Twenty-one San Diego Section league champions were crowned this week, although such a feat means nothing when it comes to the playoffs, pairings of which were announced today.

But league championships represent a lot more than a playoff seeding,or divisional placement. Just ask the Mira Mesa Marauders and San Diego Cavers, who clinched Eastern and City loop titles, respectively, on the last night of the regular season.

Visiting Mira Mesa nipped Scripps Ranch, 52-51, and San Diego defeated host University City, 62-56.  The winners celebrated on their opponents’ floors.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

DONS TAKE IT TO SAINTS

There was no league title at stake but a standing room only crowd of more than 2,000 persons jammed the St. Augustine gym, where the Saints were hoping to close out a 12-0 league season against 8-3 rival Cathedral.

There were almost 150 banners signaling league championships since 1960 hanging in the high reaches of the beautiful, almost-new St. Augustine arena, but the night belong to the Dons.

Cathedral won the junior varsity game on a basket in the final 20 seconds, 48-46, and the Dons’ varsity outscored the Saints in every quarter, pulling away to a 62-52 victory.

Sweetwater, Escondido, Southern California Yeshiva, Chula Vista Learning Community, and Calexico Vincent Memorial ran the table, completing undefeated seasons in their respective leagues, noted below.

LEAGUE	CHAMPION	RECORD	WON-LOSS	DIVISION
Avocado East	Vista	9-1	20-8	Open
Avocado West	Torrey Pines	9-1	22-6	Open
Citrus	*San Diego Academy	11-1	21-4	5
	*Victory Christian	11-1	18-9	5
City	San Diego	10-2	18-8	3
Coastal	Foothills Christian	8-2	21-5	Open
Desert	Imperial	5-1	17-9	4
Eastern	Mira Mesa	8-2	18-9	2
Grossmont Hills	Mount Miguel	7-1	21-7	2
Grossmont Valley	Valhalla	9-1	25-3	3
Imperial Valley	El Centro Southwest	5-1	13-13	3
Manzanita	Calexico Vincent Memorial	10-0	13-10	4
Mesa	Montgomery	9-1	25-3	1
Ocean	Del Lago	7-1	17-11	5
Pacific	Orange Glen	8-1	16-11	1
Palomar	Poway	6-1	21-6	Open
Patriot	Southern California Yeshiva	10-0	14-4	5
Pioneer	Chula Vista Learning Community	11-0	12-7	5
South Bay	Sweetwater	12-0	22-6	3
Summit	High Tech North County	8-2	14-6	4
Valley	Escondido	10-0	18-10	3
Western	St. Augustine	11-1	22-6	Open

*Co-champion.

SAN DIEGO SECTION BOYS’ & GIRLS’ PLAYOFF PAIRINGS

Click here for SDUT article on  basketball pairings.

Union-Tribune Week 11 poll as of Monday, Feb. 4:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last Week
1	St. Augustine (11)	21-5	136	1
2.	Foothills Christian (3)	19-5	127	2
3	Torrey Pines	20-6	115	3
4	Santa fe Christian	19-6	95	5
5	Poway	21-5	79	7
6	Mission Bay	15-11	50	4
7	Cathedral Catholic	19-9	32	9
8	Rancho Buena Vista	23-3	31	NR
9	La Jolla Country Day	16-10	30	5
10	Montgomery	22-3	20	NR

NR–Not ranked.

Others receiving votes: Carlsbad (19-5, 16), Vista (18-8, 11), Francis Parker (15-8, 5), Vista  Rancho Buena Vista (21-3, 15 points), Francis Parker (13-7, 15) San Marcos (15-9, 4), Sweetwater (20-6, 4), Valhalla (24-4, 4).

Voters: John Maffei, The San Diego Union-Tribune; Terry Monahan, Freelance; Steve Brand, San Diego Sports Association;  Carlton Hoggard (CIF San Diego Section), Adam Paul,  Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com; John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3 FM, The Fan; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Steve Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM; Christian Pedersen, S.D. Preps Insider; Aaron Burgin, Fulltime Hoops; Brad Enright, L.A. Court Report.

No one could replace Bill Walton, so Ralph Drollinger just succeeded him.

The 7-foot Drollinger, an inch taller than the legendary Walton, played at Grossmont, arch rival of Walton’s Helix.

Drollinger posted San Diego County’s second highest, one-season scoring total, 878 points, to Walton’s 958.

Drollinger won a San Diego Section championship, to Walton’s two.

Drollinger attended UCLA and won two national collegiate championships, to Walton’s three.

Drollinger’s senior season at Grossmont concluded with a 29-3 record, to Walton’s 33-0 and 49-game winning streak in his last two seasons.

Walton is remembered as one of collegiate basketball’s all-time great players.  Drollinger is remembered as a steady contributor, whose career ended with a strong, off-the-bench performance in the NCAA championship game at the San Diego International Sports Arena.

Drollinger, one of only six players employed in Bruins coach John Wooden’s last game,  played defense and kept the Kentucky Wildcats off balance with a powerful, 13-rebound performance in a 87-82 UCLA victory.

HIGHLANDERS IN WAY

Post-Walton, Helix had a “down” year with a 21-9 record in 1970-71 but not surprisingly Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune declared the Highlanders No. 1 in his preseason poll, a tribute in part to coach Gordon Nash and his teams’ 109-21 (.846) record in Nash’s four years.

Helix also benefitted from the arrival of Crawford transfer Wilbert Olinde, a 6-foot-5 junior who averaged 18.3 points and whose 568 points would be fifth highest in the County.

The Scots posted a 24-7 record and made it to the finals again, but they came up short in three meetings with the Foothillers, who won the two Grossmont League matchups, 59-56 and 80-60, and the championship encounter, 58-56.

The Highlanders, who trailed by as much as 11 points, led the title game, 56-55, with 16 seconds remaining, but Helix’ 6-foot-9 Gary Ely fouled Drollinger.

“I had to make those foul shots,” understated Drollinger, who scored 34 points and had 12 rebounds.  “We’d been working so hard.  It really would have been a letdown if I hadn’t made ‘em.”

A basketball version of Honest Abe Lincoln, Drollinger questioned the official’s call on Ely, declaring, “I can’t remember him actually fouling me.”

Wilbert Olinde missed a short jump shot on the ensuing final possession and thought he was fouled by Tom Foulds. “I thought he hit me on the way up,” said Olinde.  “I thought they’d called it.  I thought I heard a whistle.”

It was a bitter loss for Helix, arguably having created the best athletic program in the area.

Grossmont, however, became the first school in the 12 years of the San Diego Section to win a football and basketball championship in the same school year.

RIVALRY

Helix led the all-time series with Grossmont, 27-16, entering this season and had never lost three in a row or been beaten so convincingly by the Foothillers as they were in the 20-point loss in the second round of Grossmont League play.

Drollinger had 34 points, 12 rebounds, blocked five shots, and altered the trajectory on several others.

“I’ve never been so high for a game,” Drollinger told Jack Williams of the Evening Tribune.  “I don’t think I played my best game, but if I say that people will probably think I’m really high on myself or something.”

Helix became frustrated and was assessed three technical fouls.  “The Highlanders couldn’t play their game,” wrote Jack Williams, “and when that became apparent early their poise went out the window.”

SCORING

The trend to higher scores and higher averages topped 1970-71 performances but fell short of the Walton-paced 1969-70 season.

There was one player this season with more than 700 points, four over 600, and 14 over 500. Those numbers compared with five over 700, 11 over 600, and 15 over 500 in 1969-70 and one over 600 and seven over 500 in 1970-71.

Ten players averaged 20.1 points a game or better, compared to four in 1970-71, and 10 in 1969-70, when 10 averaged at least 23.0 and 20 averaged at least 20.0.

An all-time high of 31 players scored at least 400 points this season, compared to 28 in 1969-70 and 29 in 1970-71.

John Fairchild of San Dieguito scored 428 points and was the only player with at least 400 in 1960-61, the first year of the San Diego Section.

1971-72 leaders:

Ralph Drollinger	Grossmont	32	878	27.4 (1)
Marty Mayer	Clairemont	30	628	20.9 (7)
Steve Copp	Hilltop	28	625	22.3 (5)
Geoff Hinkle	Santana	24	616	25.7 (2)
Wilbert Olinde	Helix	31	568	18.3
Mark Dobransky	Mount Miguel	25	565	22.6 (4)
Dan Schmidt	El Capitan	27	564	20.9 (7)
Dana Blalock	San Dieguito	24	554	23.1 (3)
Mike Liedike	Chula Vista	27	549	20.3 (9)
Tom Lines	Bonita Vista	31	549	17.7
Steve Seidler	Point Loma	23	505	22.0 (6)
Zeke Sanchez	Morse	27	503	18.6
Geno Dente	Coronado	27	497	18.4
James Robinson	San Diego	30	493	16.4
Bob Russell	Mission Bay	25	483	19.3
Bob McIver	St. Augustine	24	482	20.1(10)
Rock Lee	Madison	31	481	15.5
Jim March	Bonita Vista	31	475	15.3
David Ross	El Capitan	25	474	19.0
John Hurlburt	El Cajon Valley	25	474	19.0
Stan Rosendahl	Bonita Vista	31	470	15.2
Pete Weichert	Mar Vista	28	468	16.7
Genero Hukins	Montgomery	27	462	17.1
Ron Coppess	Orange Glen	25	454	18.2
Sam Pecktol	Castle Park	25	449	18.0
Willard Scott	San Diego	28	448	16.0
Williams	Escondido	23	426	18.5
Mark Schenewerk	Mar Vista	28	420	15.0
Claudie Henry	Hoover	24	419	17.5
Lou Faust	University	29	414	14.3
Henry Arviso	Santana	26	402	15.5
Bruce Coldwell	Madison	29	401	13.8
Carl Zemlick	Monte Vista	26	400	15.4

John Oakes of Borrego Springs had a reported 23-point average but final averages and results for all games for small schools players, including Ramona’s John Schneider and Christian’s Dan Kirby, who reportedly averaged 19 points, were omitted by newspapers.

TRIPLE FIGURES

The 100-point game was becoming less of a rarity.

Teams passed the century mark nine times in 1968-69, including six by Helix.  It happened twice in 1970-71, and 11 times this season:

El Capitan 105, Sweetwater 44.

Madison 102, El Cajon Valley 43.

Bonita Vista 114, Vista 50.

Ramona 104, Mountain Empire 43.

Christian 113, Borrego Springs 59.

Bonita Vista 102, Montgomery 57.

Hilltop 101, Coronado 68.

Hilltop 116, Castle Park 63.

Ramona 101, Borrego Springs 46.

Helix 115, Granite Hills 65.

Bonita Vista 113, Madison 56.

CLOSE, BUT NOT

Coached by Bill Foley, a star at Chula Vista in the late ‘fifties, the Bonita Vista Barons almost ran the table.

An early-season, 77-74 loss to Madison was their only defeat and their 26-1 record was better than any of other three playoffs semifinalists. The Chula Vistans were averaging 84 points a game.

Helix knocked out the Barons, 59-57, in a taut defensive struggle that went a playoff record two overtimes before Helix’ Jim Aunan hit an eight-foot runner six seconds before a third extra session.

“I can replay the game one hundred times and find a hundred different ways we could have won,” said Foley.

The Bonita coach picked Grossmont to win the next night.  “Ralph Drollinger can control the tempo of the game and the boards by himself.”

DO WE HAVE TO?

John Hannon, coach of the 24-6 Warhawks, found himself coaching in the third place game for the fourth time in six years after the 74-63 loss to Grossmont in the semifinals.  “It’s getting a little old,” said Hannon.

Hannon’s team did not seem interested.  Foley was determined not to have his team lose twice before the big crowd at the Sports Arena.

“We were rated number one by some people and we’d look awfully bad if we turned out to be number four,” said Foley.

The Barons (29-2) got after it early and ran the Warhawks off the floor, 113-56.

Bonita Vista led, 45-3, with 6:15 remaining in the first half and at one point scored 34 consecutive points.

John Hannon said he let the team decide whether it wanted to play to win or whether it preferred letting every one play. “They voted to let everyone play,” said Hannon, who used various combinations of players and never included the five who had won 24 games including 77-74 over Bonita Vista in the Baron-Optimist Tournament.

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT

CIF bosses loosened their rules on the playoffs, which still were one week in duration but allowed for a Wednesday day off for the four teams that would go to the semifinals.

The previous, four-games-in-four-days was under fire from coaches, some claiming it was nothing more than an endurance test.  “We had to do something,” said CIF honcho Don Clarkson.

DREADED ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCH

In a long history of CIF and school administrative goofs, this was a whopper, circumstances of which are reprinted in part from the Evening Tribune Feb. 23, 1972:

“Last night’s second-round game between Hilltop and Madison was supposed to be played at Grossmont College.

“It wasn’t.

“As several hundred prospective customers learned when they arrived at an empty gym, the site had been changed.

“Not Sunday or Monday…but roughly seven hours before the game.

“It seems county commissioner Don Clarkson, whose job it is to coordinate the playoffs, neglected to reserve the facility.

“He made a tentative reservation…but he never filed a facilities request,” said a Grossmont College spokesman.

“Clarkson said he didn’t know such a form was required.

“The Evening Tribune was told last night that Clarkson had been informed in writing of the procedure 14 months ago.

“Hilltop and Madison were not aware of the problem until midmorning yesterday.

“Hilltop vice principal William Darton drove to the college…and learned on arrival the gym was unavailable.

“…the two schools began searching for what Clarkson termed ‘a large, neutral gym.’”

“They settled on Castle Park High, one of the smaller gyms in the County and one eight blocks away from Hilltop.

Madison coach John Hannon was incensed and Hilltop, which rented booster buses for the trip to Grossmont, wasn’t delighted by the move…

“Clarkson blamed ‘a mix-up in communication’ for the problem.”

Madison won, 61-49.

KIWANIS TOURNAMENT

–Forty-four teams participated in the 25^th annual event, oldest and largest in the state.

–El Capitan (15-12) broke the single-game scoring record of 104 by Newhall Hart in 1954-55 with a 105-44 win over Sweetwater (1-23).

–Helix won the Unlimited Division championship, 60-53, over San Diego (17-12), which led, 49-47, with 3:41 remaining.

–Poway (22-3) upset undefeated (7-0) Hilltop (23-5 overall), 76-71 for the Limited Division title.  “I was over confident,” said Hilltop coach Paul Pruitt. “The kids were, too.”

–Bonita Vista topped Coronado (14-13), 88-63, for the Classified crown.

UNIVERSITY

–All games in the 16-team event were played at the University of San Diego.  Mission Bay (10-17) and Lincoln (22-7) squared off in the first game at 8 a.m. on Day I, the Buccaneers winning, 53-51, on John Vales’ basket at the buzzer.

–Ralph Drollinger scored 34 points, but University (20-8) edged Grossmont, 57-53, and followed with a 58-52 win over Clairemont (22-9) for the championship.

–Drollinger’ 130 points in 4 games bettered the record of 121 by Kearny’s Wilburn Strong in 1968-69.

EL CENTRO ELKS

–Las Vegas Rancho edged Morse (14-13), 61-59, in the Unlimited Division and Calipatria outscored Coronado, 55-51, for the Limited title.

CHINO

–After an 82-60 win over Duarte, San Dieguito (12-12) dropped a 79-53 decision to Covina South Hills and 58-56 to Claremont in the fifth place semifinals.  Escondido (4-20) and Chula Vista (12-14) went out in the early rounds.

NEWPORT HARBOR

Oceanside (15-10) led, 19-8, after one quarter but then was ushered into the consolation bracket by Las Vegas Clark, 84-63.  The Pirates recovered to win the consolation crown, 69-58 over Gardena and 65-62 over Las Vegas Western.

COVINA

Poway upset Los Angeles Fairfax, 67-56, in the first round, but lost to Pasadena Muir, 57-55, the following day.

BARON-OPTIMIST

–The host Barons opened with a 37-8 first quarter against Vista (4-19) and went on to set a team record in the 114-50 triumph. They had scored 98 in 1970-71 vs. Mar Vista.

–A Bonita Vista-Helix final was short circuited when San Diego upset Helix, 74-72.  Madison then knocked off the 9-0 Barons, 77-74, for the championship.

FOULED

Ramona (17-8) defeated Christian (19-5), 71-66, for the Class A title at La Jolla High, where whistles could be heard all the way to Bird Rock.

There were 54 personal fouls called, with six players, three on each team, fouling out.  A total of 73 free throws were attempted.  Ramona converted 19×35 and Christian 18×38.

John Schneider led the winners with 27 points,  Don Kirby with 23 for the losers.

LET’S STALL

San Diego (17-12) was scoreless in the third quarter and beat Crawford (2-19), 30-28.  Crawford, which held the ball in the first half, outscored the Cavers, 2-0, in that quarter after San Diego did not shoot the last 6:39.

THEY’RE FREE

Geoff Hinkle of Santana (12-14) had games in which he scored 17, 15, 14, and 14 from the free throw line.  “He’s so darned quick with his shot you’ve got to play him tight and then he drives by you and you’re grabbing for him,” said Grossmont coach Jack Shawcroft.

JUMP SHOTS

The 6,724 persons who attended the championship game at the Sports Arena bettered the record of 6,479 at the 1970-71 final…a crowd of 5,870 in the round of four semifinals on Friday night brought the two-night total to 12,594…Drollinger’s 41 points in a 70-51 win over La Jolla tied the school record, set by Bill Biggs in 1962-63…Grossmont took a 20-8, first-quarter lead in its 59-56 win over Helix that ended the Highlanders’ 40-game home streak, which stretched to 1968-69…Morse, 1 for 18 from the field in the second quarter, was 13×13 in free throws in the fourth quarter and upended Lincoln, 62-57…”If it hadn’t been for Mike Liedike we’d have blown ‘em out,” said Grossmont coach Jack Shawcroft of the Foothillers’ 61-55 win over Chula Vista (12-15)…Liedike’s 28 points, 8 rebounds, five blocks and 13×25 shooting from the field couldn’t overcome the 27 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 11×17 shooting by Drollinger….

Vincent W. (Vince) Breddell III, a star sprinter at Kearny in 1969 and ’70, passed recently.

Coach Jim Cerveny’s teams, which battled Clairemont for Western League domination, were built around the swift Breddell.

Breddell was fourth in the state 100-yard dash final at Berkeley in 1970 after winning the San Diego Section championship in :09.7.  He won his heat in the state trials at Berkeley in :09.7.

Breddell had a best time of :21.2 in the 220-yard dash, was a triple winner in the 1970 Western League finals, :09.8 100, :21.4 220, and anchor leg of the winning (:42.3) 440-yard relay with teammates Tony Berg, Greg Jackey, and Michael Cornell.

Breddell won the San Diego Section championship with a :09.8 100 in 1970 and finished first in the 220 in :21.4 but was disqualified because he was outside his lane during the race. Lane inspector Tony Sucec  unpopularly reported that Breddell took four steps on the white line that separated his lane from that of teammate Michael Cornell.

Breddell also won the Western League 100 in 1969 and was a three-year member of Kearny’s championship 440-yard relay teams.

Thanks to Rich Peralta for notification.

The San Diego Section regular season will end Feb. 8 and championships in at least three of the 19 basketball-playing leagues  will come down to the final week.

Rancho Buena Vista (6-1) and Vista (5-2) will meet at Vista for the Avocado League  title.  RBV edged the rival Panthers, 62-61, in the teams’ first meeting.

University City (7-2) and San Diego (7-2) are on a collision course to settles matters in trhe City League at San Diego.

Victory Christian (8-1), coached by former San Diego State star DJ Gay, will try to avenge a 75-73 loss to San Diego Academy (9-0) in the Citrus loop.

League standings as of Wednesday, Jan. 30:

LEAGUE	TEAM	RECORD	WON-LOSS	DIVISION
Avocado East	Rancho Buena Vista	6-1	22-3	2
Avocado West	Torrey Pines	5-1	18-6	1
	San Marcos	5-1	15-7	1
Citrus	San Diego Academy	9-0	20-2	5
City	University City	7-2	16-9	3
	San Diego	7-2	14-8	3
Coastal	Foothills Christian	5-2	17-5	1
	La Jolla Country Day	5-2	16-8	1
Desert	Imperial	2-1	14-8	4
Eastern	Point Loma	5-2	16-7	2
	Scripps Ranch	5-2	14-8	2
	Lincoln	5-2	12-14	2
Grossmont Hills	Helix	5-1	15-9	1
Grossmont Valley	Valhalla	6-1	22-3	3
Imperial Valley	El Centro Southwest	3-0	10-12	3
Manzanita	Calexico Vincent Memorial	7-0	10-10	4
Mesa	Mater Dei	6-0	14-8	1
Ocean	Del Lago	4-1	13-11	5
	Calvin Christian	4-1	9-8	4
Pacific	Orange Glen	6-0	12-10	1
Palomar	Poway	5-0	20-5	1
Patriot	Southern California Yeshiva	8-0	11-4	5
Pioneer	Bonsall	8-0	10-7	5
	Chula Vista Learning	8-0	9-7	5
South Bay	Sweetwater	8-0	17-6	3
Summit	High Tech San Diego	5-1	11-9	4
Valley	Escondido	6-0	14-10	3
Western	St. Augustine	10-0	21-5	1

St. Augustine completed a 10-0 run through the Western League on Jan. 29, topping host Mission Bay, 72-55,  behind Chibuzo Agbo’s 40 points.

Agbo made 8 of 11 three-point field goal attempts. Mission Bay played without star Rajean (Boogie) Ellis, sidelined with an announced sore ankle.

Union-Tribune Week 9 poll as of Monday, Jan. 28:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last Week
1	St. Augustine (10)	20-5	135	1
2.	Foothills Christian (3)	16-5	121	5
3	Torrey Pines	18-6	114	2
4	Mission Bay (1)	14-8	94	3
5	Santa Fe Christian	16-6	78	6
6	La Jolla Country Day	16-7	63	4
7	Poway	20-5	50	9
8	San Marcos	15-7	40	7
9	Cathedral Catholic	16-8	20	NR
10	Carlsbad	18-5	17	NR

NR–Not ranked.

Others receiving votes: Rancho Buena Vista (21-3, 15 points), Francis Parker (13-7, 15) Montrgomery (18-3, 5), Vista (16-8, 2).

Voters: John Maffei, The San Diego Union-Tribune; Terry Monahan, Freelance; Steve Brand, San Diego Sports Association;  Carlton Hoggard (CIF San Diego Section), Adam Paul,  Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com; John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3 FM, The Fan; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Steve Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM; Christian Pedersen, S.D. Preps Insider; Aaron Burgin, Fulltime Hoops; Brad Enright, L.A. Court Report.

 

 

The 880-yard relay, a frenetic and often perilous event, provided a wild conclusion to the CIF Southern Section finals at Compton.

San Diego High won the team championship, surviving rush-hour traffic and a near pileup, not unlike a wild main event of a midget auto racing card in Balboa Stadium.

The Hillers’ Charlie Davis, spiked by another runner about 100 yards from the finish line, hung on for a second place that was the difference in the team standings.

San Diego’s 20 points topped Glendale Hoover, which had 19, and Compton, which did not have a relay team and finished with 18.  Fullerton was fourth with 15.

Coach Bill Patten’s seven-man squad and Glendale Hoover, led by sprint ace John Bradley, each had 16 points entering the final event.

Laguna Beach was a “surprise gun-to-tape winner but they went virtually unnoticed,” wrote the Los Angeles Times’ John De la Vega, who captured the moment.

HILLERS VS. TORNADOES

“All eyes were on the two title rivals,” said De La Vega.

“San Diego ran second most of the way while Hoover, the favorite, got two bad passes and trailed the Hillers by nine yards in next-to-last place as the anchor leg started.

“Then came the rousing finish,” wrote De La Vega.

Hillers anchorman Davis survived a cut on his leg when Inglewood’s Jack Hadley crashed in front of the fast-closing Bradley and Hadley’s shoe spikes tore Davis’ flesh.

Bradley, accelerating as he traversed the curve, had closed to within three yards of Davis as the pack turned for home.  Hadley, also charging, suddenly stumbled, nipping Davis, and falling in front of Bradley.

Bradley pulled up and ran around Hadley, according to De La Vega, and then made another challenge but finished two yards behind Davis.

Champion Hilltoppers with perpetual title trophy, front row (from left): Harold Miller, Bob Van Doren, Ernie Smith. Standing (from left): coach Bill Patten, Rudy Graham, Calvin Carter, Charlie Davis, John Davis.  Courtesy, John Dahlem/CIF Southern Section.

IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED?

Three published accounts of that relay race, beginning with De La Vega’s, are not  in agreement.

Wrote Don King in Caver Conquest, the athletic history of San Diego High:

“Sparked by some nifty running and baton passes among Hal Miller, Calvin Carter, and Ernie Smith, the Hillers jumped into an early lead (De La Vega’s Times story said Laguna led all the way) coming into Davis’ anchor leg.  But a rival runner accidentally spiked Davis in the baton exchange (the Times story indicated it happened much later).”

The San Diego Union correspondent, unidentified, reported in a “Special” dispatch:

“The Hiller quartet took an early lead, but on the last lap Davis was spiked by a rival runner. The mishap enabled Laguna Beach to take the lead, but Davis, continuing in spite of the injury, held off his Glendale Hoover rival to finish second.”

THE OTHERS…

Seven San Diego High athletes were among the fifteen from the Coast, Metropolitan, and Southern Prep leagues who qualified for the finals after loop meets and two divisional competitions.

–San Diego’s Harold Miller was not among the top five finishers in the 100-yard dash, won by Howard Bugbee of Redondo Beach Redondo Union in: 09.6.

–Miller and Davis were not among the top five in the scorching 220-yard dash, won by Bradley by less than a foot over Compton’s Bill Fell in: 21.

–Calvin Carter was fourth in the 440-yard dash, won by San Dieguito’s Don Balsley in :51.2, providing two points for the Hillers.

–Bob Van Doren won the shot put at 55 feet ¾ inch and John Davis got up for fourth at 50-10 ¾, giving the Hillers 7 points.

–Rudy Graham was a surprising second in the high jump at 6 feet, 3 inches, and picked up four points, beating among others San Diego Hoover’s Jack Razzeto, who cleared 6-5 3/4, two Saturdays before in a divisional meet at Balboa Stadium.

–Ernie Smith, the 1947 champion at 22-6 ½, was third in the broad jump at 22-1½, giving the Hillers three points and a total 16 as they awaited the relay sprint.

San Diego was one of the favorites in the relay, having run 1:30.4 and 1:30.7 leading to the finals.  With an accident-free race the Hilltoppers may not have equaled Laguna Beach’s winning time of 1:29.9, but their second place finish was good for 4 points and the winning total of 20.

…AND OTHERS

–Point Loma’s Bob Mahon, usually a triple winner in both hurdles and broad jump during the Pointers’ dual meet season, was disqualified along with Glendale Hoover’s Jack Davis and Beverly Hills’ Bill Storum in the 120-yard highs.

Mahon’s best time of: 15.1 would have had him in the mix in a race in which Bob Boaz of Fullerton won in :15.

–Martin Donahue of Grossmont and Kenny Holly of Escondido were unplaced in the mile.

–Grossmont’s Hal Norris was unplaced in the shot put.

–Jack Razzeto of Hoover cleared 6-2 but lost a coin toss to Dick Brombach of Long Beach Poly in the high jump.  Brombach  became the third qualifier for the state meet the following week in Berkeley.

–Jack Lucas of La Jolla was third in the 880, won by Wilbur Firestone of Compton in 2:00.

–Duane Pusey of Grossmont tied for third with two others in the pole vault but lost a coin toss to determine who would advance to Berkeley.

STATE MEET

–Jack Lucas was third in the 880, won by Firestone in 1:57.8.

–Don Balsley unofficially was timed in: 50.4 and finished fifth in one of two 440-yard dashes.  Luther Butler of Los Angeles Jefferson and Fred Thompson of L.A. Jordan were declared co-champions at :49.2.

–Bob Van Doren’s 54-6 ¼ in the shot put was third to the national record 59-7 ½ by L.A. Washington’s Bob Cameron.

–Rudy Graham tied for third in the high jump at 6-2.  Dick Brombach of Long Beach Poly and Ed Young of L.A. Jefferson were co-champs at 6-3.

–Ernie Smith did not place in the broad jump.

–San Diego was fifth in the 880 relay, behind L.A. Jordan, L.A. Jefferson, Glendale
Hoover, and San Francisco Lowell.  Jordan’s winning time was 1:29.5.

–The Hilltoppers were seventh in the team scoring with 6 ¼ points.  L.A. Jordan led with 22.

RELAY MADNESS

San Diego was 3-1 in dual meets, losing an early-season, 57-47 decision to Grossmont when the Hilltoppers dropped the baton in the 880 relay, depriving them of a 52-52  tie.

Charlie Davis’ strong anchor leg, in which he caught and passed Hoover and Tucson runners, gave the Hillers a triangular meet victory in a night session before 1,200 persons at Balboa Stadium.  The Hillers scored 53 points. Tucson, an Arizona power, 51, and Hoover 25 ½.

A dropped baton in the Class A relay deprived Grossmont of a clean sweep in classes A, B, and C, in the Metropolitan League finals at San Diego State.

Point Loma won the relay and the Class A title with 46 points to the Foothillers’ 42 ¾.  Grossmont coach Jack Mashin dropped six varsity (A) performers into Class B, opening the door for coach Don Giddings’ Pointers.

Grossmont swept dual meet opponents in all but one A, B, and C competition.  La Jolla beat the Foothillers in a Class B dual.

FOOTHILLERS TOP HILLTOPPERS

The dual meet victory over San Diego was Grossmont’s third against the Hilltoppers since 1944, rare achievements by a school not in the San Diego city limits.

Indeed, Grossmont coach Jack Mashin, who retired as football boss after the 1947 season, built a powerful program of deep and talented teams, particularly in the field events.

Grossmont led area schools with 17 ¼ points in the 27^th annual Southern Counties meet at Huntington Beach High.

Three Grossmont pole vaulters cleared 12 feet to tie for first and sophomore Hal Norris topped San Diego’s Bob Van Doren and John Davis in the shot and finished second.

Compton won the team championship at Huntington Beach with 29 points, riding the rapid wheels of Bill Fell, who won the 100-yard dash in :09.6, 220 on the straightaway in :20.8 and broad jump at 22 feet, 6 inches.

5/1/48

Grossmont was deprived of  championships in Classes A,B, and C in the Metropolitan League meet when the Foothillers botched a baton exchange in the final event 880-yard relay.

A dropped baton did in the Foothillers an Point Loma won the relay in 1:33.9 and Class A with 47 points to the Foothillers’ 42.7/10.

 

SPIKE DUST

Future pro golf champion Gene Littler was one of La Jolla’s shotputters…St. Augustine fielded A, B, and C teams for the first time in the school’s 26-year history…Bob Van Doren set a San Diego school shot put record with a heave of 55-2 ¾ in the Balboa Stadium divisional meet…Van Doren unofficially bettered the mark at 55-7 1/8 in an extra trial after the shot put competition in the state meet…Van Doren also was first at Berkeley with a 46-10 3/4 toss in the non-counting 16-pound shot competition…Ernie Smith didn’t repeat as Southern Section broad jump champion but had a career-best 22-9 in the Coast League triangular dual meet with Pasadena and Pasadena Muir…Hoover’s Bill McColl, all-Southern California in football, basketball and baseball, also found time to run the hurdles for coach Raleigh Holt’s track team….

Have team league championships lost their cachet?

Shrinking newspaper space, computer and newsletter rankings, weekly “classics” and  “challenges” all appear have diminished a once-cherished achievement.

Not quite.

Go to a game and notice the commemorative patches and chevrons adorning the athletes’ letter jackets.  Read a coach’s resume and list of accomplishments.  Hear the reaction of players and students when their team clinches.

The league championship still is an  important part of the season and several are in play as the 120-odd San Diego Section teams eye the pivotal month of February and the upcoming playoffs.

Playoff-qualifying teams will compete in their respected divisions, while select Division I clubs will comprise an eight-team Open division bracket.

Division brackets will change once the CIF state playoffs begin.

Leaders in the San Diego Section’s 21 leagues, comprising the 120-odd teams playing basketball, as of Monday, Jan. 21:

LEAGUE	TEAM	RECORD	WON-LOSS	DIVISION
Avocado East	El Camino	3-1	12-9	1
	Vista	3-1	14-8	1
	Rancho Buena Vista	3-1	19-3	2
Avocado West	Torrey Pines	4-0	17-5	1
	San Marcos	4-0	14-6	1
Citrus	Victory Christian	6-0	13-8	4
City	University City	6-1	15-8	3
Coastal	La Jolla Country Day	4-0	15-6	1
Desert	Imperial	2-0	13-6	4
Eastern	Point Loma	4-1	15-5	2
Grossmont Hills	Steele Canyon	3-1	5-13	2
Grossmont Valley	Mount Miguel	3-0	16-5	2
Manzanita	Calexico Vincent Memorial	4-0	7-9	4
Imperial Valley	El Centro Southwest	3-0	8-12	3
Mesa	Mater Dei	4-0	12-7	1
Ocean	Calvin Christian	2-0	8-6	4
Pacific	Orange Glen	4-0	8-10	1
Palomar	Poway	3-0	18-5	1
Patriot	Southern California Yeshiva	7-0	9-4	5
Pioneer	Bonsall	6-0	8-7	5
South Bay	Sweetwater	6-0	14-6	3
Summit	High Tech San Diego	4-0	10-7	4
Valley	Ramona	4-0	12-9	3
Western	St. Augustine	7-0	18-4	1

St. Augustine and Foothills Christian will participate in this week’s big event, the Nike Extravanza Saturday at Santa Ana Mater Dei.

The Saints, No. 13-ranked in the weekly Cal-Hi Sports newsletter and No. 13 in Max Preps, will take on San Juan Capistrano JSerra, ranked 56th by Max Preps.

Foothills Christian, 24th by Max Preps,will play Orange Lutheran, 15th by Max Preps and 17th by Cal-Hi Sports.

St. Augustine is the only area squad in Cal-Hi‘s top 20.  Foothills Christian, La Jolla Country Day, Mission Bay, and Torrey Pines are on the bubble.

Union-Tribune Week 8 poll as of Monday, Jan. 21:

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Last Week
1	St. Augustine (10)	18-4	136	1
2.	Torrey Pines (4)	17-5	129	2
3	Mission Bay`	13-7	110	3
4	La Jolla Country Day	15-6	99	4
5	Foothills Christian	12-5	86	5
6	Santa Fe Christian	14-6	56	6
7	San Marcos	14-6	50	8
8	Francis Parker	13-5	46	7
9	Poway	18-5	41	9
10	Rancho Buena Vista	19-3	12	NR

NR–Not ranked.

Others receiving votes: Vista (14-8. 4 points), Montrgomery (15-3, 2), Cathedral (14-8, 1),  Sweetwater (14-5, 1), Valhalla (18-3, 1).

Voters: John Maffei, The San Diego Union-Tribune; Terry Monahan, Freelance; Steve Brand, San Diego Sports Association;  Carlton Hoggard (CIF San Diego Section), Adam Paul,  Ramon Scott, EastCountySports.com; John Kentera, Braden Suprenant, 97.3 FM, The Fan; Rick Smith, partletonsports.com; Bodie DeSilva, sandiegopreps.com; Steve Dolan, Mountain Country 107.9 FM; Christian Pedersen, S.D. Preps Insider; Aaron Burgin, Fulltime Hoops; Brad Enright, L.A. Court Report.