Saddleback’s Campbell Learns Again That Coach Knows Best

Glenn Campbell, Saddleback High School tailback, was hopping mad when he came off the field with 3:15 remaining in Friday night’s Central Conference football championship game between the Roadrunners and La Quinta at Costa Mesa’s LeBard Stadium.

A few minutes later, he was jumping for joy after Saddleback gained a 34-28 victory before 6,000 fans to win its first Southern Section crown.

In the span of about five minutes, Campbell had gone from furious to victorious.

Late in the game, he was leaping in disgust after Saddleback Coach Jerry Witte had decided to punt on a fourth-and-six play at the Aztec 38-yard line and the game tied at 28.

It appeared that Witte was willing to settle for a tie when he called on punter Victor Rossano, and the decision looked even worse when Rossano, attempting to angle a kick deep into La Quinta territory, shanked a 16-yarder out of bounds to give the Aztecs a first down on their 22.

But the Roadrunner defense stopped Kevin Rice for no gain, forced an incomplete pass by La Quinta quarterback Derek Debbs, and then Don Warnick sacked Debbs for a seven-yard loss.

Debb’s punt was then blocked by Saddleback’s Hector Santa Cruz. Teammate Antwon Lark scooped up the loose ball at the 27-yard line and weaved through several La Quinta players on his way to a touchdown that gave the Roadrunners the winning score with 1:37 to play.

Campbell had learned his lesson: Coach knows best.

“I didn’t agree with the decision--that’s the truth,” Campbell said. “They felt we would get the ball back because the defense was fired up and doing a good job. The coaches know what they’re talking about. I’m just a player.”

Campbell was more than just a player Friday night. After a slow first half, during which he fumbled twice and rushed for just 56 yards, Campbell came on in the second half and finished with 166 yards on 18 carries.

He scored on a six-yard run early in the fourth period to pull Saddleback to within a touchdown (28-21) and start a Roadrunner comeback that saw Saddleback score 20 unanswered points in the final quarter.

But in the end, it looked as if his effort would just contribute to a co-championship for the Roadrunners, which Campbell didn’t want.

“It would have meant a tie for them, too,” Witte said of his decision to punt. “I was hoping to make them decide what to do, and they had to take the chance. They decided they’d try to win and came out throwing, but we got a big break on that (blocked) punt.”

The Saddleback offense again was impressive. The Roadrunners, who were averaging better than 30 points a game, received outstanding performances from Campbell and quarterback Myron Butler, who passed for 82 yards and 3 touchdowns.

But Witte thought his defense deserved the credit for this win. Debbs had completed 5 of 6 passes for 128 yards in the first half, but the Roadrunners shut him down in the second, as the La Quinta quarterback finished with 177 yards on 8 of 15 attempts.

Saddleback, behind defensive linemen Art Carranza, Robert Melchior, Pete Pesak and Gary Deans, sacked Debbs six times. Those four also helped limit Aztec running back Bart Recktenwald to 54 yards rushing. Recktenwald had rushed for 100 yards or more in each of La Quinta’s playoff victories.

“We’ve gone against (Valencia running back) Ray Pallares, (La Habra running back) Chuck Weatherspoon twice and Recktenwald now,” Witte said. “They’ve thrown the best backs in Orange County against us and we’ve beaten them every time. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due. It was a great team effort.”

Joe Zeno, La Quinta coach, agreed with Witte.

“Their defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half,” Zeno said. “We couldn’t run inside, they overloaded on the outside and handled our people. Debbs had too much pressure on him in the second half.”