Orange County Prep Review : Vargo Family: Loara Football Fans Since ’62 Still Going Strong

If you conjured up an idealized picture of what high school football is all about, Frank and Bea Vargo of Anaheim would certainly have their place in it--just a pair of seats high in the stands with a good view of the action.

There is something peculiarly American about the Vargos, something fine and simple and unaffected.

You see, beyond their family, the Vargos’ life during the past quarter of a century has revolved around one thing: being the most dedicated fans of the Loara High School football team.

Frank, 78, and Bea, 72, have attended nearly every Saxon game since the school opened in 1962.

Bea estimates that she and her husband of 55 years have seen more than 230 of the 247 games played in the school’s history. And they have not missed any of the Saxons’ 16 playoff games, including two Southern Section championships.

Their devotion to the team began when their daughter, Sandy, attended Loara. She was a member of the first graduating class (1965) and her eventual husband, Kenneth Griggs, played on the football team.

Eventually, the Vargos also would have five grandchildren who attended Loara and played football or became members of the band and drill team.

What sets Frank and Bea apart from typical high school fans is that their interest did not evaporate with the graduation of their last Saxon more than 10 years ago.

“Win, lose or draw, I’m there,” said Frank, who retired from his job as a cabinetmaker with Beckman Instruments 13 years ago.

“It’s so special to us,” Bea added.

It’s so special that the Vargos plan their social and business schedules around the games. They moved to Anaheim in 1959 from Indiana, where they owned what was advertised as “the biggest little grocery store in Hessville.”

After a few years in California, they closed on the sale of their property in Indiana. Naturally, they booked their flight on a Friday at midnight to avoid missing a Loara game.

After all, these are people with clear priorities.

In recognition of the Vargos’ lengthy and unwavering support, about eight years ago the Loara coaches, team and booster club awarded Frank a lifetime game pass for two.

The story is told around Loara of how Frank was later robbed in the parking lot of an Anaheim supermarket. Although his wallet contained $250, what distressed him most was the loss of his Saxon pass.

“I was upset,” he said. “I had no thought of getting another, but as soon as (Loara Coach) Herb Hill found out about it, I got a temporary one right away.”

He removed the replacement from his wallet. It reads: Frank ‘Pops’ Vargo, Honorary Saxon, Lifetime Athletic Pass.

Bea smiled. “He shows that to everyone.”

“Well, I’m proud of it,” Frank said.

The Vargos don’t pay admission anymore, but they still do their part to keep the Loara athletic economy afloat.

They are well-known soft touches for every sort of fund-raising project--caps and pins and candy bars and seat cushions and 50-50 tickets and red and gold corsages.

“We’ll buy anything,” Frank said. “I think we’ve got everything they’ve ever sold.

“We like to help the kids. I’d do anything to help them because they’re out there trying to do their best. It’s the least I can do before I kick the bucket.”

Bea suffered a stroke a few years ago and she can’t climb as high in the stands as she once could, but her enthusiasm is unchanged.

The crowds are smaller than they were in the 1960s and ‘70s and that saddens her a little.

“I wish there were more people who were interested in going to the games,” she said. “And there are those parents who yell and put all that pressure on the coaches and on the kids. I think that’s awful.”

Added Frank: “I’ve never blamed any of the coaches for any of the failures or losses. I don’t blame any of them. I just take it with a grain of salt.

“We win some and we lose some . . . but we win most of them. You very seldom see Loara have a losing season. That Herb Hill, he starts out with nothing and he always ends up with something, I’ll tell you.”

The Vargos’ feelings for Loara have even trickled down to their 3-year-old great-grandson, Mike, son of their daughter Charlene Stanton, a Loara graduate, and Terry Stanton, an Anaheim graduate.

“What do you say when we drive by the school?” Charlene prompted.

The child responded with a holler that threatened to break all the glassware in the cupboards of his great-grandparents’ house. “YEEEAA, LOARA!”

Said Bea: “And he tells his father, ‘Boo, Anaheim.’ ”

Charlene said her family may move from Fullerton back into the Loara neighborhood so that her children can continue the family tradition.

“Then Granny and Grandpa can go to their football games,” Charlene said.

Bea laughed and replied: “Granny and Grandpa will be pushing up daisies before they get to high school.”

But you know they’ll be red and yellow ones.

Deke of the week: Loara and Esperanza may have tied, 14-14, in the Empire League opener Friday night, but the Saxons finished one up on the Aztecs in the deception department after using a trick play to gain a first down in the third quarter.

Loara’s Jeff Patterson, in punt formation near midfield, took the snap and bent down as if to punt but instead heaved a pass as high and as far as he could--it looked like a punt--toward Esperanza’s Doug Saunders, who caught the ball at his 10-yard line.

However, the Aztec defender who was covering the Loara split end on the play never knew the ball had been passed, so he blocked the Saxon player as if to set up the punt return.

Esperanza was penalized for making contact with the receiver downfield, the interception was nullified and Loara was awarded a first down at the Aztec 25.

“One of our coaches saw the Philadelphia Eagles do that on the late-night reruns a couple of weeks ago,” Hill said. “We thought we’d give it a shot.”

Prep Notes

The El Dorado water polo team set a school record for scoring Wednesday in its 42-2 victory at Katella in an Empire League match. Mike Tillman led the Golden Hawks with eight goals and 13 of his teammates scored at least once. El Dorado, which played its substitutes in the second half, had a 23-0 advantage by halftime. The CIF record, set in 1979 by Colton and tied by Corona del Mar in 1982, is 52 goals. . . . The fall meeting of the Orange County Athletic Directors Assn. is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Anaheim Stadium Club. The organization will honor superintendents and school board presidents. . . . Ocean View basketball player Ricky Butler has scheduled recruiting trips to Loyola-Marymount, Tulsa and Arizona. . . . Former Edison lineman Rick Zumwalt is starting at outside linebacker for Arizona State.