For Pagett, Rancho Santiago’s Past Is History, Its Future Is Now

Coach Dana Pagett hears it every time his Rancho Santiago basketball team takes the floor in gyms from San Diego to Cerritos.

“And now, the two-time defending state champions . . .,” the public address announcer informs the crowd.

While Pagett smiles at the impressive accomplishments, he knows they’re just echoes of the past. Gone are all-state players Matt Lien, Corie Blount and Erik Martin, and the amazing records they helped produce.

The Dons went 32-3 in winning the title in 1990 and were 35-2 last season. Rancho Santiago became the first college to win back-to-back titles since Riverside did it in the mid-’60s when Jerry Tarkanian was the Tigers’ coach.

Now, Pagett’s concerns are with his current team, which has only one returning starter--Glenn Greene--and two other players--Daryl Cole and Elton Moore--who played a great deal last season.

Other than those three, everyone else is new to the program.

“As a coach,” Pagett said, “you have to count yourself lucky when teams like the last two come along. But I like this team and I think we can do some things. When people try and draw comparisons, I think it’s unfair.”

Rancho Santiago is 8-4 this season, but one of the losses was a 112-66 blowout against West Valley, the top-ranked team in Northern California. But big losses don’t concern Pagett as much as the way his team responds in its next game.

After being blasted by West Valley, the Dons came back to beat East Los Angeles, 107-78.

Final Football Polls: Palomar (10-1) won a share of the J.C. Grid-Wire national title with its 37-24 victory over Chabot in a Dec. 7 bowl game. Northeastern Oklahoma (9-1) won the other half of the national title in Hank Ives’ J.C. Grid-Wire.

Saddleback (10-1), which crushed Cerritos, 42-18, in the Simple Green Orange County Bowl, finished fourth in the J.C. Grid-Wire poll. Fullerton, a 45-13 winner over Santa Barbara in the Shrine Potato Bowl, was ranked 21st.

Palomar was also the final leader of the Southland Poll. Saddleback was second, Moorpark (9-2) third, Fullerton (8-3) fourth, Santa Monica (8-3) fifth, L.A. Southwest (8-2-1) sixth, Santa Barbara (9-2) seventh, Cerritos (8-3) eighth, Pasadena (7-3) ninth and San Bernardino Valley (8-3) 10th.

Grid-Wire All-Americans: Defensive lineman Damon Psaros of Saddleback and defensive back Kevin Mullins of Golden West were selected second-team J.C. Grid-Wire All-Americans. No local players were selected to the first team.

Seven players from Orange County were selected honorable mention All-Americans: wide receiver Trent Julian (Rancho Santiago), offensive lineman Bobby Hall (Orange Coast), defensive lineman Joe Hay (Golden West), linebackers Penn Bushong (Saddleback) and Sedric Shorter (Orange Coast), kicker Scott Szeredy (Fullerton) and special-teams player Terrance Green (Fullerton).

Linebacker Sean Mallett and running back Matt Carvalho, both of Saddleback, were named J.C. Grid-Wire Academic All-Americans.

All Cross-County: Sue Davis of Irvine Valley was named the Orange Empire Conference’s female runner of the year. Gray Mavhera of Riverside won the honor in the men’s division.

Davis was joined on the first team by teammates Marilyn Ganahl, Stacey Skeie and Karrie Ferguson. Others so honored were Denise Hertsch and Sonja Hildebrand (Saddleback), Norma Martin (Rancho Santiago), Stacy Pendo (Orange Coast) and Jackie Dineen and Sandy Moreno (Riverside).

Julie and Bill Leach of Irvine Valley, were the co-women’s coaches of the year.

Other members of the men’s first team were Osvaldo Serna and Marty Callahan (Rancho Santiago) and Passmore Furasa, Melford Homela, Muchi Mazano, Ed Garduno, John Cookson, Abe Valdez and James Pendergraph (Riverside).

Rancho Santiago’s Al Siddons was coach of the year.

Both the Irvine Valley women’s team and the Riverside men’s team won State titles.

Basketball: Cypress plays host to a men’s basketball tournament and Orange Coast plays host to a women’s basketball tournament later this week.

The Bill Taormina Classic starts Thursday at Cypress. The first-round schedule: U.S. Marine Corps vs. MiraCosta, 2 p.m.; Washington Tacoma vs. Oxnard, 4 p.m.; Washington Columbia Basin vs. Victor Valley, 6 p.m., and Cypress vs. Fresno Pacific JV, 8 p.m.

The Coast Christmas Classic starts Friday at Orange Coast. The first-round schedule: Fullerton vs. Chaffey, 2 p.m.; Ventura vs. San Diego Mesa, 4 p.m.; OCC vs. Grossmont, 6 p.m., and Los Angeles Valley vs. El Camino, 8 p.m.