PREP FOOTBALL : South Coast League : 2 Quarterbacks Play Well, El Toro’s Johnson Wins

Fans lined the hillsides and jammed Mission Viejo High School’s football stadium Friday night to watch Bret Johnson of El Toro and Todd Marinovich of Capistrano Valley, two highly regarded quarterbacks in the Southern Section. And the two juniors didn’t let down the estimated crowd of 5,000.

Johnson and Marinovich combined for 372 yards and 3 touchdowns. But it was Johnson and his El Toro teammates who beat Marinovich & Co., 17-15, in a South Coast League game.

Marinovich completed 20 of 31 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. Johnson was 10 of 16 for 114 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 45 yards in 16 carries.

The victory was the seventh straight for unbeaten El Toro, the No. 1-ranked team in the Orange County Sportswriter’s Assn. poll. But it didn’t come without a scare from Capistrano Valley (4-3).

Marinovich took the Cougars on a 90-yard scoring march after Tommy Adams had recovered a fumble. That drive cut El Toro’s seemingly safe 17-7 lead to 17-13 with only 2:46 remaining. When running back Brent Parker scored on a two-point conversion run, suddenly the Cougars were within two points--or a field goal away from a major upset.

Capistrano Valley tried an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the ball sailed out of bounds after it deflected off an El Toro player. The Chargers ran out the clock thanks to a key fourth down run by Johnson.

“This game was a tribute to Capistrano Valley,” said Bob Johnson, El Toro’s coach and Bret’s father. “This game was only the second time we’ve crossed an opponent’s 20-yard line and failed to score, and we did it twice tonight. We could have put them out of reach, but they hung in tough.”

Dick Enright, Capistrano Valley coach, didn’t see the game quite that way. Afterward, he discussed a pregame consensus in The Times that predicted an El Toro victory rather than his team’s fine performance.

“I always get jobbed by The Times, so you can write whatever you want,” Enright said.

The Cougars outplayed El Toro in the first half, but let the game get away in the third quarter when they were fooled on a critical fourth down play. El Toro lined up for an apparent 31-yard field goal attempt, but holder Scott Miller got the snap, rolled to his right and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Hoelker for a 17-7 lead.

Marinovich was brilliant in the first half, mixing short passes to running backs Adams and Parker with perfectly timed sideline passes to receivers Steve Lawrence and Steve Poltl.

The left-hander had a streak of 13 consecutive completions in the first half after missing his first attempt. He had 103 yards passing in the first quarter alone, as the Cougars opened a 7-3 lead.

Capistrano Valley marched 80 yards on its first possession for a touchdown. Marinovich passed for 61 yards in the drive, finishing it with a 10-yard touchdown play to tight end Randy Stark.

El Toro, trailing for the first time since its opening game against Whitehall in Allentown, Pa., rebounded quickly. Adam Brass ran 71 yards with the ensuing kickoff to set up the Chargers at the Capistrano Valley 19-yard line. They settled for a 27-yard field goal by Chris Sekeres after a critical holding penalty stalled the drive at the Cougars’ two-yard line.

El Toro gained the lead in the second quarter with a 71-yard drive that featured the passing combination of Johnson to Miller. They teamed 3 times for 39 yards in the march, including a 9-yard scoring play that pushed the Chargers ahead, 10-7.

El Toro had one more opportunity to score in the half, but Chris Sekeres’ 41-yard field goal attempt as time ran out was ruled wide to the right, even though the two line judges failed to reach the end zone to get into good position to make the call.

El Toro running back Aly Diaz played a key role in the second half. Diaz had only 12 yards rushing in the first half, but added 99 in the second half to finish with 111 yards in 21 carries.

“I thought the first half was one of the better displays of passing by two high school quarterbacks you’ll ever see,” Johnson said. “Diaz was a key in the second half. We had to get the running game established, and he did the job.

“This was a giant step for us toward another league title. It’s real nice to be 7-0.”

Dana Hills 23, Irvine 3--The Dolphins broke a four-game losing streak with a victory at Dana Hills High School.

Irvine (1-6, 0-2) got its only points after it intercepted quarterback Jason Hickman’s first pass, resulting in a 22-yard field goal by Joe Pontius.

Dolphin running back Jason Burden then returned Irvine’s kickoff 73 yards to the Irvine 20-yard line, but the drive stalled.

Dana Hills (1-1, 3-4) tied the score later in the first period, when J. B. Hollis kicked a 42-yard field goal.

The Dolphin offense sputtered until late in the second quarter, when Hickman drove Dana Hills 90 yards in 9 plays. Hickman completed 4 passes for 56 yards in the drive. The Dolphins scored the lead touchdown with 1:46 left in the half on a 17-yard pass from tailback Bill Mitchell to split end Donny Macintrye.

Macintrye added a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins scored their final touchdown on a three-yard run by reserve running back Alfred Gehrig with 45 seconds left in the game.

JOHNSON VS. MARINOVICH

Quarterback School Att-Comp. Yards TD Int Bret Johnson El Toro 10-16 114 1 1 Todd Marinovic Capo Valley 20-31 258 2 0