Five Moments to Remember and Five More for Good Measure

MATER DEI vs. ANAHEIM

1966 Major Division semifinal

In 1966, Bruce Rollinson waited in a tunnel leading to a baseball locker room at Anaheim Stadium. Only moments away was the Major Division semifinal game between Mater Dei and Anaheim, the first meeting between the powerhouses of the day.

Mater Dei, the defending Major Division Section champions, and Anaheim, coached by the legendary Clare Van Hoorebeke, were both undefeated.

Rollinson, then a senior running back at Mater Dei, was about to call the pregame coin toss. Outside, more than 33,000 fans were eager with anticipation.

“I remember hearing the noise build,” Rollinson said. “The roar came up the tunnel, and I started to get knots in my stomach. It was so bad, I didn’t know if I could play.”

The game, itself, was a gut-wrenching affair.

In the end, Anaheim held on for a 12-7 victory. It was the first time the Monarch seniors had lost on the varsity level. They had lost only one other game during their four years at Mater Dei.

“We were in the locker room after the game and Van Hoorebeke came in to speak to us,” Rollinson said. “I didn’t understand that. I was so emotional that I blurted out, ‘Get out of here. Leave us alone.’ After he spoke, I realized what a classy thing it was. He came there to pay tribute to a great high school football game.”

Anaheim lost to El Rancho, 35-14, in a rather uneventful title game the next week.