PREP FLASHBACK : THIS WEEK IN COUNTY PREP SPORTS HISTORY

10 YEARS AGO

Years before he helped UCLA beat BYU in the 1986 Freedom Bowl and led the Arena Football League in passing while playing for the Los Angeles Cobras in 1988, Matt Stevens was leading fourth-quarter rallies for Fountain Valley High School. A 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior, Stevens completed four of six passes for 52 yards during a 67-yard drive that gave Fountain Valley a 22-21 victory over Marina in the Sunset League opener for both teams.

With Fountain Valley trailing, 21-15, midway through the fourth quarter, Stevens helped the Barons drive from their 33 to Marina’s one and then scored his second touchdown of the game. For the game, Stevens completed nine of 14 passes for 152 yards. Fountain Valley went on to lose to Edison in the Big Five Conference championship in front of almost 30,000 people at Anaheim Stadium.

A friendly war of the words raged between El Modena Coach Bob Lester and Santa Ana Coach Tom Meiss. The subject: Which team would Meiss’s daughter, Paula, an El Modena student, root for?

Said Lester: “Paula is a full-blown El Modena booster.”

“My daughter is in Lester’s tennis class at El Modena so we had a struggle at home all week, “ Meiss said. “If we win, he’s liable to flunk her.”

“As of today, Paula is a straight-A student,” Lester said, after his team won, 27-17, in its homecoming game, ending Santa Ana’s Century League winning streak at nine.

5 YEARS AGO

Bad Omen? Cedrick Hardman’s ill-fated career as Laguna Beach High School’s football coach began with the the Artists winning four of their first five games, their best start since 1979. But because of an ineligible player--a lineman who wasn’t yet 15, the minimum age for a varsity football player--the Artists forfeited three of their victories. Laguna Beach finished the season 3-7. Hardman, who was an All-Pro defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers, resigned in 1987 after being arrested on felony charges of possession of cocaine and on a misdemeanor for resisting arrest. The cocaine charge was dropped, but Hardman served 10 days in jail after pleading guilty to resisting arrest.

1 YEAR AGO

Arm and Hammer: Quarterback Todd Gragnano and running back Erik Mitchell of Los Alamitos had memorable performances in Los Alamitos’ 58-28 drubbing of Katella. Gragnano became only the fifth player in Orange County history to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a career. He reached 5,051 by completing 10 of 12 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Mitchell rushed for 224 yards in that game.

Crossed Streaks: Estancia extended its winning streak to six games when it beat Sea View League rival Corona del Mar for the first time in five years. While fans chanted “Six and oh! Six and oh! Six and . . . “ Estancia Coach John Liebengood said the victory was “probably the greatest of all time” for the school.