PREP FOOTBALL : Sea View League : University Ties Corona del Mar Amid Confusion

When does a tie seem more like a loss?

When a team turns the ball over at an opponent’s 2-yard line while driving for the go-ahead touchdown with 36 seconds remaining.

When a team loses 4 seconds on the clock while trying to get its kicker on the field.

When a team has wasted its final timeout and that same kicker never gets the opportunity to attempt a 27-yard field goal because time expired.

It all happened to University High School Thursday night in its 14-14 tie with Corona del Mar in the Sea View League opener for both schools at Irvine High.

Incredibly, University wasted 2 good scoring opportunities in the final minute and had to settle for a tie despite outplaying Corona del Mar, the top-ranked Division VI school in the Southern Section.

First, there was the ill-advised pass. Quarterback Junior Oliver had moved University to Corona del Mar’s 12-yard line in the final 2 minutes.

Rather than attempt a field goal at this point with 36 seconds left to play, University Coach Mark Cunningham elected to try another play. Oliver rolled to his right and forced a pass into the end zone that was intercepted at the 2 by defensive back Warren Johnson.

“If it wasn’t there, I told Junior to throw the ball out of bounds and then we would go for the kick,” Cunningham said. “It was a big-time mistake, and I’ll take the blame for calling the play.”

Somehow, University had another chance to win, but time played a cruel trick on the Trojans. Corona del Mar was unsuccessful on 3 consecutive plays and on fourth down, Dave Holland, the Sea Kings’ coach, elected to sit on the ball rather than punt.

Ty Price, Corona del Mar quarterback, took the snap with 8 seconds remaining, dropped back 2 steps and then dropped to a knee. One second had expired, but in the confusion, the clock continued to run for another 4 seconds.

So when University kicker Jim Roberson frantically ran onto the field to attempt a winning kick, there were 3 seconds left instead of 7 seconds. And there were no timeouts left, because the last one had been wasted earlier in the fourth quarter. Predictably, Roberson’s 27-yard kick came about 2 seconds after time expired and the game was over.

“We were lucky to get out of here with a tie,” Holland said. “For the rest of my life, I’m going to be thinking about this game.”

While he’s at it, he might think about giving the ball to fullback John Katovsich a little more often. Katovsich carried only 3 times, but the 225-pounder gained 44 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown run with 7:21 remaining, that put the Sea Kings back in the ballgame.

For most of the evening, University dominated. The Trojans gained 186 yards rushing with tailback Gary Smarr gaining 117 yards in 26 carries and scoring twice.