Looking Back: The narrative originally was posted on June 9, 2014.

As far back as early season 1989, Morse coach John Shacklett was able to smile through a 2-2 start and a forfeit win, supported by a belief that the best was yet to come.

This was after the Tigers had defeated Orange Glen, 31-28, for the 1988 3-A championship and not about the potential of the team that would reach the 3-A finals again in 1989 before losing, 21-7, to Rancho Buena Vista.

Shacklett was thinking further ahead, to 1990, and to Teddy Lawrence’s senior season.

Built around the explosive running and passing of Lawrence and junior running back Gary Taylor, Morse returned 29 lettermen and 18 players who started at least one game in 1989.

Rancho Buena Vista, El Camino, Helix, Mira Mesa, Chula Vista, Orange Glen, Oceanside, and Kearny also would be formidable. Morse met five of those teams, but only George Ohnessorgen’s Chula Vista Spartans came within a touchdown, in the 3-A semifinal.

Did this group of gifted players gathered on the 28-year-old campus at 69^th Street and Skyline Drive represent the all-time, No. 1 San Diego County team?

—Better than the 1916 San Diego High mythical national championship squad?

—Better than the 1955 Cavers national champions?

—Better than the 1985 state No. 1 Vista juggernaut?

—Or some of the Oceanside, Vista, Rancho Buena Vista, and El Camino teams that reflected the population explosion and increased talent pools in the 1970s and ‘80s in the North County?

—Not to mention Birt Slater’s 1963 Kearny Komets; any of a number of Duane Maley’s other San Diego High clubs; the Helix teams coached by Jim Arnaiz and Gordon Wood, or the Sweetwaters of David Lay and Gene Alim?

The Tigers built a case for themselves, game by game, beginning in Hawaii Aug. 26.

MORSE 55, @ HONOLULU PUNAHOU 15.

Barack Obama’s alma mater, a storied program on the islands, was no match. Teddy Lawrence rushed for 206 yards in six carries and scored on runs of 85, 42, and 67 yards and passed for touchdowns of 65, 11, and 36 yards.

A couple weeks later Punahou defeated St. Louis, Hawaii’s No. 1 team.

MORSE 28, RANCHO BUENA VISTA 14, @Mesa College

A headline read, “Taylor Runs Morse to 28-14 Upset”. It was the last time Morse would be associated with the word upset.

The Tigers were  clearly superior.

Gary Taylor burst for 234 yards in the first half, scoring on runs of 75, 85, and eight yards as Morse avenged the 1989 championship loss.

“I was surprised how easily we were able to get outside on them,” said Shacklett, who, not pleased, added, “We self-destructed with penalties.”

MORSE 56, @SWEETWATER 28

Pundits suggested the Tigers would be flat after their big victory and Sweetwater, featuring Willie Branch, who ran for 226 yards in a 25-0 victory over Crawford, was waiting.

Branch returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and the Red Devils’ home crowd of 5,500 exploded.

Branch’s brother, Danny, rushed 71 yards for a touchdown on Sweetwater’s first offensive play and Willie Branch ran 96 yards with another kickoff.

But Morse found  its stride and ran away from the hosts.  Gary Clark had 262 yards in 19 carries and matched Willie Branch’s three touchdowns.

“I thought we were in for it (after Branch’s opening kickoff return),” said Shacklett, “but our offensive line wore ‘em down.”

MORSE 57, @VISTA 14

“I’m real pleased with our first four ball games,” Shacklett said.

Really?

Morse had just hit Dick Haines with the most lopsided defeat in Haines’ 21 seasons and 226 games as the Panthers’ head coach. The only more decisive loss for Vista was a 46-0 blowout by Tustin in 1946, a span of 433 games.

Gary Taylor rushed for 5 touchdowns and 177 yards and Conan Smith for 104 yards and 1 touchdown.

MORSE 44, LINCOLN 6, @MESA COLLEGE

After a 26-10 loss to Lincoln in 1989, Shacklett ordered the Tiger paws logo removed from the team’s helmets.

The paws reappeared briefly in the 1989 playoffs but permanence was going to be determined by what happened in the neighborhood fling with the Hornets.

Usually overshadowed by the offense, the Tigers’ defense decided the game with three first-half pass interceptions that led to touchdowns.

“The defense gets it all going,” said safety Tommy Bennett.

MORSE 57, @KEARNY, 6

At 5-0 and ranked seventh in the The San Diego Union poll, Kearny expected to be in the game.

Wide receiver Darnay Scott, who would go on to a solid NFL career, operated on the same offensive level as Morse’s big hitters.

Scott was regarded by some as the section’s top college prospect but went scoreless and caught  two passes for 15 yards.

“During (pregame) exercises they would point at us,” said Teddy Lawrence.  “We wanted to score on every possession after that.”

“I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you I’m surprised at how easily we’re scoring,” Shacklett told writer Steve Brand.  “You look up and boom….”

MORSE 60, SERRA 8

Gary Taylor raced 67 yards for a touchdown on Morse’s first play.  He added three others and rushed for 274 yards in 17 carries.

MORSE 40, @POINT LOMA 13

A matchup of the state’s No. 3 and No. 10 teams doesn’t occur often during the regular season, but here was Point Loma adding temporary seating to augment the concrete bleachers at Ross Field.

The game was such that Wayne Lockwood, The San Diego Union columnist, covered his first high school game in years.

Morse was 7-0, averaging 50.3 points, while Point Loma was 6-0, holding a win over powerful El Camino and having surrendered only 27 points.

“I think we have as good a chance as they do to win,” Point Loma coach Bennie Edens told Steve Brand.  ”We’ll move the ball, they’ll move the ball.  There will be no 0-0 tie.”

Morse moved to a 26-0 lead at halftime.  Point Loma fought back, closing to 26-13 and battling on defense.

“They were hitting hard,” said Lawrence.  “Those Glover brothers (La’Roi and Darcell) are good.”

But just as soon as the Pointers caught the Tigers’ scent it was over.  Lawrence passed to Tommy Bennett for a touchdown and ran 29 yards for another.

“They shot down the option,” Shacklett said of the Point Loma defense, “so we tried to get Teddy into the open field.”

Lawrence scored on a 59-yard dash on a trap play and got off a couple punts on bad snaps that could have changed the game’s complexion.

MORSE 57, PATRICK HENRY 13

Another Taylor, Gary’s twin brother, Cary, caught a 35-yard touchdown pass.   Gary scored three touchdowns and running mate Conan Smith scored two.

MORSE 35, @MIRA MESA 14                                                        

Jose Villalana added his fifth point after Morse’s final touchdown, which made for a nice evening’s work for the kicker, but the point had greater significance.

The Tigers passed the 1954 Vallejo team that featured future NFL star Dick Bass as the state’s highest scoring team in the regular season, according to Cal-Hi Sports.

Morse now had 489 points, one more than Vallejo, although the Tigers needed 10 games and the Apaches did it in nine.

MORSE 49, GRANITE HILLS 6, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

It was 42-0 at halftime in this first-round playoff, at which point Shacklett reined in the offense.  Morse’s sometimes skittish defense intercepted four passes as the Tigers went to 11-0 and the Eagles to 4-7.

MORSE 48, VISTA 14, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

Vista manned up, successfully executing an on-side kickoff to start the game, then hitting on a 41-yard pass and scoring on the next play to take a 7-0 lead.

Revamping their attack after their early-season loss, the Panthers went to the air 24 times. They recovered another on-side kick to start the third quarter and closed to 28-13, but Tommy Bennett intercepted a pass and Gary Taylor ran 66 yards for a touchdown.

Vista’s decision to promote its passing game was reflected in its rushing game:  22 attempts, 0 yards.

MORSE 35, CHULA VISTA 28, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

“I thought we had ‘em,”  Spartans coach George Ohnessorgen dejectedly remarked to Buster Olney of The San Diego Union.

The battle-tested Tigers had to fight back after trailing, 28-13, at halftime amid a slew of turnovers and three Spartans touchdowns in three minutes.

“I was scared at halftime, but I knew we could pull it out,” said Lawrence, who fumbled two times and had three interceptions in the first 24 minutes as fog and a roaring Chula Vista crowd engulfed the stadium at Southwestern College.

But it was Lawrence’s 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that finally beat the charged Spartans, who still were coming in the final minute.

A Morse defensive back fell down covering Neviett Richardson, who took a pass over the middle from Brandon Gregg and raced to  the Tigers’ five-yard line. But a Spartan was flagged for clipping  a Morse defender on the play, nullifying the gain.

Morse had survived a barnburner.

MORSE 28, ORANGE GLEN 7, @JACK MURPHY

Teddy Lawrence‘s 99-yard kickoff return turned a 7-7 tie into an eventual walkaway and another championship, Shacklett’s third.

Lawrence’s 71 yards in 12 carries allowed him to meet a 100-attempts  minimum  for section record consideration. His 101 carries for the season averaged 13.79 yards, breaking Markeith Ross’ 11-man record of 10.83 in 1989.

Gary Taylor’s 2,625 yards rushing broke the 1988 record of 2,568 by Rancho Buena Vista’s Scott Garcia.

Morse’s 649 points and 46.3 scoring average set a state record, topping the 639 of the Southern Section’s Diamond Bar in 1984.

POLLS

La Jolla Country Day, led by Rashaan Salaam’s 51 touchdowns and 314 points, was Cal-Hi Sports’ 8-man team of the year.

Morse finished second to Merced, which was  13-0 and the Sac-Joaquin Section champion.

The Merced Bears were located only 70 miles from headquarters of Cal-Hi Sports, which was located in Stockton in the middle of the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Morse was No.1 in Southern California and No. 4 in the country as selected by USA Today.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER?

Several Tigers received Division I scholarships, but only one played in the NFL and he was undrafted. Safety Tommy Bennett signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals out of UCLA and played six seasons.

Other Tigers who went D-1: Teddy Lawrence, UCLA; Cary and Gary Taylor, Arizona; Kevin Nolan (Purdue), John Moe (Navy), Donnie Rich (Fresno State), and Danny Williams (Fresno State).

Lawrence was a three-year starter at defensive back for the Bruins but was released in training camp by the NFL Baltimore Ravens.

FALCON TAKES FLIGHT

Torrey Pines, coached by Bob Davis and quarterbacked by his son, Chad, wanted to put the ball in the air.

Chad set San Diego Section records with 55 attempts and 35 completions for 365 yards, the sixth highest total since records began being kept in 1960. All of that offensive airpower was to no avail.  The Falcons dropped a 21-9 decision at Sacramento-area Elk Grove.

BEWARE, WOLVES

West Hills, which sustained a 65-8 loss to Grossmont in the Wolf Pack’s 1989 inaugural season, improved from 3-7 to 9-3, won the Grossmont AA title, and defeated the Foothillers, 16-14.

The Wolf Pack’s Nathan Vail toed three field goals, including a 30-yarder with 30 seconds remaining to bring West Hills from behind to victory.

MARINERS SUNK

Mar Vista, down to 12 active players, forfeited its last two games to bottom out at 1-9.  Fifteen players had been declared academically ineligible and three others were removed because of disciplinary reasons.

Athletic director Pat O’Neil blamed the season’s academic disintegration on the fact that not one of the varsity coaches worked or taught at the school.

“I think it’s very difficult to keep on the kids to find out how they’re doing if you aren’t on campus,” O’Neill told writer Buster Olney.

O’Neill pointed out that “it’s hard to communicate with the other teachers.  The teachers are gone by 3 (p.m.) and the coaches get here at 3:30.”

The problem was not new and would not go away.

STARS APLENTY

Morse’s collective power was matched by individual standouts throughout the section.

–Kearny receiver Darnay Scott became a No. 2 draft choice of Cincinnati and caught 408 passes in an eight-season career with the Bengals and Dallas.

–Hoover quarterback Tony Banks played nine seasons with St. Louis, Baltimore, and Houston after being the Rams’ second-round draft choice in 1996.

–La Jolla tackle John  Michels played four seasons in the NFL and was a No. 1 pick of the Green Bay Packers out of USC. Michels made the NFL all-rookie team but his career was cut short by knee injuries.

–Rashaan Salaam went on to the Colorado University and won the Heisman Trophy.  He was a first-round selection of the Chicago Bears.

–Junior defensive tackle La’Roi Glover, who had 17.5 quarterback sacks, was a fifth-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders out of San Diego State,  played 13 seasons, and made 6 Pro Bowls.

–Point Loma wideout J.J. Stokes was the 10th player selected in the first round out of UCLA to the San Francisco 49ers.

–Chula Vista ‘s Donnie Edwards was a standout at UCLA, drafted in the fourth round by Kansas City, and played 13 seasons with the Chiefs and San Diego Chargers.

–Markeith Ross of Rancho Buena Vista set a career rushing record of 4,486 yards  and, like Rashaan Salaam, scored seven touchdowns in one game.

–Running back-linebacker Wayne Pittman of Mira Mesa  probably was the best two-way player in the Section, his mind each day on his dad, who was deployed in the Gulf war.

NORTH COUNTY POWER

Want to be a high school coach and qualify for the postseason?  Become a coach in the Avocado or Palomar leagues.

Twelve teams, six from each circuit, earned AAA or AA playoff berths. Vista, Torrey Pines, Fallbrook, Vista, Mt. Carmel, and Orange Glen were in the AAA bracket and San Marcos, Carlsbad, Ramona, Oceanside, El Camino, and Escondido were in the AA alignment.

Castle Park (5-5) did not attend the seeding meeting, which eased the way for 5-5 Fallbrook.

PLAYING AND FILMING

He would become the head coach at Grossmont years later, but for now Tom Karlo was the Foothillers’ quarterback and an occasional  sideline photo assistant at NFL games.

Karlo’s dad, Tom, Sr., was a sideline cameraman at NFL games for NFL Films..

THE PROPHET MEYER

After El Camino was shut out, 19-0, by Point Loma in the season opener, ending the Wildcats’ 12 game winning streak, Herb Meyer spoke:

“We’ve done this before and survived.  It wasn’t as much as what they did as what we didn’t do.   This isn’t the best Point Loma team I’ve seen, but they kicked our butts.  We’ll put it behind us and move on.”

The Wildcats lost three of their next four, then ran the table with 9 straight wins to a 10-4 record and the Section AA title, 26-7 over Kearny.

Point Loma was beaten by Rancho Buena Vista, 27-12, in the playoff quarterfinals and finished with a 9-2 record.

RUSHING RASHAAN

In a season in which he played six eight-man and five 11-man games, La Jolla Country Day’s Rashaan set an 11-man record when he ran for seven touchdowns as the Torreys crushed Marian, 68-0.

Salaam didn’t play favorites.  He scored seven more in a 65-37 repeat win over The Bishop’s in the eight-man championship.

For the season, Salaam had 51 touchdowns and eight, two-point conversions in 11 games for  322 points.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

A population of 2.2 million persons was predicted in San Diego County, up about 500,000 from 1980.  The figure, released by the U.S. Census Bureau, represented a 22 per cent increase over the previous 10 years.

SAFE HARBOR

St. Augustine, Coronado, Clairemont, Christian, and Marian joined forces as football-playing members of the  AA Harbor League, which was created in 1989 with this season as the target date for football.

The schools essentially were too large for 1A classification and too small for AAA.

The move was Coronado’s sixth  in 17 years.  The Islanders were longtime members of the Metropolitan League before joining the short-lived Coast League in 1973.  They bounced back to  the Metropolitan ’77,  moved to  the South Bay in ’81,  and, for the previous two seasons, was an independent.

TRUE GRID

Southwest’s Riley Washington scored 23 touchdowns in 11 games but was more known for his record-setting, :10.3 100 meters in spring track and the state championship…Serra celebrated the first night game at the Tierrasanta school campus, then took a 28-6 loss from St. Augustine…University’s quarterback was Michael Henning, son of Chargers coach Dan Henning…Rancho Bernardo picked a difficult opponent for its inaugural game…the first-year Broncos lost to Orange County’s Rancho Santa Margarita, 27-0…Randy Walker stepped in at quarterback for Lincoln and led the Hornets to 4 wins in their final 5 regular-season games and into the playoffs after an 0-5 start, the Hornets’ poorest in school history…Lincoln was eliminated by La Jolla, 14-13…Vista coach Dick Haines stuck with Eric Jencks through an 0-5 start and Jencks guided the Panthers to 6 wins in a row including a playoff victory before a 48-14 loss to Morse….

 

Looking Back:  The narrative originally was posted on Nov. 5, 2012.

Hoover’s Eddie Crain (31) set up Hoover touchdown before being brought down from behind by San Diego’s Everett Posey (36). No. 21 in all-white helmet is Cardinals’ Bennie Edens.

The most important letter in the alphabet was V.

World War II was nearing the halfway point.  The dark days of early 1942 were receding and Victory, while not in sight, would come.

V had become a symbol, visible everywhere throughout the country. There were hundreds of references, from military training programs (V-12), to graphics on sporting event tickets, to the ultimate goal of V-E (Victory in Europe) and V-J (Victory in Japan).

School honchos in San Diego had created the Victory League and put the Metropolitan League on hiatus just weeks before the start of the 1942-43 basketball season.

The move was part of the wide-ranging war effort that would extend until Victory was achieved.

Football followed this season.

LONG TRIP

The Metropolitan League stretched more than 40 miles, from National City (Sweetwater) to Oceanside and Escondido.

The California Interscholastic Federation, which governed sports in Southern California, invoked a limit of 6 scheduled games and a  travel distance of 15 miles.

The travel mileage restriction seemed to have some leeway, but there was no travel outside teams’ league reaches.

The Northern San Diego County schools were aligned in what the CIF called the Group 12 League, comprising Oceanside, Vista, Escondido, Army-Navy, San Dieguito, and Ramona.

St. Augustine and Brown Military were members of the Group 12  but played a limited schedule and their games did not count in the standings.

The season did not start until October and ended in late November.  There would be no Southern California playoffs.

A smaller, travel-safer, and more manageable high school football world was important, as was fuel and rubber conservation.

The players also contributed to the war effort.  Many left school during the season, before graduation, and answered a call from Uncle Sam.

ADDRESSES CHANGE, AGAIN

San Diego and Hoover were in a different league for the fourth consecutive year.

They left the Coast League, which the Cavers had help found and were members of from 1923-40, as the CIF experimented with a 17-school “Major Conference” in 1941.

With the war on and travel an issue, the Cavers and Cardinals split into two squads each and became part of a 11-team Metropolitan Conference in 1942.

The Cavers and Cardinals each dressed out one squad as part of 1943’s seven-member Victory, which also included Grossmont, Sweetwater, Point Loma, La Jolla, and Coronado.

There were 18 high schools in the County, but only 15 played football.  Julian would not field a team until 1967.  Fallbrook had suspended play in 1942 and there is no published record of Mountain Empire’s fielding a squad.

CARNIVAL PICKS UP TEAMS

The fifth annual carnival, which featured only city schools San Diego, Hoover, Point Loma, and La Jolla since 1939, took in all seven teams in the second-year Victory League, adding Sweetwater, Coronado, and Grossmont.

Another change in the format was elimination of the second half kickoff.  Play was to resume at  spot of the ball when the second quarter ended.

The East, consisting of Sweetwater, Coronado, Grossmont, and Hoover scored a 19-0 victory over the West.

Sweetwater and Hoover each scored touchdowns against  San Diego and Coronado reached the end zone on La Jolla.  Big plays included the Islanders’ George Massek intercepting a lateral and returning 50 yards for a touchdown and a Hoover touchdown passing strike from Bob Paramore to Bob Kynaston that went 65 yards.

CARDINALS  FLY

Raleigh Holt, who began his coaching career in the Imperial Valley and who turned out outstanding cross-country and track teams for three decades at Hoover, guided the Cardinals to a 5-0-1 record and the Victory League title.

Holt, assisted by former Cardinals lineman Bob Breitbard, relied on a meat-and-potatoes attack that featured  Eddie Crain, Gene Ricard, Julius Kahn, Freddie Espy, Frank Smith, and Bob Paramore.

Crain scored on runs of 14, 35, and 1 yard and completed the only pass (for a touchdown) Hoover attempted in a 40-13 victory over Coronado the week before the Cardinals met San Diego in the 11^th annual rivalry game for city bragging rights and the league championship.

Bill Bailey had moved from Point Loma to San Diego, replacing Joe Beerkle, who went into administration and became principal at Memorial Junior High.

Beerkle had advocated the  T formation introduced by coach Clark Shaugnessy at Stanford University and which was hailed as the difference in Stanford’s 1941 Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska.

Bailey, assistant to Charlie Wilson  several years at Point Loma, led the Pointers to a 6-1-2 record in 1942, and then brought his single-wing attack to San Diego.

Formations and modes of attack were taking a back seat.

CAVERS LOW IN NUMBERS

Bailey facetiously told Bob Lantz of The San Diego Union that he considered suiting up a tackling dummy, his team was so short-handed.

Of more import to the San Diego coach, pass-catching Everett Posey, who  missed a week of practice,  would be available for the Hoover game.  Posey had received his induction notice and reported to Fort McArthur in Long Beach.

Another Caver, junior halfback Sam Balesteri would be playing his final game.  He was awaiting a call from the military.

SMALLEST TURNOUT

A crowd of 9,000, representing the lowest attendance in the history of the game, saw the Cardinals strike with a third-quarter, 84-yard drive in six plays to score the game’s only touchdown in a 7-3 victory.

Crain and Espy collaborated on a 45-yard touchdown pass.  Guard Frank Smith toed the point after.

The Cavers had taken a 3-0 lead in the second quarter on Neal Black’s 23-yard field goal, the first such placement in the series.

Hoover was fighting off a threat at game’s end.

Sam Balesteri’s  passing had moved the Hillers 63 yards but they came up short. Harlan Davenport caught a pass from Balestreri and was tackled on Hoover’s four-yard line. The game ended before another play could be run.

HONORS

Single wing quarterback (actually, blocking back) Al Sawaya of San Diego earned a CIF Southern Section first-team honor. Second team choices were La Jolla quarterback Ed Teagle, San Diego tackle Ralph McCormick, and Coronado center John Ludwig. Hoover tackle Dick Chase made the third team.  Another third-team selection was Compton’s  Ed Snider, later known as Duke, the slugging Brooklyn Dodgers outfieder.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Mayor Harley Knox told the Carlsbad Rotary that, for the first time in generations, San Diego was ready to abandon dumping in the bay and that Harbor Drive, bordering the bay from Point Loma to Chula Vista was almost complete.

Knox also said that the city had asked the government for 13,000 more new housing units.  Previous construction of 13,000 units of government housing mostly was occupied by aircraft plant workers.

TRUE GRID

Coach Dick Rutherford’s Oceanside-Carlsbad Pirates, behind quarterback and future Fallbrook coach Al Waibel,  swept the CIF Group 12 League with a 6-0 record…the Pirates defeated  host Escondido 31-6 in a  showdown which drew a record crowd of 3,000 persons to the inland community…newspapers’ accounts variously identified Oceanside, Army-Navy, Escondido, Vista, Ramona, and San Dieguito as representing the CIF County League, CIF Northern County League, or the CIF Northern Victory League….about 8,000 servicemen, students, and a few fans watched the fifth annual carnival…San Diego got it coming and going in the Carnival, surrendering touchdowns to Sweetwater in the first quarter and to Hoover in the fourth…Coronado scored the East’s other touchdown against La Jolla…Point Loma-La Jolla matched two graduates of an Imperial Valley shuttle…La Jolla’s Larry Hanson was head coach at El Centro Central and Point Loma’s Bill Maxwell was Hanson’s assistant in 1938 and ’39 …Hanson went on to coach the nationally-recognized, often-100-point Los Angeles Jefferson basketball teams in the 1950s…tailback Larry Purdy of Point Loma was son of the Pointers coach of the same name in 1929-30…after 8 consecutive losses dating to 1915, Sweetwater’s Leroy Jackson returned an intercepted pass 65 yards with 40 seconds remaining in the game to give the Red Devils their first victory, 6-0, over San Diego…Grossmont saved all its points for a 26-0 victory over St. Augustine…the Foothillers did not score a point in six Victory League games….

Max Turner of Granite Hills wrapped the San Diego Section scoring championship after he rushed for three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 34-28, Southern California regional playoff loss against Huntington Beach Edison.

Turner’s 216 points outpaced the 188 of Calipatria’s Dominic Hawk and the 5-foot-8, 185-pounder was a model of consistency for coach Kellan Cobbs’ team, scoring an average of at least three TD’s a game, with a 7.6-yard average for 268 rushing attempts, according to MaxPreps.

Turner, who scored 32 rushing touchdowns, also caught 23 passes for a 9.2-yard average and four touchdowns.  He passed once for 44 yards and a touchdown.

The scoring total put the Eagles senior into a tie for 22nd with Imperial’s Royce Freeman (2012) among all-time San Diego Section ballers.  Oceanside’s C.R. Roberts had 194 points in 1953 and Ramona’s Gary Mayer 193 in 1958 for all-time highs in the period of 1915-59, when the County was aligned in the CIF Southern Section.

Turner bettered the school record of 150 by Jacob Siegfried in 2017.

John Maffei’s final The San Diego Union poll (first published after the San Diego Section playoffs) plus MaxPreps, Calpreps, and Cal-Hi Sports rankings that include end-of-season CIF state playoffs):
Points awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. *First-place votes. Previous ranking in (italics).
Bold indicates latest. NR–Not ranked. MaxPreps‘, Calpreps’, and Cal-Hi Sports‘ are state rankings.

RANK	TEAM/RECORD	POINTS	MAXPREPS	CALPREPS.COM	CAL-HI SPORTS
1.	Lincoln (10-2) 30*	300 (1)	10 (12)	67.5 (63.3)	7 (12)
2.	Cathedral (9-3)	264 (3)	23 (25)	53 (52.8)	23 (21)
3.	Mission Hills (9-3)	214 (5)	39 (37)	43.2 (44.4)	34 (32)
4.	Granite Hills (10-2)	210 (4)	34 (34)	44.9 (46.6)	32 (24)
5.	La Costa Canyon (10-1)	209 (2)	31 (30)	47 (48.6)	31 (31)
6.	San Marcos (10-3)	146 (6)	50 (48)	49.5 (41.1)	43 (46)
7.	Carlsbad (8-4)	123 (7)	45 (42)	41 (42.3)	71
8.	El Camino (7-5)	57(NR)	86 (82)	30.6 (32.4)	NR (Bubble)
9.	Poway (6-7)	52 (NR)	109 (95)	26.4 (30.1)	NR (NR)
10.	Mount Miguel (9-3)	22 (8)	111 (110)	26.2 (27.8)	NR (NR)

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Torrey Pines (5-7, 16 points) Monte Vista (9-5, 11), Rancho Bernardo (9-3, 9), El Capitan (10-3, 7), St. Augustine (4-10, 5), Scripps Ranch (9-2, 2), Del Norte (7-5, 1).

VOTING PANEL

Twenty-nine sportswriters, sportscasters, administrators from San Diego County, plus Max Preps.com.

• John Maffei (San Diego Union-Tribune).
• Don Norcross, Steve Brand, Rick Hoff, Kevin Farmer (Union-Tribune Freelance contributors).
• Joe Heinz, Todd Cassen, Ron Marquez (CIF San Diego Section).
• Brandon Stone, Allison Edmonds, John Carroll, Chase Izidor (KUSI, Channel 51).
• Rick Smith (partletonsports.com).
• Braden Suprenant (97.3-FM The Fan).
• Christian Pedersen (San Diego Sports Association).
• Tom Helmantoler, (Southern Conference advisor).
• Rex Johnson, Bruce Ward (CIF Advisory Committee).
• Mike Dolan, Joe Evangelist (San Diego Coaching Legends).
• Raymond Brown (sdfootball.net).
• Bodie DeSilva, John Kentera, Steve (Biff) Dolan, Dennis Ackerman, Eric Williams, Thomas Gutierrez, Tom Ronco, Adam Paul (Freelance contributors).

 

San Diego Section teams were 1-2 in state championship games last week, with Lincoln’s hard fought, 28-26 win over Pittsburg at Mission Viejo Saddleback College in Division 1-AA a tribute to coach David Dunn and his staff.

Dunn coached the Hornets to a second D1-AA title in three seasons and their 35^th victory in the last 39 games.

The 12-2 Hornets kept the North Coast Section Pittsburg Pirates at a distance, never trailing and completing a year in which they never were at home, for practice or a game.

The playing surface at Vic Player Stadium on the Hornets’ campus was declared unsafe, so Lincoln bused for games to Southwestern College, nine miles away in Chula Vista, and they bused to more than one venue for practice.

According to Hornets assistant coach Brian Crusoe, Lincoln practiced at Logan Memorial Education Center, a soccer field with no goal posts or correct yard markings; San Diego State, and Crawford.

“Never had a season like it,” understated Dunn, who played at Morse and Fresno State before being a fifth-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995 and playing seven seasons as a wide receiver-tight end in the NFL.

“We said we’d be road warriors and we backed it up,” added offensive coordinator Jason Carter to Don Norcross of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Lincoln took to the low forties football temperature and rushed for 272 yards in 64 attempts.  Quarterback Akili Smith, Jr., completed 6 of 11 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards in 10 carries, including the Hornets’ final touchdown with 3:44 remaining. The score culminated a12-play, 80-yard drive.

Leading rusher Aden Jackson, who had gained 1,462 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, did not play, out with an ankle injury.  Donald Reed, Jr., who hadn’t handled the ball since Week 5, stepped in and contributed 126 yards in 21 carries.  Junior Curtis had 121 yards in 28 as the deep and talented Hornets mounted a stout running attack.

Akili Smith, Jr., (left) and Lincoln  teammates celebrate with trophy after state Division 1AA championship.  Courtesy, Mark Tennis, Cal-Hi Sports.

DIVISION V-AA

Central Coast Section champion Carmel defeated El Capitan, 48-7, at the Fullerton Union High School District Stadium.

“We have nothing to be sad about,” Vaqueros coach Ron Burner told John Maffei of the Union-Tribune.  “We played hard.  We competed.  I’m sorry it had to end this way for the seniors…but we’re still (San Diego Section) champions.”

DIVISION VI-A

Tuolumne Summerville of the Sac-Joaquin Section, defeated Monte Vista, 38-21, at the Fullerton stadium.

Coach Ron Hamamoto’s Monarchs were treading water with a 5-5 record at the end of the regular season and were about to turn out the lights.

But Rancho Buena Vista opted out of the playoffs and the Monarchs went in as a 12 seed in Division 5 of the San Diego Section playoffs.

The Monarchs gathered and went deep into the post season with five straight wins, along the way elevating Hamamoto to No. 3 among San Diego County coaches in all-time wins.

Hamamoto’s 246 victories trail the 339 by Herb Meyer and 248 by John Carroll.  Ron passed Bennie Edens (238) and Rob Gilster (243) this season.

“I’m proud of what this group accomplished,” Hamamoto told John Maffei. “We improved so much over the course of the season.”

Monte Vista became the fifth team in County history to play a 16th game, following La Jolla Country Day in 2016, Steele Canyon, 2017, Lincoln, 2018, and El Camino, 2019.

Three veteran coaches will lead the San Diego Section contingent in state championship games this week at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo and Fullerton High.

Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto, who also coached at University, Rancho Bernardo, and Lincoln, has an all-time record of 246-193-2 (.560) and trails only Herb Meyer (339) and John Carroll (248) in victories.

El Capitan’s Ron Burner (122-102-2 (.547) has state championship game experience, losing to Moraga Campolindo, 35-28, in 2014.

Lincoln’s David Dunn (104-60-1 (.633) goes for his second state 1-AA title after winning in 2022 and is 35-4 in the last three seasons.

The competing teams:

DIVISION I-AA

Lincoln (11-2) versus Pittsburg (12-2) Friday, 8 p.m., Mission Viejo Saddleback College.

David Dunn’s Hornets played one of the toughest schedules in the state and emerged in the final seconds last week to win the Southern regional, 34-27, over Newbury Park…Lincoln opponents posted an overall record of 101-60, actually bettered by the 105-53 by opponents of Pittsburg, about 41 miles East of San Francisco and winner of the Sac-Joaquin Section, 28-27 over 13-1 Folsom…the Pirates lost to Bellflower St. John Bosco, 35-14, and Concord de La Salle, 10-7…Pittsburg is Cal-Hi Sports No. 7 team this week, followed by Folsom and  then Lincoln at No. 9…Calpreps.com is calling a 31-27 victory for Lincoln….

DV-AA

El Capitan (11-3) versus Carmel (14-0) Friday, 8 p.m., Fullerton High.

Ron Burner is in 20^th consecutive season as Vaqueros’ coach…14-0 El Cap lost the state D-III championship game in 2014 to Moraga Campolindo, 35-28…Carmel won the Central Coast Section title and the Northern regional, 42-41, over Acalanes Lafayette…Carmel High opened in 1940 and the school mascot is known as the Padre…a beautiful community along state Highway 1, Carmel’s many attractions include the Hog’s Breath Inn, opened in 1970 by Clint Eastwood, who sold the restaurant a few years ago…a popular item still on the menu is the Dirty Harry New York strip steak with garlic mashed potatoes, chef veggies and grain mustard mushroom sauce…Calpreps.com predicts a 41-26 Padres victory….

DVI-A

Monte Vista (10-5) versus Tuolumne Summerville (13-1) Saturday, 3 p.m. at Fullerton High.

Monte Vista’s Ron Hamamoto won San Diego Section championships in 1994 at University (34-0 versus La Jolla), 2017 at Monte Vista (71-48 versus San Diego), and 38-20 over Bonita Vista two weeks ago…the Monarchs, a No. 12 seed, got into the San Diego Section DV playoffs only after 1-9 Rancho Buena Vista bailed on the postseason, opening the door for Monte Vista to squeeze in…a graduate of Long Beach Poly, Hamamoto became a head coach in 1985 at University…succeeded at Uni in 1996 by Sean Doyle and succeeded in 2011 at Lincoln by David Dunn…the orange and black-clad Summerville Bears’ only loss was to Mother Lode League rival Calaveras San Andreas (9-3 with minus 1.2 Calpreps.com rating), 35-34…the Sac-Joaquin Section champion defeated Atherton Sacred Heart, 45-28, in the Northern California regional final…Tuolumne is located in the California Gold Country, approximately 60 miles east of Modesto…Calpreps.com predicts  a 48-21 Summerville victory….

DIVISION	TEAM	WON-LOSS	CALPREPS	OPPONENT	WON-LOSS	CALPREPS
I-AA	Lincoln	11-2	66.3	Pittsburg	12-2	59.9
V-AA	El Capitan	11-3	7.4	Carmel	14-0	22.4
VI-A	Monte Vista	10-5	-11.4	Tuolumne Summerville	13-1	9.9