PREP FLASHBACK : A LOOK BACK AT THIS WEEK IN COUNTY PREP SPORTS HISTORY : 10 YEARS AGO

Considering that Katella High School had had four football coaches in the previous four years without a winning season, it seemed strange that it would hire two coaches for the 1980 season.

Roger Olson and Jack Pattison were brought in as co-coaches.

For a school that had compiled an 8-18-1 record from 1977-79, it was a little step in the right direction; Katella started the 1980 season 2-2.

Not Just for Peanuts Dept.: At Canyon, the charm of high school football was still in the air.

When asked about the importance of its Friday night game against Villa Park, Canyon Coach Mike Zeller replied:

“This is a big rivalry with Villa Park. But there is something really big at stake tonight. . . . Bragging rights at McDonald’s. “

Canyon won, 10-7, and presumably had a McFeast.

5 YEARS AGO

Derek Brown was still three years away from setting the county’s single-season rushing record (2,301 yards) for Servite, but the debate was heated over who was the top running back in county history. The contenders were: Kerwin Bell of Edison, Isaac Curtis of Santa Ana, Willie Gittins of Fountain Valley and Myron White of Santa Ana Valley, all of whom had completed their prep careers, and Valencia’s Ray Pallares, who was on his way to setting the county career record for rushing yards, with 5,396.

Eight coaches who had been in Orange County long enough to have seen all the running backs were informally polled and asked for comments. Bell got three votes, White got 2 1/2, Curtis two and Pallares got a half-vote.

Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney split his vote between White and Pallares.

“Myron White was a devastating runner,” Devaney said. “He saw the seam and then exploded. He was a classic, slashing-type runner. Ray Pallares (was) a methodical runner who gets his yardage no matter what.”

Costa Mesa Coach Tom Baldwin and Loara Coach Herb Hill were fans of Curtis, who played for Baldwin at Santa Ana in 1967.

“Isaac Curtis (was) the best running back ever to play in Orange County,” Baldwin said. “He never got the recognition because he played on such a great team his senior season. I don’t think he carried the ball more than 15 times in the second half his entire senior season. If I had let him carry the ball 25 times a game, he would have gained 7,000 yards in his career. I saw Kerwin Bell, Myron White and Willie Gittins and none of them could compare with Isaac.”

Edison’s Bill Workman, Esperanza’s Pete Yoder and El Modena’s Rob Lester voted for Bell, who is now second to Brown among the county’s single-season rushers with 2,226 yards.

“Kerwin Bell, without question, is the best running back to come out of Orange County,” Yoder said. “He had great natural ability and great acceleration. Bell had the three ingredients of a great running back--speed, balance and quickness.”

1 YEAR AGO

The Supermen:

Shane Sherman had the seventh-best rushing game in Orange County history when he ran for 307 yards to lead Edison to a 48-27 victory over St. John Bosco. Sherman’s performance broke Edison’s school record of 238 yards set by Kerwin Bell in 1979.

Sunny Hills rushed to a 20-7 victory over Esperanza. Ken Overby had 150 yards rushing and teammate Mike Sullivan had 107. A third back, Brian Pizula, gained 74 yards.

Sean Rogers kicked field goals of 27, 46, 32 and 39 yards to lead Ocean View to a 35-9 victory over Tustin. Rogers also intercepted three passes and blocked a conversion attempt.

The Avengers:

Santa Ana upset Loyola, 17-14, to avenge a 30-0 loss the year before.