PREP NOTES

It was quite an evening for James Vickers last Friday.

Vickers, 38, is the father of Rancho Alamitos fullback Leon Vickers and a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He spent the past 15 months stationed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, training dogs to detect drugs and explosives.

He arrived in Orange County last week just in time to see Leon play against Bolsa Grande and to escort daughter Detra, a freshman class princess, at the homecoming ceremonies during halftime of the game.

“It was exciting to see him (Leon) play,” said Vickers, who had not seen his son play varsity except in videotapes his wife Nancy sent him. “But to tell you the truth, I was kind of preoccupied with my daughter. That was the focal point before the second half.”

The game, however, turned into a rout early. The Vaqueros scored 35 points in the first half on their way to a 48-8 victory, so Vickers only got to see Leon in limited duty. But what he saw was impressive. Leon, who also plays safety, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. He also rushed for 36 yards in five carries.

Leon said he would have liked to have played like he did Sept. 20, when he rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 42-28 nonleague victory over Costa Mesa. But having his father at the game Friday more than made up for Coach Mark Miller’s decision to use his back-up players.

“It was great,” Leon said. “I was expecting a lot out of myself. It was unfortunate that it was such a blowout because I didn’t get to play that much.”

James Vickers, though, was pleased with what he saw.

“I’ve always known he had some ability,” he said. “He’s got a lot of potential.”

Leon, a junior, will get plenty more opportunities to showcase his talent for his father in the remainder of his high school career. James Vickers, who has been in the Air Force 17 years, will be assigned the next three years to Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc. He hopes to drive down regularly for Vaquero games.