ON THE PREP PATH : Woodbridge Would Like to Reclaim Its Prestigious Post, Critters and All

T ermites .

As defined by Webster’s, these little critters are “pale-colored insects having a soft body and living in colonies composed of winged forms (and) very destructive to wooden structures.”

Creepy? Crawly? Totally disgusting?

Quite so.

But in Irvine, termites are a integral part of the Fence Post Trophy, the prestigious--albeit cruddy--piece of wood awarded each year to the city’s top high school football team.

Since the award was initiated 12 years ago, hungry termites have called it home. Others just call it hideous.

“Basically,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said, “it looks like an ugly old piece of fencing that someone decided to pick up and varnish. There’s a plaque (on the base) that says which team has won it every year, but outside of that, it’s very, very ugly.”

But it’s coveted nonetheless.

Friday night at 7:30, Woodbridge will have a chance to reclaim the Fence Post, which it held from 1985 through 1988. The Warriors play University at Irvine High School.

Irvine, which beat University in the season opener, was upset by Woodbridge two weeks ago. If University beats Woodbridge Friday, a three-way tie will result, forcing the Fence Post to its neutral location--a local movie theater.

But a Woodbridge victory would make the Warriors the city champions once again.

“This is an intracity game,” Gibson said. “Records, rankings mean nothing. Nothing else matters.”

Not even the bugs.

The trophy was actually renamed the Dennis Toohey Fence Post Trophy this year in honor of a longtime Irvine football coach. Toohey coached many of the players on the Irvine, Woodbridge and University teams.

Best matchup for the Woodbridge-University game is on the line, where Woodbridge’s Dae Kim meets University’s Brian Riggs.

Kim is 5-feet-5, 180. Riggs is 5-6, 160.

“We call it ‘The Battle of the Smurfs,’ ” Gibson said.

During his recruiting visit to Duke last weekend, Marina’s Cherokee Parks was sitting next to 8-year-old Jamie Krzyzewski, daughter of Blue Devil Coach Mike Krzyzewski, at a team scrimmage.

Jamie watched Parks, a 6-foot-11 center, try unsuccessfully to break a small, pen-sized piece of plastic in half.

She grabbed the piece of plastic from Parks. “If I break it in half, will you come to Duke?” she asked.

“OK, you have six minutes,” Parks told her.

Jamie twisted, bent, ripped and pulled. No good.

“My dad’s gonna be real proud of me when I get you to come here,” she said.

But after six minutes, the plastic was still intact.

No matter. Parks made an oral commitment to Duke Monday.

Jamie, who spent two hours on the task, sent the broken pieces to Parks as a souvenir.

Leigh Steinberg, sports attorney to the stars, will be the key speaker at tonight’s fall meeting of the Orange County Athletic Directors.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Stadium Club at Anaheim Stadium. For information, call Katella Athletic Director Tom Danley at 999-3647.

As a fifth-year assistant to Newport Harbor water polo Coach Bill Barnett, Dean Crow knows what it’s like to coach in one of the county’s powerhouse programs.

But he also knows the other side.

Crow, 24, also is athletic director and girls’ volleyball coach at tiny Pacific Shores High, a private school in Laguna Niguel.

At Newport Harbor, there are 40 players in the water polo program.

At Pacific Shores, there are 36 students.

At Newport, each position is three or four players deep.

At Pacific Shores, four girls went out for volleyball last year. The school did manage to draw enough to put together a team this season.

At Newport Harbor, the Sailors have at one time or another been among the county’s best in football, water polo, swimming, volleyball, tennis, soccer, cross-country, track. . . .

At Pacific Shores, the only sports offered are girls’ volleyball, boys’ basketball and co-ed baseball.

“Yeah, there are definitely differences,” Crow said. “The biggest is probably that Pacific Shores has never had to forfeit a game (because of an ineligible athlete).”

Crow helps out with the morning workouts at Newport Harbor and attends games, then coaches Pacific Shores volleyball four afternoons a week. If there’s a conflict, he goes with the girls’ volleyball team.