La Habra Discovers Another Weapon in 20-3 Win

Going into the 1985 season, opponents of the La Habra High School football team figured their greatest concern would be the running of back Chuck Weatherspoon.

Thursday night at La Habra, Highlander quarterback John Robertson gave them something else to worry about.

Namely, his arm.

Robertson threw for two touchdowns and Weatherspoon ran for another to lead the Highlanders to a 20-3 nonleague victory over Warren High of Downey in La Habra Stadium.

Robertson was rusty at times--he threw two interceptions--but that might be explained by the fact that he shared time at quarterback with Matt Shackelford.

Both performed well overall, but it was Robertson, a 6-foot 1-inch, 180-pound junior, who put an unexpected spark into the Highlanders’ offensive attack.

With La Habra leading, 6-0, early in the second quarter, Robertson drove the Highlanders 50 yards for a touchdown in four plays, with 40 of those yards coming on a pass to senior flanker Paul Peppard.

Warren’s defense was Weatherspoon-conscious after the Highlander fullback had scored his team’s first touchdown on a 28-yard run. He then carried the ball the first three plays of that second-quarter drive.

From the 40-yard line, Robertson faked to Weatherspoon and then launched a spiral to Peppard, who raced past two defenders for the score.

That put La Habra ahead, 12-0, and the score stood until 7:10 remaining in the third quarter when Warren kicker Carlos Centeno connected on a 41-yard field goal, Warren’s only score of the evening.

In the fourth period, Robertson struck again after teammate Scott Hooper recovered a Warren fumble at the Highlander 36-yard line.

This time, Robertson rolled left and found Adolf Renaud open on the left sideline, and the Highlanders were ahead, 18-3. Robertson then ran for the two-point conversion.

Weatherspoon paced the Highlander running attack with 86 yards in 13 carries.