With Championships Decided, the Memories Are Taking Hold

It will be difficult to forget the oh-so-cool look of confidence in quarterback Tony Solliday’s eyes. . . . the passion and precision in that last-minute drive. . . . the boyish expression of wondrous disbelief on Coach Eric Patton’s face.

It will be difficult to forget the frenzied blur of fans rushing to hug and shake hands. . . . the pint-sized souvenir-seekers begging for a player’s jersey. . . . the tears of joy streaming down the face of linebacker Matt (Motor) Mosebrook as he wept like a baby in his father’s arms.

Capistrano Valley High School’s 17-15 victory over Paramount in the Division II championship game Saturday was, if not the stuff of dreams, the stuff of indelible memories.

As a reporter, you’re supposed to watch all athletic contests without showing even a trace of favoritism. You are a professional--you never root or cheer, not even under your breath.

But I’m a sucker for the underdog.

Congratulations, Capo Valley. Way to go.

I watched Paramount dismantle El Toro in last year’s Division III title game. I remember how Paramount running back Leon Neal, then a junior, scampered around the Charger defense like a rodeo clown runs around broncos and bulls.

I didn’t give Capo Valley a chance.

Maybe it’s those Cougar costumes the mascots wear. Too cute. Too cuddly.

Or maybe it’s because Eric Patton is too nice a guy. Too much a teddy bear. I’ve never heard him swear, never seen him throw fits or clipboards.

A couple of coaches in the South Coast League seem to base their philosophy on “Winning Through Intimidation.” Not Patton. This is a man who, during the electrifying winning drive Saturday, turned to a reporter, grinned mischievously and said, “This exciting enough for you?”

It was as if, in the middle of a miracle, he had called a timeout to make sure everyone was enjoying the moment as much as he was.

“I think at that time of the game you have to become philosophical,” he said Sunday. “You’ve done all the work, you’re in a situation to win a game, it’s just a matter of letting things happen.”

And thanking fate when what happens coincides with your dreams.

Mike Sullivan rushed to his car Friday afternoon, already late for Sunny Hills’ pregame festivities. The Division VI championship against Tustin was less than six hours away, and Sullivan, a senior running back/defensive back, was trying to remain calm.

Sullivan turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. He turned it again. Nothing still. The car seemed as dead as dirt, and Sullivan began to panic.

“I was just sitting there going, ‘Oh, great!’ ” said Sullivan, normally an unflappable guy. “I mean, I have this habit of being late as it is.”

Seconds turned into minutes, and Sullivan knew he was going to miss the pregame meal and pep talk by Ram safety Anthony Newman.

Finally, Sullivan, a 4.2 student, discovered the problem. It was marked with a capital ‘D.’ The car was in “drive.”

Add Sullivan: It was that kind of afternoon for Sullivan. But what a night.

Sunny Hills won the title, 7-3. For those normally lulled by defense, this game was no snooze fest. Action was running all over the place.

Like big hits? Try Sullivan’s sonic-boom smack on Ron Goods in the first quarter. The force popped Goods’ helmet off like a cork popping from a bottle of champagne.

Like goal-line stands? Try Sunny Hills’ snuffing of fullback Visko Ancich, the boy battering ram, inside the 10-yard-line with seven minutes to go. Tustin had to settle for a field goal, the only points the Tillers would score in the game.

“I just knew, no matter what, I wasn’t letting anyone get by me,” Sullivan said. “Then we got the ball back, and everyone just had this huge shot of adrenaline. I think it was something deep down inside, like there was a sense of urgency.”

Yeah, like, there’s only 6:41 to play, so put it in drive .

And drive they did, all the way to within about a foot of the goal line. Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney called a timeout. He called for a sweep outside. His players stood and glared.

“I didn’t realize how close we were to the goal line,” Devaney said. “We were gonna call a sweep, and there were just about 11 kids that basically bit my head off. So I changed it (to a straight-ahead run). . . . Hey, I’m not gonna start a fight out there with 11 guys.”

Sullivan and Ken Overby, who are allowed to decide between themselves who runs the ball, decided to go with Overby, who was hurting with a dislocated shoulder.

“With the shoulder, I couldn’t block. Or at least I knew I wouldn’t be very effective if I tried,” Overby said. “But inside plays are usually mine, so Sully just said, ‘Go ahead and take it. I don’t care who scores.’ ”

That wasn’t all Sullivan told him.

“I told him if he fumbled, I’d kill him,” he said.

Overby plowed across for the score, looked up and saw the clock. Twenty-nine seconds remained, matching the number on his jersey.

“I saw 29 and I thought, ‘Wow!’ ” Overby said. “Pretty neat.”

Paging Edward Scissorhands: Sunny Hills’ athletic trainer Steve Nicholas will be the latest victim of the head-shave syndrome that seems to motivate so many teams these days.

According to the players, Nicholas agreed he would allow them to “style” his hair any way they want if they won the Division VI championship. Their imaginations are now working overtime.

“We’re gonna put ‘CIF Champs’ on one side of his head, the score of the game on the other, and a Mohawk down the middle,” Sullivan said.

“I think we should shave it so it’s totally bald except for one little halo on the top,” linebacker Shannon Nipp said.

“I just want something wild,” said Overby, the one who will do the cutting. “Some say shave everything but a patch on top. Some say shave right down the middle. The guys he works with say give him a bowl cut. Others are saying just shave a big ol’ bald spot on top of his hair so it looks just like Coach Devaney’s.”

Add shaved heads: Esperanza Coach Gary Meek, who had his head shaved when his team won the Empire League title, said that despite the fact that the Aztecs won the Division III title Saturday night by beating St. Paul, 25-7, no one’s touching a hair on his head.

“My body’s been abused enough,” said Meek, who was doused with a jug of ice water after the game. “I don’t need any more of that.”

Big-time bucks: Whittier Christian’s Division IX final against Tehachapi Saturday night was originally scheduled to be held at Tehachapi High School. But some at Whittier Christian didn’t feel the atmosphere there was one befitting a championship game.

Herald boosters said that if it was all right with Tehachapi, they’d rather have the game at Bakersfield College, and they offered to pay the difference in cost.

That glamorous Bakersfield atmosphere didn’t come cheap. The Whittier Christian boosters shelled out $2,000, money they had saved for their January football awards banquet.

The 4,500 fans that watched Whittier Christian win, 34-21, can now stand and cheer in appreciation of the boosters’ generosity.

Barbie Ludovise’s column appears twice a week. Readers may reach Ludovise by writing her at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave, Costa Mesa, 92626 or calling (714) 966-5847.