PREP FLASHBACK : THIS WEEK IN COUNTY PREP SPORTS HISTORY

10 YEARS AGO

Servite became the most unlikely entry in the CIF Big Five playoffs by defeating Mater Dei, 20-14, before a crowd of 8,000 at Glover Stadium.

How unlikely? The victory gave the Friars a 3-7 record.

They had been outscored by nine opponents, 130-61, and managed just six points in their three previous league games. Then Servite had to forfeit two games for using an ineligible player. The team wasn’t just down, it was getting kicked.

But defense and special teams helped Servite score on four short drives, and the Friars clinched third in the Angelus League and a playoff bid with a 2-2 record.

Their fortune didn’t continue when they drew defending conference champion Edison in the first round. But even Edison Coach Bill Workman jumped on the Servite band wagon. Sort of.

“Servite may be 3-7 on paper, but they are really a 5-5 team,” Workman said.

There’s a vote of confidence.

Postscript: Edison won, 35-0.

5 YEARS AGO

Two Weatherspoons were too much when La Habra defeated Sunny Hills, 20-0, to keep the Lancers out of the playoffs for the first time since 1981.

Running back Chuck Weatherspoon, a senior who now plays at the University of Houston, rushed for 141 yards and touchdowns on runs of 28, four and 20 yards. His brother, Linton, a sophomore linebacker, had two of La Habra’s five sacks as the Highlanders clinched their third consecutive Freeway League title.

Edison did everything well--except kick extra points--in a 51-14 victory over Marina that earned a share of the Sunset League title. The Chargers missed five extra-point attempts, but that was the only glitch as they ran their unbeaten streak against Marina to 12 years.

Sophomore tailback Kalaeph Carter ran for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns.

“It was one of those nights where we couldn’t do anything wrong, and they couldn’t do anything right,” Edison Coach Bill Workman said. “Marina is a good football team. It was just one of those nights.”

1 YEAR AGO

The Last Hill-Top: Herb Hill’s 31-year coaching career came to an end with Loara’s 3-0 loss to Santa Ana in the first round of the Division III playoffs. Loara struggled without injured running back Coy Collins, who gained 1,666 yards in the regular season. Hill retired as Orange County’s all-time winningest coach with 191-111-11 record in 28 years at Loara and three at Rancho Alamitos.

In a Rush: Villa Park running back Gary Bladow rushed for 196 yards in 17 carries to lead the Spartans to a 48-28 victory over Esperanza in the first round of the Division III playoffs. Bladow scored three touchdowns, including a 40-yard sprint up the middle in the second quarter that helped erase a 14-6 Esperanza lead.

Everything But: “Oh, God, I thought I was going to kill myself for that fake punt. We came into the game thinking that we’re not going to hold anything back. We threw everything at them but the kitchen sink.” That’s how La Quinta Coach Roger Takahashi felt about using so many trick plays in a 19-14 victory over Valencia.