San Diego Prep Review : ‘Late Bloomer’ Valhalla Keeps Winning : Norsemen’s Dramatics Will Be Tested Today by No. 3 Santana

John Marlow, the Valhalla High baseball coach, has been hearing the question all year. How long can your team keep coming from behind to win?

“As long as it keeps happening, I guess,” Marlow said the other day. “I’ve said it before. We always feel we can come back.”

The Norsemen, ranked No. 1 in San Diego County, have come from behind in eight of their nine Grossmont League victories this season. Valhalla (10-1-1) is tied for first place with No. 3-ranked Santana (10-1). They will meet at 3 p.m. today at Santana.

“It will probably be a nip-and-tuck game all the way,” Marlow said.

And that should favor Valhalla.

Last week, the Norsemen came from behind three times to win.

Last Monday, against Helix, Valhalla trailed, 2-1, going into the bottom of the eighth inning but tied the game on Ted Gilmore’s leadoff home run. Then Scott Dennison singled, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error. He scored on a balk.

Wednesday, Valhalla came up with seven runs in the sixth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit at El Cajon. The Norsemen went on to win, 11-1.

And Friday, they trailed Monte Vista, 5-2, going into the bottom of the sixth. Marlow’s team scored three runs in the sixth to tie it, and won the game on a throwing error by the Monte Vista shortstop in the seventh.

Some would say that Valhalla has been lucky. Granite Hills Coach Gordy Thompson, whose team has seen Valhalla rally twice to beat them, said it must be destiny.

But, Marlow knows differently.

“When we’re behind, we try to pressure the other teams,” Marlow said. “A lot of teams just sit back and hope to get back in the ball game. We put guys in motion and get back in the game that way.”

The first time Valhalla and Santana met this season, the Norsemen trailed, 1-0, after four innings. But the Sultans’ starting pitcher, Mike Hook, was thrown out of the game for running into the catcher in the top of the fifth.

Valhalla stormed back to win, 10-1.

Playoff picture: The Valhalla-Santana game today will decide the Grossmont League championship. The loser will probably still get second place and qualify for the playoffs. Granite Hills is third in the league with a 7-4 record. Here’s how the other playoff races shape up going into the final two weeks of the regular season:

Avocado League--San Marcos (7-2) leads Carlsbad (6-3) by a game and Ramona (5-3) is 1 1/2 games back. San Marcos will be at Ramona Tuesday and Carlsbad will be at Ramona May 22, the final day of the league season.

City Central League--Hoover (8-4) leads San Diego (7-4-1) by a half game, and Lincoln (7-5) is a game back. San Diego has played both teams three times. Lincoln and Hoover play once more, Wednesday at Hoover.

City Eastern League--Point Loma (5-2) leads Mira Mesa and Morse (both 4-3) by a game. Point Loma will be host to Morse Wednesday and will play at Mira Mesa on May 21.

Metro-Mesa League--Sweetwater (7-2) is the surprise leader, ahead of No. 4 Montgomery (6-3) and No. 8 Bonita Vista (6-3). Sweetwater took both games from Montgomery this season. Bonita Vista will be host Sweetwater Thursday and will close out the regular season on May 23 with a home game against Montgomery.

Metro-South Bay League--Southwest (7-2) seems to have the championship well in hand. Coronado (4-5) and Castle Park (4-5) are fighting for second. The two teams will meet May 20 at Coronado.

Palomar League--Mount Carmel (8-0) leads Fallbrook (5-3) by three games and Orange Glen (4-4) is another game back. Fallbrook will play at Mount Carmel May 20.

A redemption, of sorts: Scott Middaugh, now with San Diego State, was the losing pitcher in last year’s 3-A championship game at Jack Murphy Stadium. Mira Mesa beat Middaugh’s Patrick Henry team, 7-2, to win the title, and Middaugh remembers.

The thought came to him Saturday night when San Diego State was beating Hawaii, 9-2, to win its first Western Athletic Conference championship.

“I thought about it (last year’s 3-A final) and I knew I had a chance to do something about it,” Middaugh said. “I didn’t want to be denied again.”

He wasn’t. Middaugh, playing in center field for the injured Eric Woods, went 3 for 4 in the final game against Hawaii and had an RBI.

Add WAC: Other former San Diego-area players, besides Middaugh, did well in the WAC tournament. Steve Hill, formerly of Mount Miguel High, was 5 for 10, had four stolen bases in one game and fielded 25 chances at second base without an error. For his efforts, he was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

Mark Furtak, who pitched at Mount Carmel High School, pitched a complete-game four-hitter to help Hawaii beat Wyoming, 12-0, in the tournament’s first game Thursday. Mike Ponio, who graduated last year from San Marcos, went 6 innings and picked up the win in Hawaii’s 10-3 victory over San Diego State Saturday afternoon.