County’s Best Prep Quarterback: The Winner Is . . .

The best high school quarterback in Orange County . . . California . . . possibly the entire country . . . is without a doubt, absolutely, ta-da, Bret Marinovich of El Capistrano. Oops, scratch that. I meant, Todd Johnson of Toro Valley.

Actually, I’m flustered silly by the whole thing. Every day, for the past two seasons, the same argument: Who’s No. 1--El Toro’s Bret Johnson (there, that’s better) or Capistrano Valley’s Todd Marinovich? Inquiring minds want to know.

So it was off to the Capistrano Valley stadium Friday evening for The Big Game. Marinovich vs. Johnson. Tall vs. Kind of Tall. Classic Dropback vs. Ultra Mobile.

By 6:30, a full hour before kickoff, you need a court order to get a parking space. Tow trucks patrol local shopping center lots. Several nearby residents charge for parking.

At the two stadium ticket windows, workers keep repeating themselves.

“Standing room only, ladies and gentlemen. And no refunds on tickets. Sorry.”

“And you’re still charging $4 a ticket?” says a fan, shaking his head.

He buys a ticket. In all, a crowd of about 7,000 will squeeze itself into and around stadium bleachers designed for audiences of 4,000. Before it’s over, the ticket seller will run out of $1 bills, unable to provide change . . . and no one will mind.

“Incredible,” says one worker.

“The game of the century,” says another.

Game programs are sold out. The empty boxes sit near a stadium fence. Plenty of Capistrano Valley scarfs available. At $10 apiece, plenty left, too.

Two cable television crews are here; one from ESPN’s headquarters in Connecticut, the other from a local network. A mother and her child, who is maybe 4 or 5, stare at the television equipment. “This is such an important game,” he says in a tone grave and serious. His mother smiles and nods her head.

Several sheriff’s department cars circle the stadium. Private security officers mingle with the growing crowd. Usually it takes only six officers for a game here. Friday, it takes 20. “Big rivalry,” says one of the security members, “and you know how that goes.”

Dick Enright, Capistrano Valley’s head coach, paces the sidelines, shaking hands with his players. “Ready?” he says to one.

Assistant coaches sit high atop their portable platforms. They wear headphones and serious looks.

El Toro receives. Out comes Johnson, a 6-foot-or-so package of nerve endings. He runs as if he just held up the corner liquor store. Quick, tough, strong-armed, Johnson represents the Chargers’ best chance for victory.

Little happens on El Toro’s first possession. Johnson overthrows a receiver. Soon the Chargers punt.

Now it is Marinovich’s turn. The county’s career passing yardage leader, Marinovich has the look of a quarterback, sort of a left-handed Steve Bartkowski. Red hair pokes out of his helmet. A 6-4 Huck Finn with pads, he is.

The Cougars begin to drive. A run here, a pass there. A Capistrano Valley assistant perched on the platform notices a problem. He speaks into his headset, but no one hears him. He tries again. Nothing. Finally, he discards the headphones and yells down to the field until someone notices.

Meanwhile, the Cougars move slowly toward the Charger end zone. A holding call temporarily stops the drive. “Hey, Charlie,” says Enright to a referee, “you’re killing us. You’re killing us.”

Moments later, Marinovich finds wide receiver Rich Thomas open on a post pattern. Thomas catches the ball just short of the El Toro six and is immediately hit by two defenders. He staggers off the field, his facemask bent and stretched, his nose bleeding and broken. Trainers place a bag of ice over his eyes and forehead. Tears stream down his cheek. Thomas doesn’t see Marinovich complete a six-yard touchdown pass to Toney Jenkins.

Jenkins returns to the bench, checks on Thomas and then grants an interview with one of the roving cable TV reporters. “I feel pretty good,” says Jenkins, “but we still got a long way to go.”

Capistrano Valley takes a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, this time on a 77-yard run by Matt Spence, Marinovich’s best buddy. The Cougar band plays a rendition of the Notre Dame fight song. Capistrano Valley fans begin talking of a rout. They have seen Marinovich do little more than hand the ball off and already they lead by two touchdowns.

But Johnson, who has been hurt by several dropped passes in the first half, moves El Toro quickly down the field with less than a minute remaining. The Chargers score on a one-yard plunge by Adam Brass. Halftime comes and the Chargers now trail, 14-7.

Fans, many pressed against a wire fence surrounding the stadium, others sitting on a wall outside the facility, race toward the concession stand. The Cougar band begins its halftime program. Bryan Taylor, who plays alto sax in the band, stands alone, near a pickup truck parked off the field. He wears his band uniform but doesn’t march. Foot injury.

His thoughts on the game: “Great, as long as we’re winning.”

The third quarter starts. Marinovich throws an interception. El Toro players begin yelling, “Chargers are coming alive now!”

The drive stalls. A sure touchdown pass from Johnson is dropped.

But then El Toro uses a fake punt to get a first down. Later, on a play the Chargers used last year to beat the Cougars, the Chargers try a fake field goal. It fails.

The fourth quarter arrives and the crowd soon learns what all the pregame hype was about. Johnson moves the Chargers toward a tying score. Balls thump against his receivers’ chests. It’s as if Johnson takes losing as a personal insult.

Enright, no dummy, thinks ahead. “If they score, do they go for one or two (points)?” he says. “Hey, they’ve got to go for two.”

Sure enough, Johnson hits Bobby Gaskins, who has slipped past Marinovich at safety, for the score. Then Johnson finds Chris McCarthy open for the two-point conversion. El Toro 15, Capistrano Valley 14.

Marinovich will have none of this. With less than four minutes to play, he completes a 28-yard pass to Davy Rawson. First and goal at the El Toro nine.

On the Cougar sidelines is Thomas, a bandage stretched across his nose. A young Capistrano Valley water boy taps him on the arm and hands him a small package of M&Ms.; “Thanks,” says Thomas.

The Cougars score on Spence’s second touchdown run. Marinovich completes a two-point conversion to Rawson, who only moments earlier, was ill behind the bench. The Cougars lead, 22-15.

Johnson gets the ball back. He has found the Cougar weakness--their secondary--and he is exploiting it. A 45-yard scoring pass to Sean Drinkwater with 1:52 left proves that much.

But Johnson misses McCarthy on the two-point conversion.

After a Cougar possession, Johnson is given one more chance. He needs a field goal.

In less than 50 seconds, Johnson moves the Chargers to the Cougar 34. A possible touchdown catch is dropped. A 51-yard field goal is attempted as the clock ticks toward zeroes.

The kick is short. Capistrano Valley wins.

Johnson, who finishes with 19 completions and 279 yards, refuses to shake hands with Cougar coaches or players. Marinovich, who had 10 completions and 161 yards, approaches El Toro Coach Bob Johnson and in an ironic choice of words, says: “Good game. How sweet it is.” Last year, after El Toro’s victory, it was Johnson who said, “How sweet it is.”

Later, Bret Johnson will say he played “all right. But it doesn’t matter. We lost.” Marinovich will say, “Any way we could beat them, that’s great for me. A win is a win.”

As for this business of Orange County’s best, who cares? Savor it for what it was, a game to be remembered.