SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : DIVISION VIII : Trabuco Hills Comes Full Circle

Trabuco Hills High School, which 3 years ago couldn’t beat the likes of Melodyland, defeated Woodbridge, 34-14, Friday to win the Southern Section Division VIII football championship at Mission Viejo High.

“This is pretty incredible,” Trabuco Hills Coach Jim Barnett said. “I thought this might happen one day, but not this fast.”

It was the first Southern Section championship in any sport for Trabuco Hills, a school that opened its doors and fielded its first football team in 1985.

That was a time of faulty sprinkler systems, clock hands spinning out of control and a football team devoid of seniors.

The team, which practiced at an elementary school because the high school’s grass had not grown as fast as expected, lost its opener, 20-13, to Melodyland High. It went 2-8 that year against small schools and junior varsity teams.

All of which seemed ancient history as Trabuco Hills (12-2) controlled play throughout on Friday.

Running back Chad DeYoung, starting only his second game at that position, rushed for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns in 16 carries. The second score was a 69-yard run that gave Trabuco Hills a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

Quarterback David Lowery completed 14 of 28 passes for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns. In so doing, he set an Orange County single-season record for passing yardage, finishing the year with 3,293 yards, breaking the mark of 3,154 set by Capistrano Valley’s Scott Stark in 1985.

It was Lowery’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Julian Ford on fourth down with three seconds left in the half that may have cinched the game.

Trabuco Hills took a 3-0 lead with 6:48 left in the first quarter on Brent Roper’s 31-yard field goal.

Woodbridge came back to take the lead when quarterback Fred Schweer capped a 69-yard drive with a 2-yard run, carrying several defenders into the end zone with him. Troy Holmes’ conversion kick gave Woodbridge a 7-3 lead with 10:03 left in the second quarter.

Trabuco Hills came right back with a 73-yard drive that ended when DeYoung scored from the 2 with 5:17 left in the half.

With 1:32 left, Trabuco Hills got possession at its 37, but 6 plays later the drive had stalled at the 26. Barnett decided to go for it on fourth and 16.

“Coach told me, ‘Send Julian into the end zone and hit him,’ ” Lowery said.

Which is what he did, dropping the ball over one defender’s reach and just ahead of another’s. Ford slid as he caught the ball with 3 seconds left in the half. Roper’s kick gave Trabuco Hills a 17-7 lead.

On its first possession of the second half, Woodbridge quickly drove to the Trabuco Hills’ 17, the big play a 57-yard pass from Schweer to Alex Zaldivar. But a fumble on a pitch was recovered by Trabuco Hills. Two plays later, DeYoung went 69 yards.

“I think the fumble was the key to the game,” said Rick Gibson, Woodbridge coach. “We’re all ready to score, and all of sudden they’ve got the ball and they’re scoring.”

Trabuco Hills would add an 8-yard pass from Lowery to Tim Manning and a 25-yard field goal by Roper.

Woodbridge would score one more touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Schweer to Zaldivar.

Principal Bill Brand, who was at the school in 1985, may have overstated it a bit when he called the championship “the greatest thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

Then again, considering Brande said this as a horde of Trabuco Hills supporters hoisted Lowery and the Southern Section trophy above their heads, maybe not.