1980-81: Patrick Henry Preseason Favorite for Third Title, But…

Moments from the season:

11/29/80

Nine players returned to the defending champion and preseason No. 1 Patrick Henry Patriots, including 1979-’80 San Diego Section player-of-the-year Steve Brown, fellow all-CIF selection Billy Washington, and Tom Dobyns, son of a 1957-58 Hoover standout. Five players also moved up from a 19-2 junior varsity.

Coach Alan (Fritz) Ziegenfuss, offspring of long-time San Diego State mentor George (Ziggy) Ziegenfuss, started the program with a 2-23 record 13 seasons before, improved to 12-15 the next season, and then compiled a 215-80 record in the ‘seventies, won two San Diego Section championships, and, after an early setback this season, the Patriots picked up where they left off.

—Seventh-ranked Morse also was expected to contend, with graduates from a 19-3 JV squad and tall veterans Cedric Phillips (6-5), Zach Trueblood (6-8), Kevin Jennings (6-3), and Brian Ritchey (6-8).

Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury was football-basketball superstar.

12/09/80

Sean Salisbury scored 30 points as the also named Patriots from Orange Glen (4-1) defeated visiting Henry 71-65.  It would be Henry’s only loss in a 24-1 regular season.

Orange Glen, leading by one, pulled away with two free throws and a technical foul free throw in the last 18 seconds.  Henry stars Steve Brown and Billy Washington fouled out in the last two minutes.

—Sweetwater introduced another transfer, 6-foot, 6-inch Tyrone Miller—last year it was Darren Lee, who became the county’s leading scorer—who quickly fit in with 20 points, joining teammates Calvin Murrell, 23, Aaron Combs, 20, and Juan Aguirre, 20, in a 111-46 win over Montgomery.

ALABAMAN WOWS

—Ken Johnson, a 6-8 ½, 240-pound transfer from Montgomery, Alabama, made a memorable debut with La Jolla.

Johnson scored as many points, 37, as opponent Clairemont in the Vikings’ 61-37 victory. He was 18×27 from the field, added 14 rebounds, and blocked 8 shots.

Johnson had been ruled ineligible in Alabama and had to battle through San Diego Section red tape before being cleared to play.

12/12/80

Three days following the blowout by Sweetwater, Montgomery took it on chin again, from Marian, 99-35. Fallbrook also came close to the century, 99-62 over El Camino.

—Henry, with 29 points from Steve Brown, 20 from Tom Dobyns, and 19 from Billy Washington, walloped Hoover, 100-63.

—Serra outscored Crawford, 9-6, in a fourth overtime to win, 62-59.  The score was 40-40 at the end of regulation.

12/13/80

Johnson arrived from Alabama, became player of year, and took La Jolla to championship.

—New No. 1 Sweetwater kept Chula Vista (No. 7) at a distance and won a ragged, early Metropolitan League showdown, 76-67. Bonita Vista beat Coronado, 96-52. Fallbrook socked San Pasqual, 98-51.

—Ken Johnson scored 30 points, pulled 18 rebounds, and had 4 blocks, but La Jolla was shackled, 19-8, in the third quarter and bowed to Patrick Henry, 63-53.  The Vikings committed 14 turnovers, five in last 4 minutes of the third quarter.

Henry’s Steve Brown on Johnson to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune: “There are a lot of big men who can score, but he can do so much more. He’s got a nice, soft touch.  He’s really a load out there.”

12/19/80

Ken Johnson scored 46 points in La Jolla’s 81-65 win over Ontario Chaffey.

1/2/81

Los Angeles Verbum Dei trounced Morse, 77-50, and Torrey Pines, 74-47, in a two-game swing through San Diego.  Morse actually had battled back from a 35-22 deficit to take a 36-35 lead before the roof fell in.

1/6/81

Juan Aguirre’s 15-foot basket was enough to beat Marian, 59-58, and keep Sweetwater tied for first in the Metropolitan League with Bonita Vista, 93-45 winner over Montgomery.

1/7/81

A 17-point lead was evaporating in the third quarter when Morse went almost six minutes without scoring.  The Tigers regrouped and beat Kearny, 60-54.

1/9/81

El Capitan’s Robert Pearson was one of County’s leading scorers.

Patrick Henry trailed by five points at Morse with three minutes remaining, but the Patriots scored the next 10 points and stunned their host, 65-62. The Tigers’ Cedric Phillips led both teams with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

—John Elston’s two free throws with five seconds left appeared to bring Granite Hills home safe with a 54-53 lead over Monte Vista in the third overtime.  But a long, inbound pass to Mark Fielder and Fielder’s subsequent 18-foot fielder at the buzzer made for a 55-54 Monte Vista victory.

–Robert Pearson scored 41 points on 19×29 shooting and El Capitan retained its Grossmont League lead, 70-60 over Mount Miguel.

–Jim McBroom scored 37 points, but St. Augustine dropped a 90-59 decision to Hoover.

–Sweetwater outscored Southwest, 54-31, in the second half and moved to 8-0 in the Metropolitan loop and 14-1 overall with a 96-58 victory.

1/15/81

Ken Johnson scored 33 points and Craig Weiss 21, but visiting Serra surprised La Jolla, 72-65.

1/16/81

Sweetwater (15-1) struggled to its ninth consecutive Metropolitan League victory, 46-45, over patient, cautious Bonita Vista, which wondered what might have been.

With 43 seconds remaining, the Barons’ John Freeman followed a missed free throw by controlling the rebound and scoring a basket, followed by a converted free throw.

Not so fast.  Game officials, at least 10 seconds later, disallowed the free throw, saying Freeman stepped over the free throw line too soon.

The point that was taken away was enough for Sweetwater to avoid overtime and put the game away.

1/22/81

Alex Amaraz led with 22 points as Chula Vista slammed Montgomery, 101-59.

Somnambulance in the desert:  Calipatria outscored Holtville, 26-14.

Larry Irwin (left) and Jon Freeman control boards for Bonita Vista in 2-A playoff victory over Juan Aguirre and Sweetwater.

1/30/81

Fallbrook, among many teams to score in the high nineties, some more than once, topped Escondido, 95-57.

CIF BOSSES’ NARROW VISION

2/2/81

Commissioner Kendall (Spider) Webb announced the San Diego Section board of managers had declined an invitation to participate in the state championship tournament, which would inaugurate at the end of the 1981-82 season.

“They see no reason to extend the season,” Webb told writer Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.  “They feel the San Diego Section championship produces enough honor, recognition, and prestige.”

The issue was virtually ignored at a board of managers meeting, despite obvious financial benefit to the section, competition and “I-played-in-the-state-tournament” bragging opportunity for players.

“Who said we should consider it?  Just because every other section participates shouldn’t influence us,” said Robert Thomas, Fallbrook Union District honcho.  “Maybe the others ought to change to our way of thinking.”

“It would be humorous if he wasn’t serious,” writer Steve Brand said of Thomas’ remarks.

2/3/81

Henry nipped Morse, 67-64, in two overtimes and the stars were out.  Morse’s Cedric Phillips scored 35 points and Henry’s Steve Brown 31.

The Patriots’ Tom Dobyns’ 4 free throws in the last 35 seconds were the difference, including two in final three seconds after Dobyns was fouled following his steal.

2/6/81

Ken Johnson scored 38 points in La Jolla’s 96-61 win over St. Augustine. San Marcos defeated Carlsbad, 96-83, as Willie Dudley (29), Kevin Feddock (26), and Chuck Panos (22) offset a 36-point effort by the Lancers’ Sid Mack.

IN TROUBLE, CALL KEN

2/10/81

Ken Johnson had 21 points in three quarters but was only 10×23 from the field and Serra was pressing, 44-43. Johnson scored 16 points in the last eight minutes including the Vikings’ final 12 for 37 total and delivered a 62-56 victory over La Jolla’s closest Western League challenger.

—San Diego’s Robert Moore made a run at Oscar Foster’s single-game scoring record with 37 points in the Cavers’ 75-69 win over University.  Foster scored 41 points in the 1966-67 season.

—Sid Mack rescued Carlsbad with a basket in the final two seconds as the Lancers nipped San Pasqual, 79-

Ken Johnson, on offense against Lincoln,, set a La Jolla Vikings record with 46 points in one game.

77.

—Sean Salisbury’s put-back with six seconds left punctuated a 25-point effort as the Patriots edged Fallbrook, 54-51.

—Julian took it out on Cal Lutheran, 108-79, as all 12 Eagles scored from 5 to 18 points.

2/17/81

AZTECS RISE

Montgomery, 0-20, got off to a 20-6 lead over unsuspecting Coronado, was outscored, 25-12, in the middle two quarters, but stayed even with the 5-14 Islanders in a 13-13 fourth to experience the thrill of victory, 45-44.

2/19/81

San Marcos, trailing, 59-46, after three quarters, gathered itself with 26 points in the fourth quarter to nudge San Pasqual, 73-72.

2/20/81

Visiting Bonita Vista tied Sweetwater for the Metropolitan circuit championship with a 60-55 victory on the final night of the regular season and after a league grind of 18 games, each finishing 16-2.  The teams were even at the end of each quarter except the third, when the Barons created a 44-39 advantage.

SCORING LEADERS

NAME TEAM GAMES POINTS AVERAGE
Ken Johnson La Jolla 24 694 28.91 (1)
Sean Salisbury Orange Glen 26 663 25.5 (2)
Bob Capener Torrey Pines 25 616 24.6 (4)
Tony Reuss Christian 22 544 24.7 (3)
Jim McBroom St. Augustine 24 527 22.0 (5)
Steve Brown Patrick Henry 26 505 19.4 (9)
Mitchell Carlsbad 26 500 19.23 (10)
Clifford Johnson Serra 26 478 18.4
Cedric Phillips Morse 28 474 17.6
Mike Dabasinkas San Pasqual 22 473 21.5 (6)
Greg Lanthier Mt. Carmel 25 471 18.8
Billy Washington Patrick Henry 28 468 16.7
Robert Pearson El Capitan 23 465 21.1 (7)
Norman Baker San Diego 24 455 19.0
Louie Gonzalez Chula Vista 24 444 18.5
Paul Nelson Marian 26 440 16.9
Jon Freeman Bonita Vista 28 433 15.5
Eric Sams Crawford 24 427 17.8
Aaron Combs Sweetwater 24 427 17.8
Willie Dudley San Marcos 24 426 17.75
Todd Iseminger Grossmont 22 422 19.18
James Wilson El Camino 23 418 18.2
Lyle Bourke Mar Vista 24 418 17.4
Robert Hayes Mission Bay 20 404 20.2 (8)
Thompson Madison 22 400 18.2
Tyrone Miller Sweetwater 23 399 17.3
Eddie Anselmo Oceanside 24 399 16.6

                                                                                                                              

Henry’s Billy Washington averaged almost 17 points a game.

PLAYOFFS   

3-A

QUARTERFINALS

Patrick Henry 71, Santana 55 (16-9).

The Patriots moved to 25-1 as Steve Brown scored 30 points.

Morse 40, Vista 34 (21-5).

Second in the final Evening Tribune Top 10, Morse outlasted the ball control offense of the third-ranked Panthers.

Mt. Carmel 76, El Capitan 74 (16-9).

Sundevils held off Vaqueros and Robert Pearson, who scored 34.

Orange Glen 61, Monte Vista 43 (19-7).

Bound for USC on a football scholarship, Sean Salisbury impressed visiting Trojans basketball coach Stan Morrison with a 24-point effort.

La Jolla’s Ken Johnson blocked shot of Sweetwater’s Tyrone Miller in 2-A playoff.

 

2-A

La Jolla 56, Sweetwater 52, 2 OT (24-4).

“I see no reason to change that opinion just because we won,” said straight talking Rick Eveleth, the La Jolla coach who had insisted all season that Sweetwater was the County’s most talented team.

Bonita Vista 61, Carlsbad 51 (13-13).

The game was delayed for at least an hour when it was discovered, just before the tip, that Bonita Vista’s home uniforms were the same shade of gold as Carlsbad’s road uniforms. A frantic scurrying to the home of Bonita Vista players dredged up enough dark blue road jerseys and the game went on, according to Bud Maloney of the Evening Tribune.

Serra 67, San Marcos 48 (11-13).

Oceanside 67, San Diego 61 (14-10)

1-A

Francis Parker 80, La Jolla Country Day 62.

Army-Navy 58, Santa Fe Christian 41.

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Patrick Henry 61, Mt. Carmel 56 (18-9).

Mt. Carmel purposely fouled Art Jackson, a 6-7, 225-pound center in the game for defense and rebounding.  Jackson missed both free throws and the Sundevils went after Jackson again with 51 seconds remaining and trailing, 55-54.  Jackson converted twice and the Patriots got four more points on free throws from Steve Brown and Tom Dobyns to escape.

Morse 62, Orange Glen 50 (20-6).

A good city team still was superior to a good North County squad.

2-A

La Jolla 50, Oceanside 43 (20-4).

Bonita Vista 49, Serra 48 (19-8).

By defeating Sweetwater in the league final to tie for the Metro championship the Barons were chosen by the league be its top seed in the postseason, a decision met with controversy and considered by some to be a shot at Sweetwater and its proclivity for attracting transfers.

Bonita lived up to its side of the bargain.  “You can say (the vote) was controversial, but I think my players have proved they deserve to be in the final,” said coach John Grande.

Steve Brown, maneuvering around Morse’s Kevin Jennings, was Patriots star for three seasons.

CHAMPIONSHIP

3-A

Morse 52 (23-5), Patrick Henry 50 (26-2).

After two great battles during the season, one a come-from-behind, 65-62 Patrick Henry victory, the other a 67-64 Henry win in two overtimes, the Morse Tigers got some redemption.

Rodney Flowers launched a 20-foot shot with six seconds left, after a Kevin Jennings steal and Morse timeout at 1:37.  Morse played for the final attempt and Flowers blossomed.

Morse had won its last five Eastern League games to reach the playoffs and ended the season on an eight-game winning streak.

2-A

La Jolla 69 (21-3), Bonita Vista 61 (21-7).La Jolla qualified for its first championship game since the 29-1 1963-64 team, featuring present coach Rick Eveleth, lost to Helix, 76-56. Ken Johnson scored 34 points, retrieved eight rebounds, and blocked 11 shots before 6,770 persons at the Sports Arena.

1-A

Francis Parker 73 (21-2), Calipatria 57 (18-5).

The Lancers rolled with their 1-2 punch of Ted Davis (28 points) and George Smith (16). Parker’s third championship in its sixth consecutive trip to the finals was over newcomer Calipatria, which joined the San Diego Section this year with Imperial Valley neighbors Holtville, Winterhaven San Pasqual, and Imperial.

CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENTS

MT. HELIX

Helix 55, Kearny 46.

–Sweetwater versus Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, which featured 6-foot, 6-inch Nigel Miguel, the preseason state player of the year, was the headliner.

The game turned on a 15-foot jump shot by Tyrone Miller with 3:20 remaining in the Red Devils’ come-from-behind, 46-45 victory, sealed only after a harrowing finish of missed shots and free throws for the loser.

Notre Dame led, 27-20, at halftime.  Miguel had 27 points. Six-foot, eight-inch Aaron Combs had 18 for Sweetwater.

HILLTOP JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Chula Vista 58, Hilltop 52.

FRANCIS PARKER

Francis Parker 61, La Jolla Country Day 32.

GROSSMONT-MONTE VISTA

Monte Vista 52, Crawford 36.

SAN DIMAS

Morse defeated LaVerne Damien, 66-58, for the seeded division championship. Cedric Phillips of Morse was the division most-valuable player with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game.

JIM MITCHELL MEMORIAL

Orange Glen 82, San Clemente 69.

The Patriots’ Sean Salisbury scored 40.

KIWANIS

The 34th annual event started before Christmas on Dec. 23, broke for two days, and resumed Dec. 26.  Patrick Henry, behind Steve Brown’s 21 points, overcame turnovers on its first six possessions to win the 16-team, Unlimited Division, 56-54, over Helix.

Kiwanis Tournament game between Chula Vista and Fallbrook attracted only friends, relatives, and a few curious bystanders.

–“We played too well in the first half,” said Rick Eveleth of La Jolla’s 69-61 win over Chula Vista in the 16-team Limited Division. The Vikings led, 41-29, after two quarters.  The coach thought that was the reason the Vikings “got away from our game” in the second half.

More blowouts: Helix whipped Montgomery, 95-48; Morse clouted Grossmont, 99-62, and Fallbrook defeated Southwest, 96-57.

–Morse fell behind Mt. Carmel, 24-8, and 46-28, then rallied with a 28-14 fourth quarter, but the Sundevils held on for 78-74 victory  in the second round.

–Scott Ogden’s last-second shot moved Vista past San Diego, 37-35.  The Cavers led, 35-34, with 14 seconds left, but Norman Baker was given a technical foul and ejected for biting the Panthers’ Bob Ike during a scramble for the ball.

25TH PUNAHOU TOURNAMENT

After raising $45,000 for the trip, top-seed Sweetwater, the only mainland team at the Honolulu classic, defeated James Castle High of Kaneohe, Oahu, in the first round, 81-74, and gained the finals with a 68-59 win over Honolulu Radford.  University High of Honolulu outpointed the Red Devils, 64-54, in the final.

CARPINTERIA

San Marcos opened with an 85-56 triumph over Ventura St. Bonaventure but was beaten by host Carpinteria, 89-58, and then dropped a 58-55 decision to North Hills Los Angeles Baptist for third place.

CHINO

Escondido won its opener, 79-76 over Pomona Garey but lost in the semifinals to Montclair, 60-55 and to Temple City, 61-55, for fifth place.  San Pasqual lost to Pomona Ganesha, 68-53, and to Cerritos, 64-54.  Coronado packed it in after losses of 51-35  to Chino Don Antonio Lugo and 55-48 to Upland.

BARON-OPTIMIST

15 teams entered the 11th annual, including a squad of American players from Taipei, Taiwan.

Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 114-46 over Montgomery, set a one-quarter record of 39 and tied the 1971 game record of Bonita Vista’s 114.  Westminster La Quinta beat Ramona, 104-34.  Madison beat Taipei, 110-20.

–Capistrano Valley topped San Clemente, 69-60, for the championship in matchup of South Coast League opponents from Orange County.

SANTANA

Patrick Henry, without Steve Brown, out with an ankle injury, defeated the host school, 71-58, in the semifinals and then, with Brown scoring 17 and Billy Washington 18, knocked off Mt. Carmel, 59-50, for the title.

POINT LOMA

Point Loma defeated El Cajon Valley, 99-55, and Mission Bay topped Mar Vista, 68-62.  The Pointers then beat Mission Bay for the championship.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM OPPONENT SCORE
Sweetwater Montgomery 130-51
Sweetwater Montgomery 111-46
Madison American Taipei 110-20
Julian Cal Lutheran 108-79
Chula Vista Montgomery 101-59
Patrick Henry Hoover 100-63

 JUMP SHOTS:  Ken Johnson played collegiately at USC and Michigan State…he was the  28th player selected, in the second round, in the 1985 NBA draft, and was with the Portland Trail Blazers for two seasons, averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds…Johnson’s 28.91  season average had been surpassed only by Madison’s Mitchell Lilly, 31.9 in 1976-77, and Helix’ Bill Walton, 29.1, in 1969-70…Johnson passed Bonita Vista’s Paul Halupa, who averaged 28.72 in 1968-69…Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury, a Parade all-America in football, stuck to the gridiron at USC and played quarterback with five NFL teams from 1986-96 and was quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup championship squad in 1988…Salisbury later went into radio and television and hosted a national show and appeared in motion pictures….




1980-81: Twenty-Six Seconds Took Five Minutes

Referees’ whistles echoed throughout the Bonita Vista gymnasium.

From a 1/14/81 account of a Metropolitan League game by Linda Murphy of The San Diego Union:

Seven-foot, one-inch Bonita Vista center Larry Irwin was fouled by Chula Vista’s Louie Romero as Irvin went up for a rebound.  Bonita Vista led, 65-61, with 26 seconds remaining in the game but the unranked Barons had seen a 13-point, third-quarter lead shrink against the No. 6 Spartans.

The foul was Romero’s fifth but he also picked up a technical foul for beefing too loudly to the game official.  Irwin converted both ends of the one-and-one and Jon Freeman drained the technical free throw. Bonita Vista led, 68-61.

Twenty-six seconds still remained.

Chula Vista’s Terry Fields almost immediately was assessed a technical foul for guarding too closely when Bonita attempted to inbound the ball following the free throws.

Fields picked up another technical when he “bounced the ball in the direction of the official”.

The clock did not move.

Jon Freeman then converted a free throw for the first technical and then made two more for the second technical.  Bonita’s lead was 71-61.

There still were 26 seconds remaining.

The clock began to run with the Barons riding out the final ticks.

A referee’s whistle tooted again.

Freeman, who took game scoring honors with 25 points, including 13 from the free-throw line, added two more points following a late, intentional foul.

Final score, Bonita Vista (11-4) 73, Chula Vista (11-3) 61.

 




1979-80: Three-Division Realignment Okay, But…

The San Diego Section’s decision this school year to realign into three divisions, 3-A, 2-A, 1-A, based on enrollment and breaking from the 19-year, large school-small school arrangement, seemed like a good idea, but allocation of playoff berths left some good teams holding a bag of basketballs.

The 3-A group included teams from the Eastern, Palomar, and Grossmont Leagues.  Metropolitan, Avocado, and Western League teams were 2-A.  The 1-A setup was of the two-division Southern Prep loop.

A playoff season of 16 teams, the rule since the 24-team, one-week playoff was abandoned after the 1974-75 season, took place over 10 days.

The Eastern, Grossmont, Avocado, and Metropolitan leagues each received three playoff invitations.  The Western and Palomar leagues received two.

So Orange Glen, with a 21-4 record and, at one point the No. 1 team in the County with a 15-0 record, was out after tying for second place in the Palomar with Torrey Pines and losing a vote for a playoff invitation to the Falcons.

And Hoover, 20-5 overall and third in the Western League, needed to buy a ticket to get to the postseason.

Haupt, older brother of future star and coach Mike Haupt, established traditiion at Mira Mesa.

Not to mention Madison, fourth in the Eastern but possessing a record of 19-7.

Teams from leagues with 3 playoff qualifiers, such as Santana, 15-9, Hilltop, 16-10, and Kearny, 15-10, were in.

The Metropolitan broke a tie for third with a playoff, Hilltop advancing over Marian, 49-43. The Avocado insisted on a playoff to determine playoff seeding, Oceanside defeating Carlsbad, 65-52.

The biggest loser was Orange Glen, which was voted out despite equaling Torrey Pines’ 8-4 league record.  That the Patriots had lost leading scorer Sean Salisbury for the last six games with an ankle injury may have played into the Palomar’s vote.

A 16-team playoff was more tidy and efficient than the 24-team setup five seasons before, but tell that to Orange Glen and Hoover…and Madison.

A few moments from almost 700 games, early December through early March:

12/2/79

Brian Caradonna scored 33 points, including 11×11 free throws as Santana got the season underway with a 73-48 victory over St. Augustine.

Four-year starter Tommy Williams, moving up among career leaders, posted 35 for Serra in an 84-50 win over Granite Hills. Williams would finish with 1,843 over four seasons, second to the 1,982 of Bonita Vista’s Paul Halupa, who negotiated the record in three seasons.

12/9/79

Mt. Carmel rolled on El Camino, 116-48, and moved into a tie for 10th place all time for highest single-game points.  The Sundevils led, 45-19, at the half, smelled blood in the water, and scored 71 points in the second half, finishing with a 37-12, fourth-quarter flourish. Twelve Sundevils got on the scoreboard.

Thirteen Chula Vista players scored and the Spartans opened with a 30-1 first quarter in a 101-43 victory over Mar Vista.

12/13/79

Grossmont was assessed a technical foul for using too many time outs, resulting in a tech free throw by Brian Caradonna after Pat Gaffney’s two FT’s, all in the last minute of a 39-36 Santana victory.

12/17/79

Fallbrook trailed, 61-56, with 22 seconds to play, then forced three San Pasqual turnovers that led to four points and then a steal and layup by Joe Silva with two seconds left pushed the Warriors past the Eagles, 62-61.

12/20/79

Brian Carradona was 17×18 at the free throw line and scored 25 points in Santana’s 54-47 win over Mount Miguel.

1/11/80

Diego Smith, all of 5 feet, according to Steve Brand of The San Diego Union, scored 20 points on 4 field goals and 12×14 FT’s for Morse in a 56-52 win over Kearny.

Tommy Williams was his father’s best player at Serra.

1/14/80

Leading, 50-37, at the end of three quarters, San Marcos couldn’t handle a full-court press, turned the ball over 14 times in the 4th quarter, and lost to Escondido, 61-60.  Ron Rackley’s two free throws with 10 seconds left secured for the Cougars.

Sean Salisbury scored 30 points and Orange Glen, lagging, 10-7, after one quarter, outscored Fallbrook 68-40 in the next three to win, 78-40 for its 15th straight without defeat. Twenty-eight of Salisbury’s points came in the last three quarters.

Five days after fouling out and scoring six points, Morse’s Tony Rasheed got 16 of his 20 in the second half and buried a 15-footer with 4 seconds remaining to edge Madison, 68-66.

1/18/80

Alonzo Robinson  scored 30 points, all on 15 field goals, in Carlsbad’s 84-72 win versus El Camino.

1/22/80

Orange Glen lost its first game, 77-61 as Torrey Pines shot 52 per cent from the field and 84 per cent from the free-throw line.  Torrey outscored the Patriots, 63-41, in the last 24 minutes.

1/25/80

Officials ruled a jump ball after a struggle for possession under the basket between Mt. Carmel’s Andy Jedynak and Orange Glen’s Mark Weinberg.

Weinberg won the jump, tipping the ball to midcourt, where the Patriots’ Sean Salisbury retrieved and fired a wild shot that caromed off the basket.  Game over. Mt. Carmel won, 65-64.

Orange Glen, now 15-2, tumbled to fourth in the weekly poll.  Mt. Carmel moved to 6-0 in the Palomar League and 12-4 overall.  Patrick Henry, Sweetwater, and Monte Vista were 1-2-3.

1/28/80

Three North County clubs led in scoring:  Mt. Carmel, 74.5; Torrey, Pines, 73.6, and Orange Glen, 71.4.

1/29/80

Basketball science:  “When other players are taller you have to think position,” Crawford’s 6-foot, 3-inch center Jaffa Solomon told Steve Brand.  “If you get position by screening out, you can outrebound the bigger player.”  Hoover’s 6-5 Loren Goodwin and 6-4 Dan Wiedenhoff served as examples.  Solomon led Crawford to a 55-47 victory with 22 points and 17 rebounds.

Crawford’s Jaffa Solomon had right idea toward rebounding, as he pulls down carom in Colts’ win over Hoover.

Chula Vista’s John Heller was 7×7 from the field in fourth quarter and scored all of his 16 points in an 86-67 win over Montgomery.

2/1/80

5-9 sophomore Blake Armbrust’s first start was almost memorable.  He led all starters with 23 points but Hilltop lost to Chula Vista, 68-67.

Madison coach John Hannon’s earned his 300th victory in 18 prep seasons with a 70-56 victory over Point Loma.  Hannon opened the Madison program in 1962-63.

Serra was 17×21 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and outscored Crawford, 27-7, from line in a 61-53 victory. Tommy Williams had 12 charity points and 16 points total, all in the fourth quarter.

2/5/80

Tommy Williams became the eighth player to score at least 50 points in Serra’s 75-55 win over St. Augustine.  Williams was 20×23 from the field and 10×12 from the line.

Fifty points in a game:

SEASON NAME TEAM OPPONENT POINTS SCORE
1976-77 Mitchell Lilly Madison San Diego 61 117-80
1957-58 Tom Shaules St. Augustine Crawford 60 102-38
1968-69 Rob Petrie Julian Mountain Empire 60 115-76
1957-58 Shaules La Jolla 53 105-34
1967-68 Todd Harper Santana Granite Hills 53 90-62
1973-74 Dave (Score) Moore San Marcos Imperial 51 78-42
1969-70 Bill Walton Helix Pasadena 50 110-68
1976-77 Lilly Torrey Pines 50 86-75
1978-79 Michael Pitts Sweetwater Hilltop 50 90-64
1979-80 Tommy Williams Serra St. Augustine 50 75-55

Darren Lee led Sweetwater and County in scoring.

2/8/80

Darren Lee, a transfer from Point Loma, converted 20 of 27 shots from the field and scored 45 in Sweetwater’s 85-75 triumph against Chula Vista.

2/11/80

Steve Brand wrote of two major injuries that cut short seasons.  University’s 6-foot-9 Hans Wichary, the County’s scoring leader with a 26.5 average, was out with a fractured wrist, and Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury was sidelined with stretched ankle ligaments.

Patrick Henry’s Steve Brown, son of a former San Diego State player and civil rights leader in San Diego, missed five games with mononucleosis.  Brown, who averaged 16.2 points, came back to help Henry win the 3-A title.

2/13/80

Torrey Pines and Mt. Carmel were in a flatfooted tie, 66-66, in the final 3 quarters, but the Sundevils’ 23-7 first quarter was the difference in an 89-73 win. Torrey, trailing, 39-13, with 4:08 left in the half, made a run, outscoring Mt. Carmel, 27-10, to trail, 49-40, with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

San Dieguito’s Keith Kartz, Carlsbad’s Glen Kozlowski, Hilltop’s Bryan Wagner, and Orange Glen’s Sean Salisbury, basketball players all, went on to play in the National Football League.

2/15/80

Marian ended Sweetwater’s 15-game Metropolitan League winning streak, 69-66, in double overtime. The Crusaders’ Gregg Welch scored five free therows in the second extra session.

2/22/80

Vista’s Bud Larsen dunked in pregame warmups and was assessed a technical foul.  Orange Glen’s Russ Riley  scored the first of his 21 points with a technical free throw before the game started.  Orange Glen won, 77-63.

Lincoln’s Tommy Mitchell splits Sweetwater’s Aaron Combs and Juan Aguirre and gets pass to Billy Johnson (15) in Section semifinal.

PLAYOFFS

QUARTERFINALS

3-A

Mt. Carmel, 56, Kearny 53 (15-11). Palomar champs Sundevils made it 2 out of 3 over Kearny after trailing by six in fourth quarter.

Monte Vista 75, Torrey Pines 54 (17-9).  Falcons were averaging 72.6 points.

Morse 57, Helix 52, OT (18-8). Tony Rasheed scored 22 points, including pivotal, three-point play in overtime.

Patrick Henry 68, Santana 40 (15-10).

2-A

Lincoln 76, Hilltop 70 (17-11). Jared Stutts (23) and Billy Johnson (21) led the Hive.

Crawford 54, San Pasqual 48 (14-8). Colts twice made both ends of 1×1 free throws and were 10×12 from the line in the final quarter.

Sweetwater 92, Carlsbad 82 (14-10). Red Devils, leading 65-43, at one point, strolled behind Darren Lee’s 35 points and sophomore Aaron Combs’ 28 rebounds.

Oceanside 59, Bonita Vista 48 (17-6).

SEMIFINALS

3-A

Morse 57, Mt. Carmel 56 (20-5). Morse’s five-foot-six Dale Fox buried a 25-footer with 4 seconds left.

Patrick Henry 52, Monte Vista 37 (24-4). Patriots recovered from Kiwanis Tournament championship loss to Monarchs.

2-A

Sweetwater 47, Crawford 45 (21-7). Darren Lee’s 14-foot basket with 4 seconds remaining moved Red Devils past pesky Colts.

Lincoln 69, Oceanside 60 (16-6). Jared Stutts’ 22 points and 17 rebounds were key as Hornets made 29-11 run that overcame 18-4 Pirates burst that had Lincoln trailing, 49-40.

Patrick Henry’s Billy Washington dribbles around Morse’s Dan West and Tony Jackson (4) in 3-A championship.

1-A

Parker 55. Julian 49.

Army-Navy 54, Borrego Springs 37.

FINALS

3-A

Patrick Henry (25-3) 70, Morse 63 (17-7). Patriots evened season series at 2 wins apiece with help from Morse coach Ron Davis, hit with two technicals after a Tigers foul when trailing, 58-56, with 1:49 remaining.  Free throws by Ernie Wright, Jr., and Steve Brown pushed Henry’s lead to four and then Wright, son of a former Chargers standout, added two technical free throws for a 62-56 advantage.

Morse had momentum, coming from 13 points down in the final quarter until Davis was whistled.  Henry drained 16 free throws in the last eight minutes and was 22×36 in the game.  Morse was 13×22 and played the last 6:27 without Tony Rasheed, who fouled out with 23 points and seven rebounds.

2-A

Sweetwater 68 (25-3), Lincoln 62 (17-9). Red Devils won first title and climaxed a three-year, 73-15 run.

1-A

Army-Navy (15-4) 30, Francis Parker 27 (16-10)  Warriors played without injured high scorer Ernie Bond but held Parker, which made its fifth straight trip to finals, to seven points in second half.

TOURNAMENTS

Mt. Helix:  Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 66, Santana 40. Brian Caradonna scored 23 for Sultans.

Hilltop:  Hoover 48, Mt. Miguel 33.  Cardinals’ 20-9 fourth quarter dispatched Matadors.

Francis Parker:  Cal Lutheran was scoreless in first and 4th quarters, beaten by Parker, 69-7 in opener.  Lancers went on to claim title in own event, 40-31 over Army-Navy.

Orange Glen’s Mike Wilkinson tips in basket over Burbank Burroughs defenders.

Jimmy Mitchell:  Mark Lebsock’s basket with 15 seconds left gave Orange Glen (12-0) a 67-66 win over Burbank Burroughs.

POST-CHRISTMAS

Kiwanis—The 33rd event, 32 teams in Unlimited and Limited Divisions, moved to after Christmas for the first time.  Morse’s Tony Rasheed’s 40 points helped the Tigers knock off unbeaten Mt. Carmel, 86-68. Monte Vista won Unlimited, 53-46, over Henry.  Hoover beat Chula Vista, 56-55 in overtime, for Limited.

 Chino—Coronado got to the semifinals in 38th tournament, which began in 1939-40 and featured San Diego-area teams every year since. Islanders lost to Pomona, 48-42. Escondido lost 2 games but San Pasqual got to consolation semifinals before losing to Bonita, 76-74, in overtime.  Coronado won third place, 69-54 over Pomona Ganesha.

Carpinteria—San Marcos opened with a 70-55 win over Ventura St. Bonaventure but lost in  the semifinals, 72-50, to Santa Ynez.

Santana—Patrick Henry 57, Sweetwater 55. Steve Brown’s two free throws with 5 seconds left was difference.

Baron-Optimist—Madison outscored Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 50-14, during a span of 14:34 from the second to the fourth quarter and won the championship, 73-48.

Point Loma Classic—Mission Bay 32, Point Loma 29.

Scoring leaders:

NAME TEAM GAMES POINTS AVERAGE
Darren Lee Sweetwater 28 600 21.4 (3)
Tommy Williams Serra 25 553 22.1 (2)
Steve Haupt Mira Mesa 25 512 20.5 (4)
Bob Capener Torrey Pines 26 512 19.7 (6)
Kevin Nelson Poway 25 483 19.3 (9)
Bob March Hilltop 25 462 17.1
Brian Caradonna Santana 24 449 18.7 (10)
Jim Eischen St. Augustine 23 447 19.43 (7)
Tony Rasheed Morse 23 446 19.39 (8)
Ray Floyd Madison 26 443 17.0
Hans Wichary University 16 424 26.5 (1)
Alonzo Robinson Carlsbad 25 424 17.0
Ray Hill Valhalla 24 417 17.4
Larry Anderson Torrey Pines 26 414 15.9
Eric Erickson La Jolla 24 394 16.4
Steve Leisingring Granite Hills 25 393 15.
Sean Salisbury Orange Glen 19 390 20.1 (5)
Billy Johnson Lincoln 22 388 17.6
Billy Beane Mt. Carmel 25 386 15.4

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Kerrville High defeated South San West, 55-51, in a 10-overtime game featuring a pair of Texas squads.  The first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth overtimes were scoreless.  The teams deadlocked at 43 in regulation and at 49 after the fifth overtime.

CENTURY CLUB

TEAM OPPONENT SCORE
Mt. Carmel El Camino 116-48
Sweetwater Mar Vista 112-58
Sweetwater Mar Vista 105-57
Chula Vista Mar Vista 101-43

 




1978-79: L.A. Teams Still Kings, But So is Kearny

The best of San Diego almost always does not measure up to the best of Southern California.

It’s the law of geography and population.

There were a little less than 2 million persons in the County this year, compared with more than 8 million in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and most of Los Angeles County, which comprise the bulk of entries from the Southern Section, against which teams from the landlocked border city always have been compared.

The comparison was stark this season.

Morse coach Davis relied on Cliff Levingston and his Tigers teammates.

Morse coach Ron Davis, bulwarked by three starters from a 26-4 team in 1977-78, including 6-foot, 8-inch Cliff Levingston, a consensus, preseason all-America, may have thought he had a club that would match up with the strong teams from the North.

Morse entered the powerhouse San Dimas tournament days before the mid-December Kiwanis tournament and scored a date with Los Angeles Verbum Dei two days before Christmas at Mesa College.

“If we’re playing for the championship Saturday we’ll keep our top eight kids…and send the remainder down to play in the opener of the Kiwanis Tournament,” Davis told writer Steve Brand before the Tigers took on Pasadena in the San Dimas opener.

Davis probably was answering a “what if” question from Brand, but his response seemed to indicate that the coach liked his chances.

Morse was quickly consigned to the consolation bracket, a 91-69 loser to Pasadena.  They came home in time for all hands  on board for the Kiwanis after the Tigers were beaten the next day by Downey, 67-48.

A turnout of more than 1,500 at the height of the Christmas shopping period saw Davis’ team strive against  Verbum Dei, trailing by seven at halftime but falling back and losing, 63-47.

At least the Tigers had played against the very best from the L.A. area.

Verbum Dei whipped Long Beach Poly, 67-54, for the Southern Section 4-A playoff championship and finished 28-1. Downey, 26-2, was the 3-A champion.  Pasadena, the two-time defending 4-A titlist, was 22-4 but eliminated in the 4-A quarterfinals.

WE’RE NO. 1

Morse, followed by Sweetwater, Kearny Helix, and Lincoln comprised the top five in the preseason The San Diego Union poll, but there was no doubt among the voters.  Morse had 96 points, Sweetwater 94, with Kearny back at 67, Helix at 60, and Lincoln at 48.

Things changed at the finish line.

It wasn’t Morse or Sweetwater standing on the mountain top after the 16-team playoff that was more than one week but less than two weeks (10 days).

Kearny, seeded fourth, made its way through the rounds and upset top-seeded Sweetwater, 57-50, in the finals.  No. 1 Sweetwater had beaten No. 2 Morse, 48-46, in a semifinals contest that was billed as being “for the championship”.

The win over the Morse, on 6-foot, 11 ½ Michael Pitts’ 18-foot jump shot with one second remaining,  gave the Red Devils a 2-1 edge in a competitive season series with the Tigers.

The National City club defeated the Skyline District crew, 51-50, in the Kiwanis Tournament final and Morse prevailed a few weeks later, 62-51, in a Saturday evening game at Southwestern College.

Kearny’s title was its second in four seasons under coach Tim Short and the third of the decade, following the undefeated 1973-74 squad coached by Wayne Colborne. “This,” said Short, “was more satisfying than the (1975-76) victory.  That year we were expected to win.  I didn’t have the slightest idea (this year) we would go this far.”

TALL LEGACY

Pitts, whose quick first step and turnaround jump shot was almost unstoppable and who was named San Diego Section player of the year, scored 878 points, second highest in County history to Bill Walton’s 958, and his 28.1 average was fourth behind Mitchell Lilly’s 31.9, Walton’s 29.1, and Paul Halupa’s 28.7.

Pitts also became the seventh player to score at least 50 points in a game, negotiating that figure in a 90-64, playoff victory over Hilltop.

Pitts originally broke Jim Finnerty’s school record of 37 in 1964-65 by scoring 40 points against Elk Grove in the Rancho Cordova tournament near Sacramento, and then 42 points in a 72-59 win over Hilltop, and 46 in a 90-58 win over Marian.

Pitts was honored graduate after playing four years at California-Berkeley.

Pitts was selected in the seventh round of the 1984 National Basketball Association draft by the San Antonio Spurs after four seasons at the University of California at Berkeley.  He spent two preseasons with the Spurs and then three seasons with professional teams in France and Spain.

In 2016 his alma mater selected Pitts for the Pete Newell award, named after the legendary Bears coach and honoring a former basketball player who distinguished himself with career success.

Pitts worked three decades helping troubled youth and was superintendent of a 100-bed facility for delinquent, adolescent youngsters in nearby Contra Costa County.

Levingston (right) was Michael Jordan’s teammate on championship Chicago Bulls teams.

Sweetwater retired Pitts’ jersey number 44 in 2011.

NBA BOUND

Levingston played three seasons for a nationally ranked Wichita State program and the school retired his No. 54 jersey.

The product of San Diego’s Skyline District was Detroit’s first choice and the ninth player taken in the 1982 NBA draft.

Levingston played 11 years with three teams in the NBA, earning two championship rings with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.  He finished a 13-season professional career with a team from Greece in the European League.

Levingston was an assistant coach for one season with the Harlem Globetrotters, sandwiched around several years as a head coach of multiple teams in Midwest professional leagues.

Season leading scorers:

NAME TEAM GAMES POINTS AVERAGE
Michael Pitts Sweetwater 31 876 28.3 (1)
Ron Edwards Lincoln 28 627 22.4 (2)
Jerome Weatherspoon Mount Miguel 27 570 21.1 (3)
Tom Adema St. Augustine 27 563 20.9 (4)
Dan Frahm San Marcos 27 553 20.5 (5)
Joe Scheuer El Capitan 27 540 20.0 (6)
Nick Cucinella San Pasqual 27 536 19.9 (7)
Hans Wichary University 27 536 19.9 (7)
Mike Rebelo Serra 27 527 19.5 (9)
Cliff Levingston Morse 29 526 18.1
Sean Salisbury Orange Glen 28 498 17.8
Bill Burgess Valhalla 26 477 18.3 (10)
Steve Haupt Mira Mesa 28 473 16.9
Ray Floyd Madison 27 453 16.8
Mike Wills Helix 25 450 18.0
Dave Freeman Bonita Vista 25 450 18.0
Ed Rigney Fallbrook 25 448 17.9
Tommy Williams Serra 27 447 16.6
Paul Huyser Monte Vista 27 438 16.2
Joe Smalls Mount Miguel 27 432 16.0
Brad DeGroote Point Loma 26 428 16.5
Keith Wilson Southwest 25 426 17.0
Bob March Hilltop 26 421 16.2

Antoine (Ace) Eason, Oceanside, scored 409 points, averaged 16.9.  Christian’s Greg Ward averaged 20 points.

SWEET SUCCESS

Gary Zarecky was halfway through his long tenure as coach at Sweetwater, where he lifted the Red Devils from the depths, beginning with a 6-19 record in 1972-73 followed by a deep dive to 1-23, after which his program began to rise, 11-15 in 1974-75, followed by 19-12, 15-12, 21-8, and this season’s 27-4.

CLOCK STRIKES…?

There was a question whether Hoover had enough time left in the game to launch a shot after Lincoln’s James Brown went up through a crowd to dunk and give Lincoln a 45-43 lead.

No one knew the answer.

There wasn’t any time showing on Hoover’s 1950s era scoreboard, because there wasn’t anything on the scoreboard.  Blank.

Only the individual timer knew and he was keeping time on a windup clock. Both teams looked to the timer as game officials raced to the scorer’s table.

The decision belatedly was that time had run out just after the Lincoln basket.

KIWANIS DOWNSIZED

Thirty-two teams entered the 32nd annual Kiwanis Tournament, down from 40 last year and from 47 two years ago, with the small-school Classified Division eliminated.  The usual Imperial Valley contingent, Calexico, El Centro Central, and Brawley passed, as San Diego teams had done recently with the El Centro Elks event.

While not in El Centro, San Diego schools were everywhere else.

Seventeen December events, some before, during, or after the Kiwanis, were on the calendar, including four-team, double doubleheaders that erroneously were called “classics”.

Mt. Helix. Ron Edwards scored 18 points as Lincoln topped Chino 47-39, after the visitors upset Helix, 46-45 in semifinals, converting 22×30 free throws in second half.

Jaycees-Hilltop. Fallbrook defeated Hoover, 72-71, in overtime, preceded by one of the season’s stunners.

Fallbrook trailed Mount Miguel, 55-39 at halftime of their first-round game and scored 58 points in the second half to win, 97-88.  Mark Catalanello’s 30 points were equaled by the 30 of Mount Miguel’s Joe Smalls, but the Fallbrook player scored 23 in second half.

Kearny’s Dave Buttles outmaneuvers Sweetwater’s Dave Slavinsky and scores in Komets’ CIF victory.

Parker.  Christian outlasted Army-Navy, 30-28, in somnambulant exercise.

San Dimas.  See Morse, above.

Ojai:  Parker topped Carpinteria Cate, 46-43, and host Villanova Prep, 39-32, on the same day.

Jim Mitchell Mustang Optimist:  Fallbrook 65, Orange Glen 60, in the second oldest event in the area, dating to 1960-61.  The name of the former San Dieguito star killed in Viet Nam was added to the tournament  in the 1968-69 season.

Las Vegas Bonanza:  Mount Miguel was beaten by Los Angeles Daniel Murphy, 84-71, for sixth place.  Murphy, taking advantage of five technical fouls, outscored Mount Miguel, 32-12, in the third quarter to take a 72-48 lead. Point Loma was eliminated by San Jose Gunderson, 58-48.

Kiwanis:  Sweetwater won the Unlimited Division, 51-50, over Morse. Michael Pitts scored 18, points and had 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Cliff Levingston had 12 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 blocks for the Tigers.

El Capitan won the limited, 57-56, over Mt. Carmel.

Baron-Optimist.  Huntington Beach 60, Crawford 47.

University: Downey 76, Hoover 52.

Rancho Cordova:  Sweetwater sustained its first loss, 52-50, to Sacramento John F. Kennedy.  The Red Devils then went on to the consolation championship, 78-55 over Elk Grove and 80-50 over South Lake Tahoe.

Santana. Patrick Henry 83, Mt. Carmel 65.

Point Loma: The host Pointers and Mission Bay shared first with two victories each in the round-robin event.

Chino: Coronado became the first team from San Diego to win the tournament since Chula Vista in 1967. The Islanders defeated Pomona Ganesha, 64-56, Temple City, 53-47, top seed Cerritos, 60-59, on Ed Furey’s basket with three seconds left, and Pomona, 54-53, in overtime.

Other area winners in the 40-year event were Hoover in 1940, ’41, and ’46, and Chula Vista in 1958 and ’65. Escondido, Monte Vista, and San Pasqual also took part this season.

Granite Hills: Castle Park 55, Granite Hills 53.

Coachella Valley: Indio 52, Vista 51, OT.

Carpinteria: San Marcos outscored Los Angeles Pater Noster, 65-55, for the consolation championship.

CALLING…ANYONE

Neil Meyer, coach of tiny Cal Lutheran, a La Mesa high school with 75 students, was strapped for players.  He issued a help wanted call, gender not important.

Meyer welcomed two females, forward-center Sherry Martin and guard Lisa Rausch, a 5-foot, 2-inch freshman.

Sweetwater’s Michael Pitts launched shot from behind the backboard versus El Capitan and scored.

“Lisa is a very good player, and if she continues could be a very good women’s college player,” Meyer said to Linda Murphy of the Union.  “Sherry, at 5-9, shot well in P.E. class.  I use her for length.”

Title IX was passed in 1974 but girls basketball had not been implemented in the San Diego Section.

CENTURY CLUB

Mt. Carmel 102, El Cajon Valley 65.

Sweetwater 102, Southwest 72.

Christian 107, Julian 40.

Sweetwater 102, Chula Vista 57.

Christian 113-45 Julian.

PLAYOFFS

2-A

FIRST ROUND

Santana 58, Helix 55 (17-9).  Wayne Welker’s two free throws with  :08 remaining clinched for the Sultans.

San Pasqual 68, Oceanside 58. (16-9). Oceanside went the first 12 minutes before scoring a field goal.

Sweetwater 90, Hilltop 64 (15-12).  Michael Pitts scored 19 of his 50 points in a 32-16 fourth quarter.

Morse 80, Hoover 53 (17-11).  Tigers’ scoring balance:  Cliff Levingston 18, Jeff Turk 18, Keith Magee 16, Tony Rasheed 13.

Coronado 45, Bonita Vista 41 (18-10).

El Capitan 42, Monte Vista 37 (21-8).  The losing Monarchs missed all 11 field-goal attempts in the first quarter.

Orange Glen 57, Fallbrook 56 (21-5).  Rob Murray’s basket with 30 seconds left gave the Patriots, who led by 11 at halftime, a come-from-behind victory.

Kearny 60, Lincoln 55 (25-3).  The Komets, fourth in the Evening Tribune final top 10 to Lincoln’s second, ended the host Hornets’ 15-game winning streak.

QUARTERFINALS

Morse 89, Orange Glen 63 (21-7). The Tigers shot 64 per cent from the field in a 40-22 first half.

Sweetwater 64, El Capitan 52 (20-7).

Kearny 54, San Pasqual 33 (18-10).

Santana 39, Coronado 37, OT (23-5). The Islanders led, 35-33, with eight seconds left in regulation play but Wayne Welker scored on a 12-footer to send the game into overtime.

Francis Parker’s Steve Seiber (12) avoided long arm of Christian’s Greg Ward to score in Class 1A championship game.

SEMIFINALS

Sweetwater 48, Morse 46.

Kearny 62, Santana 45.  Four Komets, Ken King, Ron Kirkpatrick, David Buttles, and Darryl Stokes (17) scored at least 10 points.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Kearny (27-4) 57, Sweetwater 50 (27-4).

THIRD PLACE

Morse (24-6) 43, Santana (19-9) 37.

1-A

SEMIFINALS

Christian 79, La Jolla Country Day 63.

Francis Parker 65, Borrego Springs 37.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Christian 57, Francis Parker 45.   Parker’s Matt Crosbie led all scorers with 30 points.

JUMP SHOTS

Jerome Weatherspoon, The San Diego Union football player of the year, drained 16 field goals that covered all of his 32 points in a 85-73 win over Granite Hills…Cliff Levingston scored 30 points and Morse, trailing, 33-32, at halftime, drilled San Diego, 89-59, including a 34-14 fourth quarter… Christian’s Greg Ward set a school record with 43 points in a 113-45 win over Julian…averaging 26 points in his last six games, including 36 against Escondido, San Marcos’ Dan Frahm rose to fifth among scoring leaders, finishing with a 19.8 average…Morse’s Cliff Levingston made his final regular season game one to remember: 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 rejections as Morse reached a season high in points in a 98-84 win over Madison…the game was one to remember also for 52 personal fouls being called and nine players leaving with five personal fouls…Michael Pitts came down with 38 rebounds in a 79-53 victory over San Diego and was announced as having broken Bill Walton’s record of 34 for Helix in 1969-70…Pitts, however, also was credited with 38 rebounds in a 73-66 win over Bonita Vista…Joe Scheuer scored 49 points in two El Capitan overtime wins, 53-52 over Grossmont and 77-76 over Helix…Scheuer tied the school record by converting 17 consecutive free throws and had a stretch of 41×42 free throws…Morse almost blew a 19-point lead but the Tigers held on to beat Kearny, 60-58, to end the Komets’ 37-game, home-court winning streak…Sweetwater almost ran the table in the 18-game Metropolitan League schedule but runner-up Coronado (16-2) upset the Red Devils at the Islanders’ Carrothers Gym, 54-53, when Ray Pepper drained 2 free throws in a 1-and-1 situation with 12 seconds left to give the hosts a three-point lead…old school:  Crawford outstalled St. Augustine, 20-19…longest game, two overtimes, Point Loma 73, San Diego 71; Coronado 56, Hilltop 54; Oceanside 60, Escondido 58, and El Capitan 77, Helix 76….

 

 

 




1977-78: Disputed Call Ends Nash’s Great Career

Gordon Nash retired, taking with him a legacy of great teams and great players, and a sour finish.

Nash’s coaching record of 259 wins against 69 losses for a won-loss of .790 was forged over 11 seasons in which Helix won two San Diego Section championships, appeared in five title games, was runner-up three times, and third once.

The Scots were in the finals again this year, but a referee’s decision in a 58-57 loss to Torrey Pines provoked a belch of acid reflux from one of  the most successful mentors in San Diego Section history.

“The glass slipper fit for Torrey Pines but for years to come Helix High basketball fans will swear the officials supplied the shoe horn,” wrote Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

It appeared for a moment that Helix had sent Nash out victorious with a last-second basket by sophomore Larry Brooks.

Helix coach Gordon Nash (left & center) and Chula Vista’s Tom Snow reflected postseason game emotion.

The Scots celebrated, as did many in the Sports Arena crowd of 8,199.

But referee Jack Miyamoto emphatically signaled no shot had been taken (because) time had run out before Brooks put the ball in the air.

“There was no question, the game was over,” Miyamato told reporters.  “There was appreciable time between the horn and the gun, but the ball wasn’t even up yet”.

“The horn at the Sports Arena was not very loud,” said Brand.  “There also was an official at the scorer’s table with a starter’s pistol, which sounded almost simultaneously and which was the official time.”

“We should have won; there is no question about it,” said Nash.  “The ball obviously was in the air.  All they had to do was listen to the gun.”

Nash said that he spoke with four coaches who “told me the ball was in the air before the game ended.”

“It was never in doubt; time had run out,” not surprisingly stated Torrey Pines coach Clete Adelman.

Remembered Brand:  “I think Miyamoto got it right.”

NASH AND WALTON

Nash, who succeeded Bob Speidel in 1967-68, was 21-10 in his first season and reached the CIF finals, but it was in the next two years with 6-foot, 11-inch Bill Walton scoring, rebounding, and defending that Helix became a program of almost national import.

The Highlanders were 29-2 in 1968-69 and 33-0 in 1969-70, including a record, 49-game winning streak and a home winning streak of 40 games.

Other than a 10-15 slump in 1974-75, Helix’ decade-plus record never was poorer than 19-11 and Nash’s last two teams, although beaten in the finals, were 55-4.

“I’m not dissatisfied with coaching,” Nash, 45, told Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune. It’s just that when you reach a certain stage in life people have certain things they want to do.  We’ve had a lot of success.  I just think the time is right…to step down and let someone else have that opportunity.”

Nash, the fourth head coach in Helix’ 27 seasons, didn’t elaborate but remained a biology teacher at Helix.  Nash also credited his two predecessors, Bob Divine (1953-60), who campaigned for years for an on-site gymnasium and who “got the La Mesa Recreation Department to set up good basketball recreation leagues,” and Bob Speidel (1960-67), who coached the 1963-64 championship team.

WINNING (minimum 75 games)

NAME SCHOOL YEARS WON-LOST PERCENTAGE
John Kovac Coronado 1953-54-1955-56 63-13 .829
Gordon Nash Helix 1967-68-1977-78 259-69 .790
Charlie Hampton Hoover 1952-53-1962-63 222-65 .774
Larry Armbrust Chula Vista 1963-64-1967-68 103-31 .768
Rickey Wilson Hoover 1940-41-1945-46 80-25 .762
Merrill Douglas San Diego 1940-41-1942-43-1946-47-1955-56 236-76 .756

TORREY TURNS TERRIFIC

“Massive underdog Torrey Pines completed a magic sweep through the CIF basketball playoffs many felt the team didn’t even deserve to be in,” wrote Steve Brand.

Don Capener, shooting over Morse’s Mike Harris in playoff semifinals, arrived to lead Torrey Pines.

A fourth-year program that had growing pains of 3-17 and 6-18 before rising to 16-10 in its third season, the Falcons, strengthened with the arrival of Don Capener, a 6-foot, 4-inch transfer from San Rafael who scored almost 21 points game, averaged more than 70 points, and had a 21-3 regular-season record.

The Falcons were not getting much respect, coming from the historically weak North County and rolling on the puny Avocado East, whose Fallbrook (14-10), San Dieguito (14-12). El Camino (10-17), Oceanside (13-12), Vista (7-16), and Carlsbad (10-16) were a combined 68-83 in the regular season.

Torrey was 10-2 in the league, including losses of 34-32 to Oceanside and 66-61 to Fallbrook, and had to fight before getting past El Camino, 62-61.

Given little credence was the Del Mar quintet’s 15-1 record in non-league contests. The Falcons were 10th in the final, regular-season Evening Tribune poll. They would face and defeat three teams above them in the one-week, one-bracket tournament of 16 teams, No 1 Helix, No. 4 Morse, and No. 7 Sweetwater.

PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND
Sweetwater 68, Bonita Vista (19-10) 61.
Torrey Pines 77, Orange Glen (13-11) 55.
Escondido 66, Fallbrook (14-11) 53.
Helix 53, Santana (16-10) 44.
Kearny 59, Lincoln (21-4) 56.
Morse 59, St. Augustine (17-12) 56.
Monte Vista 59, Mount Miguel (22-6) 51.
Marian 61, Montgomery (17-11) 53.

QUARTERFINALS
Helix 57, Kearny (19-9) 47.
Torrey Pines 69, Sweetwater (21-8) 67.
Marian 56, Escondido (14-14) 50.
Morse 53, Monte Vista (22-7) 47.

SEMIFINALS
Helix 40, Marian (25-4) 37.
Torrey Pines 65, Morse (25-4) 57.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Torrey Pines (25-3) 58, Helix (28-2) 57.

Sweetwater’s Michael Pitts towers over teammate Lucian Jackson (24) and Marian’s Paul Kelley (center) and Mighty Joe Evans (54).

THIRD PLACE
Morse (26-4) 64, Marian (25-5) 60.

CLASS 1A
Christian (18-8) 42, Francis Parker (17-7), 41.

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

In its 31st year, the annual carnival continued to feel its age.  Forty teams, down from 47 a year ago, opened play at four area sites. Visitors included El Centro Central, Brawley, and Calexico.

Twelve different tournaments provided indirect or direct competition for the venerable mainstay, while redoubtables University and Bonita Vista also felt the pinch.

Mt. Helix: Host Helix topped Sweetwater, 61-59, for the second annual title as the Highlanders’ 6-9 1/2 Mark Snow and Sweetwater’s 6-10 Michael Pitts each scored 28 points.

Hilltop-Chula Vista:  Mount Miguel beat Hilltop, 67-60.

Francis Parker:  Christian defeated Julian, 50-44.

Apple Mountain: Host Julian played Eagle Mountain for championship.

Jimmy Mitchell Mustang Optimist: Don Capener’s 26 points moved Torrey Pines past host San Dieguito, 75-50.

University:  Fourteen teams, lower than usual 16, including defending champion Huntington Beach, played at one site, the University of San Diego gym.  Downey defeated Lincoln, 58-56, and Huntington Beach claimed third place, 77-76 over Kearny in two overtimes.

Baron-Optimist, 11 teams, down from usual 16:  Morse defeated host Bonita Vista, 90-53.

Eagles Classic at Granite Hills: Four teams. Second-year Mira Mesa, featuring brothers Chris and Steve Haupt, edged Castle Park, 57-55.

Chino:  San Diego squads had participated since the first tournament in 1939-40.  Escondido and Coronado quickly went into and then out of the consolation bracket. Mt. Carmel made the consolation semifinals before bowing Cerritos, 84-71.

Grossmont-Santana: Bellflower defeated Grossmont, 66-50.

Tracy:  Mount Miguel earned fifth place, 87-73, over Livermore.

Rancho Las Vegas:  Vista was 0-2, losing to Las Vegas Western, 72-64, and Palos Verdes Miraleste, 71-53.

Kiwanis:  Helix defeated Monte Vista, 65-49 for the Unlimited Division title as Mark Snow scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.  Mira Mesa topped La Jolla, 55-37, in the Limited Division, and Marian won the eight-team Classified, 60-57, over Lincoln.

Hare, in a calmer moment.

TECHNICAL ISSUE

–Santana led Burbank, 41-40, with three seconds to go in the Santana-Grossmont Tournament.

–The visitors heaved a length-of-the-court pass and drew a questionable foul.  Santana coach Bart Hare protested, mildly, according to writer Steve Brand.

–Because Santana had not committed enough personal fouls to warrant a one-and-one free throw situation, Burbank got the ball out at halfcourt.

–The Bulldogs’ inbound pass from halfcourt hit the backboard and a Santana player hugged the rebound.

–So far, so good.  No problem? Santana wins?  Wait a minute.

–A whistle blew in the moment between the ball hitting the backboard and being retrieved by the Sultans player.

–One official, according to Hare’s account, said the throw was an illegal attempt and awarded the ball to Santana.

–The other official huddled with his partner and said the ball was not intentionally thrown at the backboard, so there was no infraction.

–Burbank was awarded the ball again.

–Hare went Code Red.

–The Santana coach was hit with a technical foul, then another, then another, then another, and finally with a fifth, for not leaving the bench area after the second.  If this was baseball, Hare would have earned a platinum sombrero or the  “Olympic Rings”.

–Burbank then drained a 20-foot shot at the buzzer to win, 42-41.

BART EXPLAINS BLOWUP

“There are only five reversible calls in basketball and that isn’t one of them,” Hare declared to Steve Brand the next day.  “It wasn’t a judgement call.  The rules say whatever the call, even if it’s wrong, must be upheld.

“We should have had the ball out of bounds.”

The coach had a postscript:

“What really hurts is they’ve cracked down on the coaches this year but they haven’t upgraded the officiating. The guy who called that one was a ten-year veteran.”

SHARPER HARPER

Santana’s Tod Harper became the sixth player in County history to score at least 50 points in one game with 53 in the Sultans’ 90-62 win over Granite Hills.

Harper broke the Grossmont League scoring record of 47, set by Granite Hills’ Tim Doerr in 1968-69.  Harper also scored 41 in another game, which was the school record, set in 1962-63 by Bob Lundgren.

Madison’s Mitchell Lilly and St. Augustine’s Tom Shaules (table below) are the only players to score 50 or more twice.

HALF CENTURY

NAME TEAM YEAR POINTS OPPONENT SCORE
Mitchell Lilly Madison 1976-77 61 San Diego 117-80
Tom Shaules St. Augustine 1957-58 60 Crawford 102-38
Rob Petrie Julian 1968-69 60 Mountain Empire 115-76
Shaules 1957-58 53 La Jolla 105-34
Todd Harper Santana 1977-78 53 Granite Hills 90-62
Dave Moore San Marcos 1973-74 51 Imperial 78-42
Bill Walton Helix 1969-70 50 Pasadena 110-68
Lilly 1976-77 50 Torrey Pines 86-75

SUNDEVILS’ PECCADILLOES

All 12 Mt. Carmel varsity players were suspended for two weeks by principal David Stine for breaking “athletic department rules”.

The players were cited after their participation in the post-Christmas Chino Tournament. No report on any action involving coach John Marincovich.

“The commitment to the varsity program will be fulfilled by other members of the program, junior varsity and freshman players,” said Stine, who said no CIF violation was involved.

“We wanted a significant punishment but one that was fair to the players as well,” said the boss.

Mt. Carmel, 9-4 and league favorite entering Avocado East play, was competitive but lost four consecutive games during the varsity hiatus, 48-44 to Orange Glen, 47-41 to San Marcos, 65-59 to El Camino, and 49-47 to Poway.

The losses left the Sundevils 0-4 in the league and 9-8 overall. Then came a remarkable turnaround, nine wins in a row to close the season 18-8, third in the Avo East behind Escondido and Orange Glen, but out of the playoffs.

DOUBLE TAKE

Marian’s Phil Bryant turned in one whistle for another.

Mark Snow (left) and Mike Durden control action for Helix, but Monte Vista dealt Highlanders their first defeat, 50-48, in overtime.

Bryant coached the Crusaders’ football team to a 7-3 record and second place in the Metropolitan League and then, because of a staff situation, moved over and coached basketball.

Led by 6-foot, 9-inch, 240-pound Mighty Joe Evans, the Crusaders reached the section semifinals and finished with a 25-5 record.

Marian was 17-1 in Metropolitan play and clinched the league title with a 55-48, final-night win over Sweetwater.

TAKE A CHAIR

Four of Morse’s starting five could do that when coach Ron Davis employed his “rocking chair offense.”

While the starters stood on the sideline, teammate Keith Magee would dribble forward and backward (forward so as not to be penalized with a five-second call).

Magee went into the rocking chair with 1:55 remaining and Morse tied with Kearny, 47-47.

Then, with three seconds left, Magee drove toward the basket and attempted a field goal, but the Komets’ Darryl Stokes blocked the shot. The ball rebounded directly to Morse’s Jeff Turk, who hurriedly fired and made a buzzer-beating basket for a 49-47 win.

SCORING LEADERS

NAME TEAM GAMES POINTS AVERAGE
Don Saemenes Castle Park 26 652 25.5 (1)
Joe Evans Marian 30 632 21.1 (4)
Todd Harper Santana 25 616 23.7 (2)
Jim Freeman Bonita Vista 29 592 20.4 (6)
Michael Pitts Sweetwater 29 580 20.0 (9)
Don Capener Torrey Pines 28 579 20.7 (5)
Curtis McQueen Mount Miguel 27 568 21.5 (3)
Mark Snow Helix 30 568 18.9
Richard Walker Point Loma 26 523 20.1 (8)
Rusty Whitmarsh Monte Vista 29 513 17.7
Clyde Smith Mar Vista 25 483 19.3
Robert Moore San Diego 23 464 20.2 (7)
Tommy Williams Serra 26 460 17.7
Steve Haupt Mira Mesa 26 451 17.3
Greg Engler San Dieguito 26 447 17.2
Bob Dean La Jolla 23 441 19.2
Reggie Younger Mira Mesa 26 431 16.6
Dave Sullivan El Capitan 24 415 17.3
Vernon Van Buren Clairemont 27 411 15.2
Mike Doucet Mt. Carmel 21 410 19.5 (10)
John Baumgardner Kearny 28 408 14.6
Cuchinella San Pasqual 25 396 15.8
Todd Flores University 23 393 17.1
Marcus Allen Lincoln 22 392 17.8
Catalano Fallbrook 25 370 14.8
Dokie Williams El Camino 27 369 13.7
Mandry Escondido 28 368 13.1

Lincoln’s Marcus Allen embodied the all-around athlete, earning All-CIF honors in second sport.

JUMP SHOTS—Lincoln’s football all-America, Marcus Allen, made third team all-CIF with a 17.8 average and reportedly had scored 63 points in a Summer League game…University’s Todd Flores sat on the bench for the first three minutes against Serra and then scored a school-record 40 points in an 89-69 win…Crawford stalled almost all of the last 4:30, setting up a shot, then missed, but blanked St. Augustine in overtime to win, 41-37…it took Oceanside 4 overtimes, but the Pirates shut out San Marcos, 8-0, in the final three-minute session to win, 56-48…Sweetwater’s Michael Pitts was reported to have 38 rebounds and 18 points in a 73-66 win over Bonita Vista, after Pitts scored 30 points and had 29 rebounds in an 83-44 rout of Southwest….Sweetwater was led by the 6-10 Pitts and 5-6 James Davis…Kearny’s 43-41 win over Morse, the Tigers’ first Eastern League loss after a 9-0 start, was the Komets’ 99th win in their last 100 home games…the last loss at home was in 1975 to Crawford, 57-50, which snapped a 50-game streak…after a 49-47 win over Santana, Helix coach Gordon Nash was succinct:  “I didn’t see anything good out there. Nothing.”…St. Augustine won a Western League playoff for entry to the postseason with a 54-46 victory over La Jolla…Todd Harper scored 41 points, but Mount Miguel, with Jerome Weatherspoon scoring half of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, came from behind for a 79-77 victory over Santana…Helix’ first loss in the 28-2 season was 50-48 in overtime to Monte Vista….single game team season highs:  Mount Miguel, 102-72, versus Valhalla with Curtis McQueen leading with 42 points;  Julian 98, Mountain Empire 63; Morse 96, Madison 66; Torrey Pines 96, El Camino 61….




2019 Track Week 13: Five Lead State Marks as Season Comes to Close

It was perhaps the finest track-and-field season in San Diego Section history.

There not only were a record seven gold medal winners (compared to five in 1974) in last week’s state championships in Clovis but area thinclads also had state best performances in five boys and girls events.

Kenon Christon was No. 1, not only in medals but in the 100 and 200-meter races, with best times of :10.30 and :20.55.  The Madison senior also was second with a 24-foot long jump.

Coronado’s Alysha Hickey was the leading high jumper with a clearance of 5 feet, 10 1/2 inches and long jumped 20 feet, 9 inches, although that mark was achieved with wind assistance over the allowable 2.0 meters.

University City’s Katriina Wright had the best 400 time, :53.93, and La Costa Canyon’s Kristin Fahy led all 3,200-meter runners at 10:11.38.

Seventeen San Diego athletes’ best marks were achieved in the state meet and are noted below in bold talics.  Marks in parenthesis show where locals stand in the state’s top 25 in each event.

BOYS

EVENT NAME MARK STATE MARK U.S.
100 Christon, Madison :10.30 (1)

:10.26w

Grubb, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame :10.40 :10.13

:09.98w

Boling, Strake Jesuit, Houston

Steward, Orange Glen :10.54 (6T)
200 Christon, Madison :20.55 (1) Grubb, Notre Dame Sherman Oaks :20.93 :20.58, Boling.

Miller, Bishop Dunne, Dallas, :20.52w

Steward, Orange Glen :21.45 (19T)
400 Parker, Helix :47.91 (12) Larrier, Elk Grove Monterey Trail :46.49 :46.22, Robinson, Hazlewood West, Missouri
Salzman, Calvin Christian :48.25 (15)
Lippert, La Costa Canyon :48.31 (19)
800 Tellez-Velasquez, San Pasqual 1:52.52 (6) Wingo, Valencia 1:51.71 1:50.24, Woods, E.C. Glass, Lynchburg, Va.
Ali, Crawford 1:54.17 (25)
1600 G. Stanford, La Costa Canyon 4:12.92 (14) Hibbert, El Monte Arroyo 4:07.25 4:05.28. Atwood, Central Valley, Veradale, Washington
Ali, Crawford 4:13.00 (15)
J. Stanford, La Costa Canyon 4:13.12 (16)
Niednagel, La Costa Canyon 4:13.81 (21)
3200 Niednagel,  La Costa Canyon 9:01.76 (5) Young, Newbury Park 8:40.0 Young
Velasco, Mission Hills 9:07.27 (14)
110 High Hurdles Sayles, Steele Canyon :14.47w (17)

:14.63

:13.31w

:13.50

13:31w Marshall
300 Intermediate Hurdles Solomon, Grossmont :37.88 (12) Roberson, Upland :36.32 :36.12, Matthews, Central, Pickering, Ohio
4×100 Relay Madison :41.88 (14) Long Beach Poly :40.87 :40.08, Fort Bend Marshall, Missouri City, Texas
4×400 Relay Grossmont 3:19.19 Placentia Valencia 3:13.73 3:10.56, Strake Jesuit, Houston
High Jump Brownell, San Dieguito 6-8 (9T) Allen, Santa Barbara San Marcos 7-0 7-1 ¾, Marseille, Cardinal Gibbons, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Lugo, Canyon Crest 6-6 ½  (21)
Long Jump Christon, Madison 24-0 Foster Clovis North 25-1 ½ 26-6,

Martin, Saginaw, Michigan

Mitchell, Point Loma 23-5 (13T)
Harris-Williams, Granite Hills 23 1 ½ (21T)
Triple Jump Mitchell, Point Loma 48-6 (3) Foster, Clovis North 49-9 1/2 51-10 1/2 Foote-Talley, Northwest, Germantown, Maryland
Gibbs, Oceanside 47-4 ¾ (12)
Cynkin, Torrey Pines 46-5 ¼ (20)
Harris-Williams, Granite Hills 46-4 ¼ (21)
Shot Put Boamah, Scripps Ranch 54-0 Viveros, Bakersfield, Liberty 71-3 71-3, Viveros
Discus Boamah, Scripps Ranch 162-1 Elbettar, Newport Beach Newport Harbor 197-4 209-6 1/4 Lemmon, Fort Myers, Florida
Pole Vault Rice, Rancho

Bernardo

16-5 (2) Wright, Lodi 16-8 17-6,

Stone, Lawrence North, Indianapolis, Indiana

Volpe, San Marcos 15-9 (10T)
Clarke, El Camino 15-3 (18T)
Elamparo, Rancho Bernardo 15-3 (18T)
Jurisoo, Mt. Carmel 15-3 (18T)

GIRLS

EVENT NAME MARK STATE MARK U.S.
100 Shaheed, Madison :11.57w (3)

:11.71

Nowling, Calabasas :11.40w :11.27, Davis, Oak Hall, Gainesville, Florida
Rustkovich, Scripps Ranch :11.87w (14T)
Hickey, Coronado :11.92 (25)
200 Shaheed, Madison :24.16 (6) Nowling :23.64 :23.06, Davis
Rustkovich, Scripps Ranch :24.30 (13T)
Wright, University City :24.44 (18)
400 Wright, University City :53.93 (1) Monrroy, L.B. Millikan :54.16 :52.06, Wilson, Godwin, Richmond, Virginia
Cramer, The Bishop’s :55.50 (19)
800 Riedman, La Costa Canyon 2:11.37 (10) Wallenstrom, Kentfield, Marin Catholic 2:08.78 2:06.1, Mustin, North Canyon, Phoenix
  Farmer, Rancho Bernardo 2:13.15 (23)
1600 Fahy, La Costa Canyon 4:48.34  (18) Duarte, Chino Hills 4:42.58 4:37.07,Parks, Antrim, Greencastle, Pennsylvania
3200 Fahy, La Costa Canyon 10:11.38 (1) Lowe, Clovis Buchanan 10:12.78 9:53.30, Tuohy, Thiells, North Rockland, N.Y.
  Dorostkar,  Canyon Crest 10:26.15 (9)
  Wallace, Sage Creek 10:33.10 (16)
100 Hurdles Redon, San Diego :14.17w (6)
:14.28
Shearer San Jose Silver Creek :13.24w :13.02, Hawkins, Centralia, Missouri
James, San Diego :14.44w (12)
Vaught, Steele Canyon :14.66w (24)
300 Hurdles Edwards, San Pasqual :43.95 (14) Glenn, Long Beach Wilson :41.01 :40.78, Wilson,  Godwin, Richmond, Virginia
300 Hurdles Mayo, Grossmont :44.32 (22)
Occiano, Mission Hills :44.34 (23)
4×100 Relay Scripps Ranch :46.51 (1) Calabasas :45.95 :44.24, DeSoto, Texas
Canyon Crest :47.80 (25)
4×400 Relay Scripps Ranch 3:50.63 (10) Eastvale Roosevelt 3:43.77 3:39.79, DeSoto, Texas
High Jump Hickey, Coronado 5-10 ½ (1) Harris, Bakersfield Golden Valley 5-10 5-11 ½, Bottellier, Palisades, Kinterville, Pennsylvania
Scales, Madison 5-6 (12T)
Roberts, Westview 5-6 (12T)
Long Jump Hickey, Coronado 20-9w (1)

20-2

Harris, Upland 20-8 1/2 21-2 ¼w,

20-5 3/4 Bryant, Memorial, Houston

Hardyway, Oceanside 19-0 ¾ (11)
Scott, Gompers 19-0 ½ (12)
Miller, San Pasqual 18-10 ½ (17T)
Shaheed, Madison 18-10 (21T)
Triple Jump Miller, San Pasqual 40-06w (3)

40-2

Shearer, San Jose Silver Creek 41-3 3/4 44-10, Moore, Lake Ridge, Mansfield, Texas
Scott, Gompers Prep 39-5 ½ (14)
Hardyway, Oceanside 39-0 ½ (20)
Shot Put Tuatasi, West Hills 45-1 ½ (8) Budwig, Fowler 49-2 3/4 50-1 ½, Hoekstre, Seaside, Oregon
Lagoy, Rancho Bernardo 42-0 (19)
McNairy, San Diego 41-9 ½ (21)
Discus Cruz, Mission Hills 139-3 (23) Budwig, Fowler 171-10 176-8, Meyer, Superior, Nebraska
Tuatasi, West Hills 138-0 (25)
Pole Vault Callahan, Torrey Pines 13-6 (2T) Funk, Clovis West 13-9 14-8, Cunliffe, West, Seattle, Washington
Thomson, Poway 13-3 (5)
Cervantes, Poway 13-0 (8T)
Grudman, Sage Creek 12-6 (13T)
Ray, Rancho Bernardo 12-0 (23T)