Orange County Prep Football : Marinovich Surpasses Southern Section Record : 283-Yard Performance in 29-10 Win Over Estancia Eclipses Haden’s Mark

Capistrano Valley High School quarterback Todd Marinovich passed for 283 yards Friday night to break Pat Haden’s Southern Section career passing record in the Cougars’ 29-10 victory over Estancia in front of 1,200 fans Friday night at Capistrano Valley.

Marinovich raised his four-year total at Capistrano Valley and Mater Dei to 7,644 yards, topping Haden’s record of 7,633. Haden, a former Bishop Amat, USC and Los Angeles Rams quarterback, had set the mark in 1968-70.

Marinovich, a 6-foot 4-inch, 210-pound left-hander, is now 1,160 yards shy of the state and national records set by Ron Cuccia of Los Angeles Wilson in 1975-77. Marinovich has thrown for 927 yards in four games this season.

Marinovich completed 19 of 28 pass attempts, threw two touchdowns and also ran for a score. He threw a 18-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Adams to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead in the second quarter and then later teamed with Toney Jenkins on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter for a 21-7 lead.

“We weren’t planning on getting the record tonight,” Marinovich said. “We had two receivers injured (Joe Wood and David Rawson), and Coach (Dick) Enright said not to worry about it.

“I’ve known Pat Haden since I was 3 years old, and it’s a great honor to be mentioned with him, because his record has lasted so long.”

Marinovich’s record-setting pass play came with four minutes remaining. He threw a quick five-yard pass to tight end Randy Stark, who turned the play into a 13-yard gain, and the record had been broken.

School officials had hoped that Haden would be present to witness the record-breaking performance, but Haden’s television schedule made him unavailable.

“I’m glad we got the record out of the way,” said Enright. “Now we can concentrate on Saddleback.”

Last year, Marinovich established a county passing record against Saddleback, but Capistrano Valley was routed, 48-7.

Capistrano Valley’s fourth straight victory most likely will move it into the top spot in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll after El Toro’s 10-7 upset loss to El Modena on Thursday night. Estancia fell to 2-2.

STATE PREP CAREER PASSING LEADERS

Pos. Name School Years Yards 1 Ron Cuccia L.A. Wilson 1975-77 8,804 2 T. Marinovich Mater Dei/Capo Valley 1984-87 7,644 3 Pat Haden Bishop Amat 1968-70 7,633 4 John Paye Menlo Park 1980-82 7,569