Foes Gear Up for ‘Historic’ Football Game

Mark Paredes tried to watch the game, but his head still was spinning from the previous night’s revelry.

Paredes, Bishop Amat High football coach, was on hand Saturday to watch Sylmar defeat Carson, 17-0, in the City Section 4-A Division final at El Camino College. Bishop Amat had won the Southern Section Division I title the evening before with a 7-3 victory over Loyola.

Paredes was in attendance because Bishop Amat and Sylmar will meet in the inaugural CIF/Reebok Bowl on Friday at Anaheim Stadium. Nonetheless, his mind was occupied with thoughts of the previous evening. Until a few moments after the Sylmar game, that is.

“When we were walking out, we were spotted by a few other coaches,” Paredes said. “They came up and congratulated us on the game, then said, ‘Remember, you’re representing us.’

“That really hit me. By the time I got to my car, the butterflies had started. I thought, ‘Man, I (had) better be sure to look at the (Sylmar) game film when I get home.’ ”

Paredes conceded he had reservations about playing in the bowl. Bishop Amat already has played 14 games and the school is in the middle of exams this week. But he changed his tune as the bowl game approached and expects his players to do the same.

“When they step out on that (Anaheim Stadium) grass and look up, they’ll be ready,” Paredes said. “You’ve gotta be brain dead not to want to play that game.”

Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman called the game “historic” and said his players will be ready, even if they have grown a bit tired of one another. “I’m sure I’ve grown a little ugly with some of my ballplayers,” he cracked. “I know they’ve grown pretty ugly with me.”

Paredes echoed the sentiments of the CIF administrators and sponsors when he said he hopes the game grows in stature as the years go by. “I went to the first Super Bowl at the Coliseum when I was a little kid,” Paredes said. “Now I’d have to sell my house to get a ticket.

“This game could be very historical.”

TRIVIA TIME

The kickoff press conference for the CIF/Reebok Bowl brought out a slew of state and section athletic administrators. Included were state Commissioner Thomas Byrnes, City Section Commissioner Hal Harkness, Southern Section Commissioner Stan Thomas and Southern Section football administrator Bill Clark.

What else do the four have in common and why will all but Harkness be viewing the bowl with mixed emotions? (Answer below).

EXONERATED

Delphic League athletic directors Tuesday agreed not to take action against the boys’ basketball programs at Faith Baptist and Campbell Hall, league members that have received several transfers over the past year.

Campbell Hall Athletic Director Kirk Duncan said the meeting was held to clear the air and that the athletic directors were satisfied with the explanations of Campbell Hall and Faith Baptist.

The schools were finalists in the 1991-92 Southern Section Division V-AA final.

“Everybody addressed the problems,” said Duncan, who attended the meeting. “It was basically a bunch of rumors and misunderstandings.

“When programs become fairly successful, there are always questions.”

Faith Baptist has three recent transfers who play regularly. Campbell Hall received three transfers from Fairfax, but Duncan said none are likely to be players of significant impact.

TRIVIA ANSWER

All four administrators graduated from City Section high schools--Byrnes from Eagle Rock, Harkness from North Hollywood, Thomas from Manual Arts and Clark from Washington.

FLASHBACK

Administrators said the bowl game will mark the first annual intersection competition since the long-defunct Breitbart All-Star Game, which in various years matched players from the City, San Diego and Southern sections in a midsummer game.

Thomas, Byrnes and Clark each played in the game. None would say exactly how long ago the games took place, but Thomas tipped his age when he admitted that when he played “they didn’t use face masks.”

Byrnes said the year he played in the game the teams were housed on a Marine Corps base. It seems a couple of players decided to sneak out the window one night.

Boys will be boys.

“Pretty soon alarms started going off,” Byrnes said. “And the next thing you know, they’ve caught these guys and have guns pointed at them.”