HIGH SCHOOLS / JIM LINDGREN : Anyone Left Out Please Raise Your Hands

A principal’s message in the program for last week’s St. Augustine-Santana football playoff game deserves reprinting for capturing the essence of high school athletics:

“Both of our communities have a right to be proud of our teams. Both schools have had great seasons and both have earned their spot in these CIF Playoffs. Congratulations go to the coaching staffs, the cheerleaders, the bands, the Booster Clubs and all of those who helped to make these successful football programs.

“Special congratulations go to the players who have shown to all of us that hard work and attention to detail when mixed with courage and good sportsmanship leads to success.

“Only one of these fine teams will advance to the next round of the playoffs; but it is clear that both of these teams and all associated with them are already winners.”

Sincerely,

Fr. John Sanders.

Who were you expecting, Knute Rockne?

HAIRCUT, TWO BITS

After 30 years of coaching football, Julian’s Mike Cunningham finally found the secret to winning a San Diego Section championship: Never, whatever it takes, have your hair cut during a winning season.

“He refused to cut it,” said Linda Cunningham, Mike’s wife. “This is the longest his hair has ever, ever, ever been.”

When asked about his lengthy locks, Cunningham, who normally goes only two to three weeks between between crew cuts, replied: “It’s a superstitious thing. As long as we kept winning, Harry and I decided we weren’t getting haircuts.”

By the way, Harry is not a nickname. He is Julian’s defensive coordinator, Harry Schwank, a former Marine.

WHITE KNIGHT

While praising the contributions by their coaches and lack thereof by their coaches’ barbers, the Julian Eagles also wanted to thank the owner of the Apple Alley Bakery in Julian for helping them win their first football championship since 1977.

The owner is Mr. Ed White. Former occupation: Offensive lineman, San Diego Chargers.

Said J.D. Yohner, Julian’s quarterback: “He came to practice one day and said, ‘I’ve heard you got a lot of talent. What can I do to help?’ That was really nice.

“He watched (practice) for a couple of days, then went to work with our offensive line. He helped a lot. Our line did a great job this year.”

INJURIES UPDATE

Abba McCalister, the freshman cross-country runner from Ramona who was injured in a one-car accident after a meet four weeks ago, is in serious but stable condition with head and chest injuries at the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido. Though she was upgraded from critical but stable condition a week ago, McCalister remains unconscious, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Karma McCalister, 16, Abba’s sister, was killed in the accident when the car they were in skidded off a wet road and hit a tree.

Elsewhere, Vu Dang, the football player from Escondido who underwent emergency brain surgery after sustaining a blow to the head in a game Oct. 2, returned to school Monday. Dang, a senior, is still holding onto hopes of playing baseball for the Cougars in the spring.

HARRIERS’ HEROES

Of the eight races in last Saturday’s San Diego Section cross-country championships at Morley Field, only two individual winners also ran for winning teams.

Both were in Division III where medalist Mark Hauber led St. Augustine to the boys’ title and champion Michele O’Conner paced Our Lady of Peace to a winning effort.

Coronado, in the girls’ Division IV race, was the most dominant team, placing all five runners in the top eight. Jessica Lunt was second, Angie Hansen third, Helen Lannunziata sixth, Summer Hesse seventh and Cathy Chapman eighth.

Among those qualifying for Saturday’s state championships in Fresno, were brothers Mebrahton and Akilu Keflezhighi of San Diego, sisters Kathryn and Sarah Wisniew of OLP and siblings Dan O’Conner of St. Augustine and Michele O’Conner of OLP.

Freshman twins Brian and Erin O’Connor also qualified for the state meet by finishing second and third on the Calvin Christian boys’ team, but they will not be able to make the meet because of prior commitments to a club soccer team.

“Since we sort of recruited them (from this soccer team), we knew coming in that soccer came first,” Bill Stout, an assistant to Coach Linda Marcus, said. “They more than lived up to their end of the deal.”

When agreeing to run for Calvin, the O’Connors told Marcus and Stout they had an out-of-town soccer tournament the same weekend as the state cross-country meet.

“We knew that coming in,” Stout said, “but I guess we never figured on making the state meet.”

NO WALL UNCOVERED

Adding to an already vast collection of trophies and plaques, Herb Meyer, El Camino’s athletic director and football coach, has been selected as one of nine recipients across the nation to receive the 1992 Distinguished Service Award given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Assn.

THE FINAL COUNT

Proving once again the Avocado League is the toughest football league in the county, its members went 5-0 in the first round of the 2-A playoffs for the second year in a row and has an outside chance of monopolizing the semifinals.

In the upper bracket, only Santana (7-4) stands in the way of a guarantee that at least one Avocado team will reach the championship for the seventh consecutive year.

Two years ago, Avocado teams went 5-1 in the first round.

Palomar League teams, while typically some of the strongest in the 3-A, went 4-1 in the first round but only 2-3 last year and 3-3 in 1990.

Meanwhile, City Central and City Harbor league teams have not won a playoff games since 1989, going 0-8 and 0-6, respectively, the past three seasons.

Winning Streaks

No. School (Record) Last Loss 11 Morse (11-0) Vista, 17-10* 10 Kearny (10-1) El Capitan, 24-7 9 El Capitan (10-1) Helix, 35-21 8 Mt. Carmel (9-1-1) San Pasqual, 29-28 7 El Camino (10-1) Torrey Pines, 22-3 6 Castle Park (9-2) Bonita Vista, 25-6 6 Orange Glen (8-3) Vista, 27-7 5 Julian (9-1) LJCD, 26-23** 4 Mira Mesa (6-5) Point Loma, 17-3 4 Torrey Pines (8-3) San Pasqual, 42-28

* 1991 3-A Quarterfinals.

** Won 8-man championship last week.