Good Football Can Get Overlooked in San Clemente

The pony-tailed man at the flower stand didn’t have a clue, but that was understandable. After all, there were gladioli to water. Carnations to cut. Roses to wrap and ship in hopes of salvaging some poor fool’s love life.

He barely had time to stop and smell the chrysanthemums much less keep up on the football scene at San Clemente High. He pointed to a surf shop across the street. Try over there, he said. They must keep up on that kind of stuff.

And so it went. Shop after shop, local after local. Combing the streets of San Clemente for reaction on the new-and-improved Triton football team. A reasonable undertaking? Sure seemed so--for two reasons.

One is, after years in a near-catatonic state, the Tritons are showing significant signs of life under new Coach Mark McElroy. They’re 2-1, they beat Tustin . You’ve got to figure people are talking.

Second, this is San Clemente, one of the few remaining small towns in Orange County. Sure, the city has a few mini-malls and red-tiled roof communities, but master-planning has yet to plow under its soul. That folksy, hi-neighbor-I-brought-you-a-casserole feel actually still exists.

Naturally, then, we figured the citizens of this seaside town would be more than happy to come forth with their good Triton news. Or bad Triton news. Or any news. But after nearly two hours, the No. 1 response to the question “What do you think about the San Clemente High football team this year?” was:

“What?”

The Invisible Man should get so many blank stares. In truth, San Clemente no-shows don’t know what they’re missing. The ’92 Tritons not only have a recharged team attitude, but a head coach who--in every possible respect--is a Kevin Costner role waiting to happen.

You know, sensitive, sincere, trustworthy, a Boy Scout in a men’s clothing. A guy who says his favorite way to spend an evening is cuddling up with his wife and watching Seinfeld. A guy who, in taking over one of the county’s more woeful programs, says, “It’s kind of like walking into a dream situation.”

Kevin, are you listening?

Probably not. Then again, neither is a good portion of San Clemente:

* Joe, a retired cop and resident longboarder: “San Clemente? They’ve always got a good team, don’t they?”

* Todd, a construction worker and 1987 Triton alum, said people went to football games back then--but only as an excuse to party.

* Yuji, sushi bar owner, said he didn’t know about Triton football but would turn us over to an employee who did.

* Jim, a surf shop owner, said he doesn’t know much about the team but, “Do I think I could put a team together from this shop and beat them? Yeah, I do.”

* San Clemente seniors and ex-Triton players Matt and Mark, sitting outside a local arcade, said they wish they had played this season.

* Bob, co-owner of the local Miramar Theatre: “The Titans, right? Isn’t that what they’re called?”

* Fred, a maintenance man at the Holiday Beach Motel and a San Clemente resident for 35 years, poked his head outside of Room 6 to say he remembered seeing something about the Tritons on cable TV. But Fred was in a hurry to get back to his bowl of ice cream. “I usually don’t give out this much information,” he said.

* Janet and B.J., strolling Pacific Coast Highway with their dogs, India and Mai Tai, said neither really cared. Said B.J.: “Why don’t you ask the dogs?”

* Shane, world-class surfer and 1990 San Clemente graduate: “So, uh, our football team’s doing good this year, huh?”

That final response--recorded just outside a juice bar/frozen yogurt shop--was inspiration enough to call it quits. Finito. Time to slug down a carrot/spinach/celery cocktail and head home.

But then it happened. A fan--an honest-to-goodness Triton football fan--was waving us over to her table. She nearly spilled her cup of German chocolate cake frozen yogurt.

Her name, she said, was Tricia Heath. She has lived in San Clemente 18 years. She follows the Tritons wherever they go. Never had a son on the team. Just loves S.C. Football, San Clemente style.

She was there a couple of weeks ago to see the Tritons whomp Tustin--at Tustin. She drove all the way to Garden Grove--even got lost on the way--for last week’s game against Santiago. Her sons, Eric, 15, and Evan, 12, accompany her. It is, she says, just a nice family outing.

“It was something I always wanted to do when I was married,” she said. “But my husband--my ex-husband--never wanted to.”

Earlier this week, she called her sons--they live with Dad in Mission Viejo--to see what they wanted to do this weekend. What will it be, she asked, fishing off the pier? Or the San Clemente football game?

No need for bait. The Tritons have them hooked.