Arizona’s Interest in the County Pays Off for Hoffman

Arizona long has considered San Diego County a recruiting hotbed, but coaches there never imagined receiving the gift they got in Jim Hoffman.

Whether disregarded or overlooked by recruiters, Hoffman got no scholarship offers until the Wildcats called him in August 1991, two months after he graduated from Mt. Miguel.

It was Morse Coach John Shacklett who initiated the contact after coaching Hoffman in the San Diego County 2-A/3-A all-star game that summer.

“I heard (Arizona) had one scholarship left so I gave them a call and sent them some film from the all-star game,” Shacklett said. “This was a good kid, a big kid. I couldn’t believe he had been overlooked like that.”

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey was equally impressed. He has not been disappointed.

After starting four games last year as a true freshman, including his first against Ohio State, Hoffman (6 feet 4, 273 pounds) is second among Arizona defensive linemen this season with 29 tackles. He also has 4 1/2 sacks, has broken up four passes and intercepted another to assist a unit ranked fifth in the NCAA in total defense.

Hoffman is one of several San Diegans enjoying fine seasons for the Wildcats (6-3-1, 4-2-1 in the Pac-10 Conference).

Strong safety Brandon Sanders, a 1991 Helix graduate, is second among Wildcat defensive backs with 41 tackles, and he has two sacks, two fumble recoveries, including one for a 45-yard touchdown, and three interceptions, including one for a 41-yard touchdown.

Receivers Terry Vaughn, an El Camino alumnus, is second on the team with 23 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown, and Cary Taylor, a true freshman from Morse, has seven catches for 153 yards. Taylor’s statistics include three catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 14-7 loss to USC.

Taylor’s twin, Gary Taylor, played at running back earlier this season, rushing for 23 yards and one touchdown in nine carries, but he has been out for several games with a thumb injury.

SCORING DROUGHT

There were more shutouts (11) Friday than during any other week of this football season.

Included were Orange Glen’s 7-0 victory over Rancho Buena Vista, Coronado’s 15-0 triumph over Christian and Morse’s 43-0 rout of Point Loma.

It was only the second time RBV has been shut out. The first came in 1987 when it did not have a senior class.

Christian, which failed to score for the first time in two years, managed to score in double figures only once this season. The Patriots averaged 6.4 points per game.

Point Loma, which suffered its worst defeat since 1958, was also beaten, 28-0, this season by Helix. The last time the Pointers have been shut out twice in one season was 1977.

UNI AGAIN

Heading into Thursday night’s Division III girls’ volleyball final between La Jolla and USDHS, La Jolla had played in 10 consecutive championship matches but had been beaten by USDHS the last six years.

PICKING SEEDS

Kudos to the various fall playoff pairing committees.

The top four seeded teams in the 3-A water polo playoffs advanced to the semifinals as did three of the four seeded teams in the 2-A playoffs.

Of the 10 teams playing for volleyball titles, all 10 were seeded teams, including all five top-seeded teams.

Unseeded field hockey teams did not score one goal in the first round of the playoffs, but the four seeded teams combined for only three. No. 1 Serra, No. 2 Bishop’s and No. 4 Hilltop each won 1-0 matches, and No. 3 Mira Mesa fell to unseeded Torrey Pines, 0-0 (7-4 in penalty strokes).

The four semifinalists in the girls’ tennis individual tournament were No. 1 Barbara Valkova, No. 2 Betsy Miringoff, No. 3 Tami Byrd and No. 4 Vanessa Rooks.

STATE RANKINGS

Heading into Saturday’s San Diego Section cross-country finals, six local teams are ranked in the top 10 in the state in their respective divisions.

For the boys, Mission Bay is ranked second, Escondido seventh and San Pasqual eighth in Division II, and St. Augustine is ranked second in Division III.

Mt. Carmel is the highest ranked local girls’ team (fifth in Division I), followed by San Pasqual (sixth in Division II).

While it would take a monumental effort for any girl to clock a better time than Milena Glusac, the boys’ overall winner should come from either the Division II showdown between San Pasqual’s Nazario Romerio and Mission Bay’s Devin Elizondo or Division I where San Diego’s Mebrahtom Keflezighi is running.

THE FINAL COUNT

Roy Reed, assistant football coach at Lincoln after learning the Hornets would play San Pasqual in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years: “We just schedule them the last game of the season every year, and we print it on our schedule with invisible ink.” . . .

Montgomery (5-4-1) was one of only two teams not to have been shut out in the eight-team Metro Conference this season, but the Aztecs were one of only three teams from the league not to make the 3-A playoffs. . . .

Point Loma, ranked second by The Times in the preseason, finished the regular season with a 5-5 mark, but its losses came against teams with a combined 47-3 record. . . .

In water polo, which permits girls to play on the team, Danielle Dabbaghin scored two of El Cajon Valley’s goals in a 19-3 playoff loss to Valhalla.

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FINAL FOOTBALL LEADERS

RUSHING

Player, School G Att. Yards Avg. Curtis, Kearny 10 219 1,786 178.6 Davis, Castle Park 9 183 1,457 161.9 Randall, Orange Glen 8 205 1,234 154.2 Carey, Mt. Carmel 10 211 1,393 139.3 Driggs, Sweetwater 10 146 1,347 134.7

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PASSING

Player, School G PC PA Yards Avg. Dutton, Fallbrook 10 123 259 1,914 191.4 Woods, Southwest 10 102 239 1,685 168.5 Buckner, St. Aug. 10 99 168 1,655 165.5 Batten, Orange Glen 10 98 167 1,596 159.6 Moreno, Castle Park 10 84 161 1,562 156.2

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RECEIVING

Player, School G No. Yards Avg. Buddin, Orange Glen 10 49 926 18.9 Durley, Oceanside 10 49 630 12.9 Diaz, Southwest 10 41 759 18.5 Cecil, Fallbrook 10 39 583 14.9 Pattison, Poway 10 38 692 18.2

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TEAM OFFENSE

School Games Points Per Game St. Augustine 10 348 34.8 University City 10 319 31.9 Morse 10 316 31.6 Torrey Pines 10 307 30.7 El Capitan 10 299 29.9

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TEAM DEFENSE

School Games Points Per Game University City 10 46 4.6 Helix 10 51 5.1 Santana 10 64 6.4 Morse 10 65 6.5 El Camino 10 66 6.6 Poway 10 66 6.6 St. Augustine 10 66 6.6