1988-89 YEAR IN SPORTS : A Year That’s in a League by Itself

The Top 10 high school stories of 1988-89:

1. Santa Margarita’s Road to Nowhere: Seldom has one school created so much controversy simply by existing. Santa Margarita, a $26 million Catholic school nestled in Rancho Santa Margarita, is having trouble finding a home for its athletic teams beginning in the 1990-91 school year.

Although the school is only two years old and won’t graduate its first senior class until 1991, Santa Margarita has been rejected by administrators of private schools, parochial schools and public schools.

In the 12th meeting this year on the subject, the school was placed among parochial schools by the Southern Section’s Executive Committee, but an appeal by parochial administrators to the State CIF is likely.

2. Servite’s Derek Brown Breaks the County Rushing Record: In a memorable year, Brown established a county rushing record with 2,301 yards, surpassing former Edison star Kerwin Bell, who rushed for 2,226 yards in 1979.

Brown’s three-year career rushing mark of 4,663 yards ranks second on the county’s career rushing list behind that of former Valencia star Ray Pallares (5,398 yards), set in four seasons.

Brown scored 30 touchdowns to rank second on the season scoring list and had single-game totals of 338 yards as a sophomore and 312 yards as a senior, both against Mater Dei, ranking third and fifth on the county list.

3. Corona del Mar Wins a State Title and Six Southern Section Championships: Corona del Mar won the State Division II boys’ cross-country title and Southern Section football and water polo championships. The girls won the Southern Section individual tennis and team tennis titles.

The boys’ basketball team came up a game short in the Southern Section championship, losing to Trabuco Hills, but the boys’ volleyball team and boys’ tennis doubles team kept the winning tradition rolling with Southern Section titles in the spring.

4. Trabuco Hills Wins Southern Section Football and Basketball Titles: In only its fourth year, Trabuco Hills won the Southern Section Division VIII football title behind the passing of quarterback David Lowery, then won the Southern Section 3-A basketball title behind the play of 6-foot-10 center Rick Swanwick.

Trabuco Hills lost by a point to Central Valley in the State Division III championship game in Oakland. Swanwick scored all 25 of his team’s points in the second half.

5. Fountain Valley Wins Division I Football Title: Fountain Valley took a 21-point lead, then held on for a 31-24 victory over Bishop Amat at Anaheim Stadium, where Fountain Valley had lost the title game a year before to Fontana.

Fountain Valley opened a 24-3 first-half lead before three touchdown passes by Bishop Amat’s Brian Harmon in the second half. Fountain Valley quarterback David Henigan--the division’s player of the year--passed for two touchdowns.

6. Brea-Olinda Girls Win State Division III Basketball Championship: Brea’s flight encountered turbulence during a rocky ride to Oakland, but once the Ladycats hit the floor, they rolled to a 70-46 victory over Mercy.

7. El Dorado and Kennedy Take Southern Section Baseball Titles: First baseman Matt Luke broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning by stealing home and Pete Janicki pitched a shutout as El Dorado beat Millikan, 2-0, for the 5-A division title.

Kennedy pitcher Greg Hansell struck out 10 and scored the game’s only run on a wild pitch in the ninth inning as the Fighting Irish won the 3-A division title, its first baseball championship in the school’s 25-year history.

8. Mater Dei Boys’ Basketball Team Upset in Quarterfinals: Mater Dei, the four-time defending 5-A division champions, suffered its first loss in the Southern Section playoffs in five years when the Monarchs lost to St. Monica, 69-66.

“For most other teams, this is a banner year,” said Coach Gary McKnight of the Monarchs’ 24-3 record.

9. La Quinta Forward Scott Campbell Scores 53 Points: Campbell tied three other players for fourth on the county’s all-time single-game scoring list with 53 points against Garden Grove.

Campbell scored 30 or more points in eight consecutive games and averaged 28.9 points during the season.

10. Ted Mullen Likely Leaving Orange County: An announcement is expected this week that Anaheim Coach Ted Mullen, one of the most successful football coaches in the county over the past 18 years, will become an assistant coach at Palm Desert.

Mullen and Dick Hill of Santa Ana are the only coaches in Southern Section history to lead three different schools in title games. Mullen coached Villa Park, Foothill and Anaheim into championship games.