita Young was asked if the foursome felt the pressure.

“We’re always being pressed—by the clock,” said the 17-year-old junior, who also won a 220 heat in :24.4—The Crawford boys’ :42.4 also was No. 1 in the 440 relay. Morse ran 3:17.6 in the mile relay.

—Patrick Henry’s David Russell, concerned about balky hamstrings, won his 100 trial in :09.8 and then his :21 bettered Russell’s and Elijah Jefferson’s mark of :21.1 in the 220.

5/28/77

Morse, by winning the mile relay in 3:19.7 (“We won it with our passes,” said coach Jim Cerveny), with 27 points, outlasted Patrick Henry (23) and El Camino (23), for the team championship.

Crawford, with 45 points, won the girls’ team championship, topping Vista’s 34.

Two boys meet records (*) and seven girls meet records were set or tied (+):

17^TH SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK
100	Russell	Patrick Henry	:09.7
220	Russell		:21*
440	Banks	Morse	:48.1
880	Krueger	Bonita Vista	1:54.8
Mile	Harlan	University	4:18.2
Two-Mile	M. Keller	Helix	9:09.5
120 High Hurdles	Wilford	Castle Park	:14.5
330 Low Hurdles	Brown	Poway	:38
440 Relay		Castle Park	:42.3
Mile Relay		Morse	3:19.7
High Jump	Wallace	Grossmont	6-8
Long Jump	D. Williams	El Camino	22-11
Triple Jump	D. Williams		50-4 ½*
Shot Put	Gauthier	Valhalla	57-10 1/4
Discus	Gauthier		171-8
Pole Vault	Vieira	Madison	14

 4^th GIRLS SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK
100	Young	Crawford	:10.8+
220	Belser	Vista	:24.5
440	Fulton	Bonita Vista	:57.1*
880	Proulx	El Cajon Valley	2:15.8
Mile	Flowers	Valhalla	5:01.1*
Two-Mile	C. Keller	Helix	10:54.8*
110 Hurdles	Alexander	Crawford	:14.9*
440 Relay		Crawford	:46.7
Mile Relay		Bonita Vista	3:55.6*
High Jump	McNeal	Carlsbad	5-9*
Long Jump	Lovelady	Crawford	18-6 1/4
Shot Put	Nunn	Vista	39-6
Discus	Belser	Vista	126-1

6/3/77

59^TH BOYS STATE TRACK TRIALS, DRAKE STADIUM, @UCLA

EVENT	MARK	NAME	SCHOOL	PLACE
100	:09.69	Russell	Patrick Henry	2nd
	—	Bell		—
220	:21.24	Russell		2nd
	Scratched	Bell		—
440	:48.77	Banks	Morse	8th
	:49.02	Stewart	San Diego	10th
880	1:54.4	Krueger	Bonita Vista	7T
	1:56.4	Brown	Poway	16th
Mile	—	Harlan	University	—
	—	Miller	Point Loma	—
120 High Hurdles	:15.07	Wagner	Hilltop	22nd
	—	Wilford	Castle Park	—
330 Hurdles	—	Wagner		—
	—	Brown	Poway	—
440 Relay	—		El Camino	—
	—		Castle Park	—
Mile Relay	3:16.9		Morse	6th
	—		San Diego	15T
High Jump	6-4	Rakestraw	Torrey Pines	18T
	6-4	Wallace	Grossmont
Long Jump	23-8 1/4	D. Williams	El Camino	6th
	21-8 ½	Sivadge	Granite Hills	19th
Triple Jump	47-10	D. Williams		5th
	43-7 3/4	Kiruhi	Grossmont	19th
Shot Put	57-6 ¼	Pole	El Capitan	7th
	56-4 ¾	Gauthier	Valhalla	12th
Discus	160-04	Gosnell	San Dieguito	10th
	159-11	Gauthier	Valhalla	11T
Pole Vault	13-9	Vieira	Madison	14T
	13-3	Kennedy	Fallbrook	18T

3^rd GIRLS STATE TRACK TRIALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Reed	Crawford	:11.23	9th
	Young		:11.24	10th
220	Belser	Vista	:24.5	4T
	Young		:25.13	8th
440	Eastern	Crawford	:59.7	19th
	Fulton	Bonita Vista	:60.5	25th
880	Gerdes	Chula Vista	2:21.6	16th
	Proulx	El Cajon Valley	2:25.2	20th
MILE	Bohan	Madison	5:04.4	9th
	Flowers	Valhalla	5:04.7	11th
110 Hurdles	Alexander	Crawford	:14.8	10T
	Perkins	Helix	—	—
440 Relay		Crawford	:46.9	1st
		Morse	:48.2	4th
Mile Relay		Crawford	3:55.6	6th
		Bonita Vista	4:00.5	12th
High Jump	McNeal	Carlsbad	5-5	1T
	Stafford	Clairemont	5-2	14T
Long Jump	Lovelady	Crawford	19-1 ¼	2nd
	Wilford	Castle Park	18-8 ¼	8th
Shot Put	Nunn	Vista	38-4¾	18th
	McBride	Vista	36-2	20th
Discus	Herse	Patrick Henry	117-06	10th
	Belser	Vista	117-03	11th

6/4/77

59^th BOYS STATE TRACK FINALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Russell	Patrick Henry	:09.61	1st
220	Russell		:20.97w	1st
440	Stewart	San Diego	:48.77	6th
880	Krueger	Bonita Vista	1:59.7	9th
Two Miles	Perez	Kearny	9:10.7	8th
	Keller	Helix	9:33.1	18th
Mile Relay		Morse	3:16.4	6th
Long Jump	D. Williams	El Camino	22-9	8th
Triple Jump	D. Williams		51-0 ½	1st
Shot Put	Pole	El Capitan	58-4 ½	8th

6/4/77

4^th GIRLS STATE TRACK FINALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

EVENT	NAME	SCHOOL	MARK	PLACE
100	Young		:10.84w	5th
220	Belser	Vista	:24.67	5th
	Young		:25.54	9th
Mile	Flowers		4:55.7	3rd
Two Miles	Keller	Helix	10:44.6	3rd
	Crumly	Hilltop	—	—
440 Relay		Crawford	:46.14	1st
		Morse	:47.88	3rd
Mile Relay		Crawford	3:53.6	2nd
Discus	Dolsby	Monte Vista	117-05	9th
	Herse	Patrick Henry	112-11	10th

 

 

 

Dallas Evans , who passed away recently, was a star end on the 1953 San Diego High football  team, a sub 49-second quarter-miler at San Diego State, and a coach and teacher more  than 30 years in the South Bay area.

Dallas earned all-City Prep League honors on the 7-3 San Diego team that won the CPL championship.  Evans scored six touchdowns, tied for third on the team in scoring  to Horace Tucker’s 40, Ermon Johnson’s 38, and with Floyd Robinson’s 36.

The Hillers lost to Anaheim, 21-7, in the 1953 Southern Section playoffs.

The jovial Evans was head track coach at St. Augustine High in 1962, when the Saints featured James Moore, one of the San Diego Section’s top 440 runners, with a best time of :49.5.

Dallas coached many years with Ed Teagle at Mar Vista, which dominated Metropolitan League dual meet teams.

Brother Steve Evans, was a star on the Hoover basketball and baseball teams from 1955-57.

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/11/76

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/13/76

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

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

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

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

5/14/76

EASTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @CASTLE PARK

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

COAST LEAGUE FINALS, @ESCONDIDO

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

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

GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @MONTE VISTA

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

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

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

AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA

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

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

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

WESTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @MESA COLLEGE

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

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FINALS, @CARLSBAD

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

5/21/76

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/28/76

16^TH SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

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

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

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

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

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

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

Individual champions:

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

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

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

6/3/76

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

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

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

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

6/4/76

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

LEGENDARY COACH

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

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

5/11/76

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

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

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

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

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

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

5/12/76

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

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

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

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

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

5/13/76

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

5/14/76

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

5/17/76

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

5/18/76

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

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

5/19/76

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

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

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

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

5/21/76

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

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

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

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

STANDINGS

AVOCADO LEAGUE

                        LEAGUE                                                                                          OVERALL

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

EASTERN LEAGUE

                       LEAGUE                                                                                           OVERALL

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

WESTERN LEAGUE

                       LEAGUE                                                                                     OVERALL

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

OTHER LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS AND FINAL OVERALL RECORDS NOT PUBLISHED.

5/24/76

2-A PLAYOFFS

PLAY-IN ROUND

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

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

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

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

5/25/76

FIRST ROUND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1-A CHAMPIONSHIP

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

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

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

QUARTERFINALS

5/26/76

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

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

Crawford 4, Montgomery (18-8) 1.

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

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

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

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

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

5/28/76

SEMIFINALS

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHAMPIONSHIP

5/29/76

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

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

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

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

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

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

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