At NFL Draft, Three’s a Charm for Former County Stars

Each took a different path, but three former Orange County prep football standouts found their way onto the NFL draft board last weekend.

Offensive lineman Kris Farris, a former Santa Margarita standout, was selected in the third round Saturday by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, Farris won the Outland Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate lineman, as he helped UCLA reach the Rose Bowl.

Quarterback Scott Covington, formerly of Dana Hills, was selected in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals. Covington threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate game, helping Miami defeat North Carolina State, 46-23, in the Micron PC Bowl.

Although Farris and Covington were highly recruited coming out of high school, quarterback Kevin Daft, formerly of Foothill, carried a lower profile and opted to play at UC Davis, a Division II school. Daft was selected in the fifth round by the Tennessee Titans.

And being drafted doesn’t necessarily guarantee success in the NFL.

Quarterback Bill Kenney, formerly of San Clemente High, played 10 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and passed for 17,277 yards and 105 touchdowns, second in franchise history only to Hall of Famer Len Dawson.

Kenney was selected in the 12th round of the 1978 draft with the 333rd pick. There were only seven rounds this season and 253 selections.

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Mission Viejo sophomore Dana Bethel set two personal bests last week. She finished the 100 hurdles in 14.24 seconds at Saturday’s Mt. San Antonio College Relays and won the long jump with a jump of 19 feet 2 inches to help Mission Viejo defeat Mater Dei, 92-44, in a South Coast League meet Thursday.

Bethel’s 19-2 mark beat her previous best county-leading mark by nearly six inches.

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It was a big week for Fountain Valley’s softball team, which won its tournament and beat No. 10 Marina, No. 3 El Toro and No. 1 Mater Dei. The Barons came from two runs down to beat Marina in a Sunset League game, and one run down to beat El Toro in the tournament final, 5-1.

“We did the same thing against Woodbridge [scoring three in the 10th inning],” Coach Cary Baker said. “We’re like that--you can never count us out of the game.”

Though Fountain Valley defeated El Toro in the final, the semifinal victory over Mater Dei, 1-0, might have meant more.

But it wouldn’t have happened, Baker said, if not for the great defense of junior third baseman Tiffany Miller, and the RBI triple by catcher Rocky Staniorski.

Said Baker of Miller, a junior: “It was the best game of her life.”

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Several Orange County players are scheduled to participate in the Scholastic Hoops Jam on May 1 at Los Angeles Southwest College. There will be three games featuring boys’ and girls’ seniors and boys’ underclassmen teams from the Southern and Los Angeles City sections.

Capistrano Valley’s J.J. Sola, who has signed with Loyola Marymount, and L.A. Verbum Dei’s Marlon Parmer are among the players on the boys’ Southern Section team coached by UCLA guard Baron Davis.

Davis’ teammate, Billy Knight, will coach the City Section boys’ team led by L.A. Manual Arts guard James Wright, who has signed with Long Beach State.

Former Laker and current Sparks Coach Orlando Woolridge will coach in the girls’ game, which features seven Orange County players.

Brea Olinda’s Lindsay Davidson, Kate Ides and Jeri Costello, Calvary Chapel’s Cathy Joens, El Toro’s Gioconda Mendiola, San Clemente’s Debby Caine and Westminster’s Tara Moore are scheduled to play.

Magnolia sophomore Geoffrey Clayton will play for the Southern Section team in the underclassmen game.

Staff writers Martin Henderson and Dan Arritt contributed to this story.