PREP FOOTBALL : Capo Valley Gets Scare; Foothill Gets Win, 28-26

Quarterback Todd Marinovich gave both his new team and his opponent a big scare Friday night in his debut at Capistrano Valley High School.

Marinovich left the game midway through the first quarter to have his injured left thumb X-rayed. He returned in the fourth quarter to lead a rally that fell two points short as the Cougars lost to Foothill, 28-26, in front of 3,500 fans in Mission Viejo.

Last spring, Marinovich transferred from Mater Dei to Capistrano Valley in a much-publicized move. He had passed for 4,358 yards and 34 touchdowns in two seasons at Mater Dei, and the switch in schools was expected to make Capistrano Valley an instant winner.

The left-handed junior got the Cougars off to a great start with a 26-yard touchdown pass to running back Tommy Adams on the Cougars’ first possession and the move looked as good as gold.

But on Capistrano Valley’s next series, Marinovich hit a defender’s helmet following through on a pass play and left the field clutching his left hand. He iced the hand for the remainder of the half and then left for the X-ray.

“There’s a small break on the very tip of my thumb, but the doctor said it was OK to play,” Marinovich said. And that’s just what he did in the fourth quarter, narrowing Foothill’s seemingly safe 28-18 lead to two points before the game was over.

Marinovich returned with 8:29 remaining in the game and passed for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns to give the partisan crowd something to cheer about and make Foothill Coach Ted Mullen’s life a little miserable.

Marinovich teamed with wide receiver Steve Lawrence on an 86-yard touchdown pass with 2:59 remaining and then connected with receiver Steve Poltl on a 19-yard scoring play with only five seconds left to cut Foothill’s lead to 28-24.

When Marinovich hit slotback Brent Parker on a two-point conversion play, the Cougars were down by two. But an expected onside kick failed, and Foothill hung on for the victory.

“When I threw that touchdown pass to Steve (Lawrence), my thumb sure felt a lot better,” Marinovich said. “It’s sore, but I think it’s going to be all right.”

Foothill, which avenged a 26-7 loss to the Cougars in its season opener last year, looked strong in building a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Tailback John Fischbeck, a three-year starter, gained 157 yards in 31 carries and scored 3 touchdowns.

“I’ve always said Fischbeck was a great runner and I thought our offensive line did a great job,” Mullen said. “We had a good defensive effort when we needed it, but those two long scores in the last quarter were just ridiculous.

“It was nice to gain a victory and still make some mistakes that we’ll learn from. It was a good thing this game didn’t last another two minutes.”

The defeat was costly for the Cougars, despite the good news about Marinovich. Starting linebacker Joe Wood, another Mater Dei transfer, left the game with a separated shoulder. Linebacker John Wilson also dislocated his shoulder.

“I’ve never seen anything like this week,” Cougar Coach Dick Enright said. “We had three players hurt in practice this week and then three more were carried off the field. When Todd hurt his thumb, I thought that was the crowning blow. This week was a nightmare.”

Well, almost. The good news is that Marinovich will be all right. He finished with 184 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, completing 9 of 18 pass attempts.