1969-70: Many Could Hoop, Not Just Bill

No team could match, or come close to, the withering pace of Bill Walton and the Helix Highlanders, but individual play was at an all-time high.

Eleven players, meeting a minimum of 15 games, averaged at least 23 points.  Eleven also scored more than 600 points.

By comparison, just 10 players averaged 23 points or more from 1960-69.  The table below includes annual leaders in points and averages from the inaugural San Diego Section season in 1960-61 through 1960-69.

Second table will show how scoring in 1969-70 was dramatically higher than in any of the first nine seasons of the decade.

More teams, more games and more players contributed to the increased level of points, but scoring average comes from better shooting, which continued to evolve, dating from the vintage, “running set shot” to today’s pure jump shot.

SEASON NAME TEAM POINTS AVERAGE
60-61 John Fairchild San Dieguito 428
Brian Ross El Capitan 18.7
61-62 Dick Baker Grossmont 490 19.6
62-63 Larry Blum Crawford 737 23.8
Elburt Miller San Diego 688 25.5
63-64 Rip Barrett Castle Park 537
Paul Landis Monte Vista 20.7
64-65 Mike Kinkki Mission Bay 601 21.5
65-66 Von Jacobsen Crawford 712 24.6
66-67 Blaine Bundy El Capitan 656 25.2
Oscar Foster San Diego 642
Russ (Whimpy) Northcutt Kearny 622 23.9
Steve Rostoker Madison 602 23.2
67-68 Ron Dahms Madison 712
Mike Ela Mount Miguel 685
John Tschogl Hilltop 649
Monroe Nash Morse 608 24.3
68-69 Wilburn Strong Kearny 774 25.8
Phil Edwards Madison 766 23.9
Paul Halupa Bonita Vista 718* 28.7

*Next highest scorer had 553.

1969-70:

Steve Higgins set single-game record of 37 points for 15-11 La Jolla.

Lincoln was 23-6, and Clarence Brown became Hornets’ all-time scoring leader.

Bob Tagye of 22-7 Chula Vista was among leaders.

Madison’s Dave Smith threatened several scoring records and led Warhawks to 18-11 record.

NAME TEAM GAMES POINTS AVERAGE
Bill Walton Helix 33 958 29.0 (1)
Dave Smith Madison 29 776 26.8 (3)
George Evans St. Augustine 32 748 23.4 (8)
Cedric (Ric) Reed Morse 29 711 24.5 (5)
Clarence Brown Lincoln 29 709 24.4 (6)
Elias Delgadillo Castle Park 30 689 23.0 (T10)
Paul Halupa Bonita Vista 25 688 27.5 (2)
Steve Higgins La Jolla 26 667 25.7 (4)
Mike Dupree Helix 33 652 19.8
Pete Jackson Hilltop 28 644 23.0 (T10)
Bob Nelson Vista 26 605 23.3 (9)
Bob Tagye Chula Vista 29 592 20.4
Randy Schutjer Chula Vista 29 548 18.9
Kenny Carlson Mar Vista 25 528 21.1
Bill Belander Monte Vista 28 501 17.9
Steve Vickery El Capitan 24 485 20.3
Gary Monahan St. Augustine 29 485 16.7
Scott Braly Francis Parker 20 474 22.7
James Ross Kearny 25 475 19.0
Tim Doerr Granite Hills 21 470 22.4
Nate Smith San Diego 24 449 18.7
Kyle Hypes Santana 29 444 15.3
Dave Bartholomew Kearny 26 443 17.0
Jimmy Bristol Monte Vista 28 440 15.7
Loren Russell San Diego Military 19 433 22.3
Mark Wilde Grossmont 24 427 17.8
Jack McMahon University 29 416 14.3
Gary Kloppenburg La Jolla 27 413 15.3

Reed, Christian, 16×391, 24.4. Pharr, La Jolla Country Day, 18×361, 20.0.                  Sander, San Miguel, 16×324, 20.3. Western, San Miguel, 10×239, 23.9.

Friday Night Tense: Ball slips out of bounds beyond reach of Morse’s Keith Walker, while St. Augustine’s George Evans and Morse’s Mike Mc Kenna, and Stan Rosendahl (from left) take it all in.

HELIX OR MOUNT MIGUEL?

Bill Center of The San Diego Union posed the question to 10 area coaches.  Which is better, this year’s Helix team, 19-0 at the time of the poll, or the 1967-68 Mount Miguel team that was 32-0?

Five coaches voted for Helix, 2 for Mount Miguel, two abstained, and one didn’t reply.

The consensus was “Mount Miguel was great, but Walton….”

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

Madison coach John Hannon (18-11): “I used to say that Mount Miguel was the best around in a long time, but (Bill) Walton makes me think twice.  If you stress the word TEAM I like Mount Miguel…but I think Helix would win the game.”

Lincoln’s Bill Peterson (23-6): “Mount Miguel was a five-man effort, while Helix is four men working towards one.  It’s a better year (talent wise in the area) than it was then.  I think Helix is a better club.”

Wayne Colborne, Kearny (11-15):  “Mount Miguel.  (Mike) Ela and (Kenny) Greenman supplied the outside shooting you need to beat a good big man.”

Pal Pruett, Hilltop (19-9):  Mount Miguel was the more demoralizing of the two and had better personnel.”

Tom Curran, Santana (20-9):  “I don’t think Mount Miguel’s press would have worked.”

Tom Williams, Morse (18-11):  “(Helix) is a fine team without Walton.  It’s a great team with him.”

Tom Snow, Castle Park (23-7):  “This is a sport that a big man can dominate.  Walton dominates.’

BEFOULED

La Jolla Country Day’s 92-78 win over Christian had an interesting angle.  Six of the seven players on the Christian roster fouled out in the fourth quarter.  The game was called with 1:42 remaining when the Patriots had one man on the court.

SPARTANS & RANDY ON FIRE

Randy (Shooter) Schutjer of Chula Vista drained all 10 of his field goal attempts but his 23 points were just a complement to Chula Vista’s 79-69 victory over Hoover (13-14).  Teammate Bob Tagye scored 24 points and the hot Spartans knocked down 32×44 attempts from the field, a fiery 73 per cent.

SHAULES-ERA RECORD FALLS

Tom Shaules, Sammy Owens, Raul Martinez and company set a St. Augustine scoring record in a 105-34 victory over La Jolla in 1957-58.  This season’s squad (28-4) surpassed that once-unapproachable mark in a 109-46 stomping of El Capitan (6-18).  Tom Davis (29), George Evans (19), Ron Wrigley (18), and Gary Monahan (12) led the way.

Francis Parker’s Scott Braly almost outscored San Marino Southwestern Military with 25 points in a 48-25 victory.  Braly scored 28 in a rematch in Municipal Gym as the Lancers prevailed again, 62-36.

TOURNAMENTS

KIWANIS

–Madison’s 6-foot, 4-inch Dave Smith set a school record with 45 points, bettering Phil Edwards’ 43 in 1968-69, with 16 field goals and 13×15 free throw shooting in the Warhawks’ 97-43, first-round romp over Mount Miguel in the 23rd annual.

Bill Walton held sway but Chula Vista’s Randy Schutjer, St. Augustine’s George Evans, and Oceanside’s Jerry Culp (clockwise from left) also brought game.

–Smith had 15 field goals and 33 points the next night but Madison fell to Helix, 87-65.

–Helix defeated San Diego (13-11), 89-45, for the Unlimited Division title.  Castle Park topped Lincoln, 65-52, for the Limited, and El Centro Central beat Mission Bay(12-12), 59-49, for the Classified.

La Jolla’s Steve Higgins scored 37 points in the 15-12 Vikings’ 84-64 win over Carlsbad (12-14) for third place in the  Limited Division.  Higgins broke Chet Guthrie’s school record of 35 in 1960-61.

UNIVERSITY

Tenth-grader Steve Seidler had a game he could talk about the rest of his life.

Point Loma, 4-5, upset 7-4 Santana, 59-57, in overtime in the opening round.

Seidler scored 24 points, a notable achievement, but which took a backseat.

–Seidler scored the Pointers’ last 10 points in regulation play.

–With Santana stars Terry Forster and Kyle Hypes out with fouls, Seidler keyed a Pointers zone press that overcame a 12-point Sultans lead in the fourth quarter.

–Seidler rebounded a teammate’s missed shot and scored with three seconds left to tie the game, 55-55, and send it into the extra session.

–Seidler’s 20-foot jump shot with two seconds left in overtime lifted the Pointers to victory.

–Clarence Brown’s 31 points were enough for Lincoln to beat St. Augustine, 72-64, for the championship.

EL CENTRO ELKS

–Clarence Thomas, averaging 34.9 points for 10-0 Blythe Palo Verde scored 41 points and Art Harris, averaging 21.6, added 27 as the Yellowjackets overcame Dave Smith’s 38 to topple Madison, 96-95.

–Cedric (Ric) Reed scored 43 points the following evening as Morse eliminated Palo Verde, 123-72.  Harris scored 38 but Thomas was held to 19.

Mar Vista’s Gary Earle battled Lincoln’s Clarence Brown (under Earle), while the Hornets’ Roger Davis (53) observes.

–The 12-0 El Centro Central Spartans outscored Morse, 19-9, in the fourth quarter to win the championship, 65-53.  Blythe beat Crawford, 84-75, for third place and Madison earned fifth place, 65-51 over Orange Glen.

VILLA PARK

La Crescenta Crescenta Valley topped Oceanside (20-7), 81-48. Oceanside won the consolation championship defeating Redondo Beach Redondo, 76-64, and Palos Verdes Miraleste, 77-72.

JIM MITCHELL (FORMER MUSTANG OPTIMIST)

Mar Vista (12-13)claimed the championship, 68-57, over Carlsbad as Don Wade and Kenny Carlsen each scored 21.

NEWPORT HARBOR

La Jolla’s Steve Higgins was injured in pregame warmup and didn’t play but the Vikings defeated Yuma KOFA, 64-63.  Lancaster Antelope Valley defeated La Jolla, 81-58, in the semifinals and Monte Vista (21-7) advanced, 73-65 over Newport Beach Newport Harbor after trailing, 50-49, entering the final quarter.

CHINO

Chula Vista won its opening game, 68-65, in overtime against Pomona and then lost to Pomona, 94-85.  Ganesha ousted Chula Vista from the consolation bracket, 73-70.

LA PUENTE NOGALES

Bonita defeated Marian, 70-50, Rowland Heights Rowland sent the Crusaders home, 67-50.

COVINA

While Helix was dominating, Poway advanced in the consolation bracket, 69-65, over Los Angeles Cathedral after an 83-73 loss to Pasadena La Salle.

The long arm of Castle Park’s Elias Delgadillo blocked path to basket of Lincoln’s Clarence Brown.

BULLDOGS BITE

Ramona (18-7) won the Class A championship by defeating 10-8 La Jolla Country Day, 103-55, and Army-Navy (13-8), 84-55.  Army-Navy had knocked out 9-12 Mountain Empire, which practices outside and does not have a gym, 64-50 and ‘Day topped ‘Empire, 70-57, for third place.

QUICK KICKS

St. Augustine, with  12-0 record, became the first Eastern League team to run the table since Hoover was 10-0 in 1959-60…the Saints had clinched with two games to remaining, knocking down Morse, 78-69, behind George Evans’ 30 points…Patrick Henry(12-15) clinched a more successful second season when it won an early December game against Santana, 59-55, to improve to 3-0…the Patriots were  2-23 in 1968-69…coaches’ sons included La Jolla’s Gary Kloppenburg and University’s Jack McMahon…Bob Kloppenburg coached Cal Western University and Jack McMahon, Sr., mentored the San Diego Rockets of the NBA…all 11 Santana players scored in the Sultans’ 91-63 victory over Point Loma….future major league pitcher Terry Forster led the Santee club with 11 points…Chula Vista’s Bob Tagye converted a free throw and scored on a follow shot to give Chula Vista a 68-65, overtime win against Montclair in the Chino Tournament…future football coach Gene Alim on Mar Vista also could hoop…Alim scored 26 in an 86-82 loss to Bonita Vista…Granite Hills (5-19) dropped an 88-61 decision to Grossmont (8-16) despite 40 points from Tim Doerr…Mount Miguel, destined for a 2-22 finish won its first game of the season in the University event by overcoming a 40-point effort by Randy Larson and defeating Clairemont (5-20), 71-68…Roy Garcia converted 15×16 free throw attempts and Hoover upended Morse, 62-53…La Jolla converted 35×44 free throws in an 81-68 win over University (19-9)…James Ross, a transfer from Denver, Colorado, sank two free throws with 15 seconds left in regulation and drained a 22-foot shot at the buzzer in overtime to give Kearny a 57-55 win over Point Loma (8-16)….




2018 Week 16: San Diego Teams Organize Travel Plans

Get your kicks on Route 101 or I-5.

And be sure to pack for cool…well, maybe cold weather.

That’s the forecast for 3 of the San Diego Section teams still competing in the state football playoffs.

Lincoln knows that it will play next week in Division III-AA but not where after winning the Southern California regional last week, coming from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to win on the road, 54-42, at Culver City.

The Hornets will take on the winner of the Northern regional, matching Menlo-Atherton of the Central Coast Section and Eureka of the North Coast.

Should Eureka win, Lincoln may find use for a Rand-McNally road atlas.

A Lincoln-Eureka game would arguably represent the longest, in-state trip in the history of the state CIF.

The distance is 772.3 miles from the Hornets’ campus at 49th Street and Imperial Avenue in South San Diego to the Eureka High campus at 19th and J. streets, roughly 270 miles North of San Francisco and about 100 miles south of the Oregon border.

The trip could be longer, if this week’s site is an indication.  The Eureka Loggers-Menlo Atherton Bears contest will be played at McKinleyville High, 19 miles north of Eureka.

Should Menlo-Atherton win, the Hornets are looking at an approximate 490-mile trip.

San Diego High and Orange Glen also will make the rubber hit the road.

The Cavers will meet Colfax in the D5-A championship and they are preparing for a 563-mile venture to a community that its chamber of commerce advertises as “above the fog and below the snow”, northeast of Sacramento.  Colfax’ 2,425-foot elevation is probably a couple hundred feet  higher than Ramona’s in San Diego County.

The odometer will finally rest at 502 miles when Orange Glen visits San Francisco Lincoln in the San Francisco Washington stadium, which is located in  an area known as the “Avenues”, several miles west of downtown.

Cathedral also doesn’t know which team it will play, Folsom or Fresno Central, but the Division I-AA state championship game will be at Cerritos College in Norwalk, less than 2 hours from the Dons’ Del Mar digs.

LAST WEEK

CATHEDRAL 24, NARBONNE 21

Cathedral won another tough battle with visiting Harbor City Narbonne, the L.A. City champion, 24-21, when Jalen Dye, son of former major league baseballer Jermaine Dye intercepted a pass on the Dons’ one-yard line with 14 seconds remaining after the Gauchos had fought back from a 21-7 deficit.

Cathedral’s Dean Janikowski broke a 21-21 tie with a 40-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining.  Narbonne’s Jake Garcia passed for 334 yards, but Cathedral’s Shawn Poma rushed for 246 yards and touchdown runs of 33 and 80 yards.

Poma ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns in the Dons’ 35-28, DI-AA playoff win over Narbonne in 2016.

SIMI VALLEY GRACE BRETHREN 28, ST. AUGUSTINE 14

The Saints trailed, 21-14, with 2:01 remaining in the DII-AA contest at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks when they were stopped on fourth down at the Lancers’ 49-yard line.  Brethren’s Josh Henderson clinched the victory with a 37-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left.  The Saints ended coach Joe Kremer’s first season at 10-5.

LINCOLN 54, CULVER CITY 42

The Hornets’ Don Chapman scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, on a 40-yard interception return, 84-yard kickoff return, one-yard touchdown run, and two-yard point after run to seal the DIII-AA victory after Lincoln trailed, 35-26, in the second half.

VISALIA CENTRAL VALLEY CHRISTIAN 30, MORSE 14

The Central Section champion overcame an early, 8-0 Morse lead and dominated the IV-AA game.  Shamar Martin, apparently headed to UCLA, led the Tigers with 111 yards in 21 carries and a touchdown.

SAN DIEGO 42, TEMECULA LINFIELD CHRISTIAN 31

The Cavers trailed the DV-A favorite and state’s highest scoring team, 21-0, 24-7, and 31-21.  Jayden Wickware’s 94-yard kickoff return got the Cavers close, and then Mo Jackson put the them in front, 35-31, with a 57-yard scoring hike.

ORANGE GLEN 22, L.A. LOCKE 14

Carlos Galvan sacked Saints quarterback Mikel Beime, who fumbled and the Patriots’ Damien Gainey recovered and ran 10 yards to Locke’s nine-yard line.  On the next play Cael Patterson scored and then, after a couple penalties on the visitors, punched in a two-point conversion to clinch the DVI-A battle with 2:05 remaining.




2018 Week 15: Coach’s Son Fires Coach’s Team

Sixth and final in a series on San Diego Section state playoff matchups.

VI-A

After coach Rob Gilster departed to fledgling Valley Center following a 9-3 season in 1997, Orange Glen went into free fall.  They were 51-155 from 1998 until this season when fifth-season coach Jason Patterson, 1-9 in ‘17 and 15-28 overall, turned to another Patterson.

Cael Patterson, the coach’s son, a 180-pound junior not reluctant to take the ball, averaged 200 yards a game rushing, with 2,196 yards in 329 carries in 11 games, and scored 26 touchdowns to go with a 6.7-yard rushing average.

Patterson also caught 14 and scored two touchdowns although the pass is a passing thought to the Patriots, who have attempted 55 in their 8-4 season.

Cal Preps.com predicts a 28-21 Orange Glen victory over Los Angeles Locke tonight at  6 in the Southern California Class 6-A playoffs at the Patriots’ East Escondido facility.

Locke played in the Los Angeles City Section’s Coliseum League for many years, but, after a 1-9 season in 2016, the Saints moved to the Metro, winning a league championship with a 10-3 overall record.

The school in the legendary South Central L.A. community of Watts went back to the Coliseum this year, finishing third to Dorsey and Crenshaw, but defeated Roosevelt, 22-21, for the D-II section title and is 10-4.

Locke has an edge in prominent alumni.

Named after Alain Leroy Locke, the first African-American Rhodes Scholar in 1907, the Saints boast baseball Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith among their graduates, along with Valery Briscoe Hooks, a five-time Olympic medalist in track and field.

Orange Glen cites two NFL players, quarterback Sean Salisbury and defensive back Lenny McGill. By the time he graduates in 2020, Patterson figures to increase Orange Glen’s list of prominent football alums.

 

 




2018 Week 15: Cavers Go Back to the Future

Fifth in a series this week on San Diego Section playoff matchups.

V-A

San Diego coach Charles James, while returning the city’s oldest and perhaps most beloved high school to prominence, recognized tradition and greatness.

After multi-generation tough sledding, which began with a gradual shift in demographics and school boundaries after Duane Maley retired following a championship in 1959, the Cavers are thriving again.

San Diego won 176 games and lost 347 from 1960-2014.  They were 2-8 and 1-9 in James’ first two seasons, 2015-16, but have enjoyed back to back 12-1 and 10-2 campaigns.

The Cavers topped Kearny, 42-14, last week for their first outright San Diego Section title (they shared a championship after a 21-21 tie with Escondido in 1969) and James paid tribute to those who came before him in an interview following the game with television channel KUSI 51.

James, born several years after Maley’s departure, wanted the viewing audience to know that he was up on his Cavers history and how James valued the school’s tradition.

That tradition includes national championship recognition in 1955 and the years 1944-60, when San Diego made the playoffs 14 times, plus Southern Section championship appearances in 1916, ’25, ’33, ’47, and ‘59.

His message also has filtered down to James’ players, music to the ears of the vast number of alumni who still support the former “Old Grey Castle.”

San Diego takes its next step against Temecula Linfield Saturday night  in the Southern California Division V-A playoffs.

The Cavers like to run the ball.  Raiden Hunter has rushed for 1,063 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Mo Jackson has gained 986 yards in 86 attempts plus 17 touchdowns and an 11.5-yard rushing average.  Jayden Wickware is at 7.3 yards a carry and has gained 631 yards in 87 carries. Quinn O’Connor, who transferred when Horizon Christian closed, has been an effective quarterback with 49 completions in 95 attempts and 16 touchdown passes.

FAMILIAR FACE

Linfield Christian, which opened in 1936 as Culter Academy in Los Angeles and bounced around until settling in Temecula in 1972, has a long history with San Diego teams, mostly among the smallest schools, many in eight-man competition.

The Lions hold a 30-22-2 record against San Diego Section clubs since 1981.  Local teams, however, were 6-1-1 from 2010 through the 2012 season. There have been no games since.

Linfield, with reported support from ex-Lincoln star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, upgraded to 13-1 against stronger competition this season, losing only to San Bernardino Aquinas, 30-20, and averaging 57 points.

The Lions won games in which they scored 85, 78, 70, 69, and 63 points.  Their offensive coordinator is former Lincoln standout and NFL No. 1 draft choice Akili Smith.

Kaleb Maresh has thrown for 32 touchdowns, is averaging 8.8 yards carrying the ball, and has scored 13 touchdowns.  Kenric Jamieson is the workhorse with 2,011 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns.

Max Preps ranks the Cavers 137th in California and Linfield 165thCal Preps.com assigned San Diego a 29.2 rating and Linfield 27.6.  The computer predicted a 35-34 Linfield victory.




2018: After Long Wait Morse Makes Long Trip

Fourth in a series this week on San Diego Section teams’ playoff matchups

IV-AA

Morse, staggered by a late-season, 47-6 loss to St. Augustine, recharged to win its last four games and claim the Tigers’ first San Diego Section championship in 24 years. The Skyline Drive squad was rewarded with the longest trip of the Southern California playoffs, 320 miles to Visalia and a 7:30 Friday evening kickoff against the 11-2 Central Valley Christian Cavaliers, winners of the Central Section’s Division IV.

Morse coach Tracy McNair has compiled a 60-55-1 record and stabilized the program since becoming head coach in 2009. The Tigers were 21-78 under three coaches from 1997-2008, a period in which the school underwent demographic change and football dramatically declined.

Morse had appeared in eight championship games and won five titles from 1979-96 under the legendary John Shacklett, one of the winningest coaches in County history with an all-time record of 229-156-8 (.659).

Morse’s 9-4 record represents the most victories in one season since the 12 in 1996, Shacklett’s last championship season.

The Tigers have done it with a running attack revolving around Shamar Martin, who has averaged 11.2 yards and gained 1,617 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.  Isiah Thompson has gained 1,569 yards with an 8.8-yard average and 13 touchdowns.

Eric Dragt, a 6-foot, 5-inch quarterback, has thrown for 1,638 yards and 23 Cavaliers touchdowns.  Running back Jaalen Rening has gained 1,216 yards and scored 28 touchdowns

Central Valley is ranked 108th in the state and Morse 112th by Max Preps.  The computer-based Cal Preps.com assigned a 32.9 rating to the Cavaliers, 33.4 to Morse, and predicts a 31-24 Central Valley win.

QUICK KICKS

Central Valley met two San Diego Section teams in 1986, defeating Army-Navy, 21-0, and losing to Santa Fe Christian, 24-3…the school began in 1979 as an elementary unit and became a kindergarten-to-grade-12 school in 1982…Morse is named after the man credited with inventing the single wire telegraph system known as the Morse code…the school name is officially Samuel F. B. Morse…his middle names were Finley and Breese…Morse died in 1872 but a granddaughter, Leila Morse, was an honored guest at a ceremony dedicating the school in 1962…

 




2018 Week 15: Hornets Visit High Scoring Culver City

Third in a series this week on San Diego Section teams’ Southern California playoff matchups.

III-AA

Lincoln rallied down the stretch with five consecutive victories and now is 10-4 after it appeared to be sliding into the abyss.

Coach David Dunn explained that injuries and other problems left him without enough players to take on Cathedral in the midseason, necessitating a forfeit by the Hornets, who also forfeited their opening game to Bloomington.

The Hornets changed gears the following week in a 24-14 win over Madison.

Lincoln began relying more on running back Carlito Nothaft, who was called on 77 times in the first nine games but carried the ball 90 times in the last five.  Nothaft has 1,201 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Raymond Spriggs (1,866 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Chris Davila (783 yards, 11 TD’s) both saw action at quarterback.

Cal Preps.com is predicting a 40-27 win for 12-2 Culver City, which will host the Hornets in a 7:30 kickoff Friday night. The computer entity is more impressed with the Centaurs’ statistics.

Greek mythology described a Centaur as a beast with the head, arms, and chest of a man but the legs of a horse.  This specimen relies on its arms, those of sophomore quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, who has passed for 3,122 yards and 46 touchdowns, and junior Nick Lucero, who has passed for 13 touchdowns and took over when Eckhaus missed two games. Wide receiver Kevin McGuire has caught 62 passes for a 17.1-yard average and 18 touchdowns, and five players have at least 29 catches.

Culver City averaged 44 points and scored 612 in its first 14 games.  Lincoln has a more modest 34.8 average and 417 points (not including the two forfeits).

Lincoln competes in the arguably stronger San Diego Western League with Cathedral, St. Augustine, Madison and Point Loma.  The Centaurs are aligned in the Southern Section’s Ocean loop, which includes league champion Lawndale, Hawthorne, Beverly Hills, El Segundo, and once powerful Santa Monica.

Lawndale won the teams’ head-to-head meeting, 37-36, and Palos Verdes Estates edged Culver City, 34-27.

QUICK KICKS

Cal Preps.com assigned Culver City a 47.4 rating…the Centaurs are ranked 32nd in the state by Max Preps and they are not in Cal-Hi Sports’ top 50…Lincoln also is outside the top 50 and is given a 41.5 rating by Cal Preps.com and is slotted at 68th by Max Preps…Culver City played St. Augustine here in 1952, a year after the Centaurs opened their doors, and the Saints, 2-5-1 that season, took a 14-6 decision…Culver did not  renew acquaintances here until Point Loma signed a home-and-home agreement that ran for four seasons, 2004-07…coach Mike Hastings’ Pointers were 38-12 during this period but could get only a 2-2 split with the Centaurs, who won the last two games, 40-13 and 54-35… the Dunn-coached Hornets are making their first Southern California playoff appearance and last won a San Diego Section title in 2012….