Coaches Supposed to Be Tough, Not Rude

A high school football coach is often the most visible staff member on campus and in the community.

Because of the vast popularity of the sport, the position requires a great deal of responsibility and maturity. The team is often a rallying point for the student body. Games draw thousands of fans, and media coverage can be extensive.

With this in mind, the manner in which a coach conducts himself on and off the field is vital. After all, he is a person in the public eye.

Even so, coaches sometimes forget the importance of their role.

Such was the case last Friday, moments after Bloomington had completed a perfect season by defeating La Mirada in the Southern Section Division VIII championship. La Mirada Coach John Mele, when asked about Bloomington’s high-powered offense, shrugged and walked away from reporters gathered on the field.

Crenshaw Coach Robert Garrett would not talk after his team’s lopsided loss to Sylmar in the City Section Division 4-A title game Saturday afternoon.

“I have no comment to any of you,” he told reporters. “You can call me at school Monday if you want to talk about the game. I’ve got nothing to say.”

Garrett was upset over his team’s 38-6 loss. He was also agitated because Sylmar had kicked a field goal with two minutes remaining.

Addressing the Crenshaw student body during the postgame awards ceremony, Garrett blasted Sylmar for “rubbing it in.”

The frustration is understandable. Coaches put in long hours and receive little monetary compensation. They have to help raise money for equipment, monitor grades of their players and offer personal advice when needed.

The demands, however, do not excuse rudeness. What kind of message does a coach send to his team when he turns his back on reporters or criticizes the opposition in front of the entire school?

“We’re always concerned about our coaches being good sports and representing their schools well,” said Barbara Fiege, City Section commissioner. “Walking away from the press is not good for kids or the section.”

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Santa Ana Mater Dei’s 28-21 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat in the Southern Section Division I championship game last Saturday night improved its record to 14-0 and gave it the No. 1 ranking in The Times’ final poll of Southland teams.

Los Alamitos, eliminated by Mater Dei in the semifinals, finished No. 2, and previously undefeated and top-ranked Bishop Amat dropped to No. 3.

The state rankings, compiled by Cal-Hi Sports, will be released today, and Concord De La Salle is expected to finish No. 1. It replaces Bishop Amat, which held the top spot all season.

De La Salle finished the season 13-0, extending its winning streak to 39 games. The Spartans, who compete in the North Coast Section, have won 134 of their last 138 games under Coach Bob Ladouceur.

Terry Eidson, a De La Salle assistant coach, said several Southland schools, including Los Alamitos and Sante Fe Springs St. Paul, have contacted the school about a nonleague game next season. “Our main concern here is getting too excited about a game early in the season and then being flat for league play,” Eidson said. “I think our ultimate goal would be to get a game against a Southern California team at the end of the season.”

Prep Notes

For the second consecutive year, Channel 13 televised the Southern Section Division I championship game and Mater Dei’s victory over Bishop Amat got an impressive 6.0 rating and a 10 share. The three-hour telecast registered its highest rating during the final 45 minutes with a 6.7 and a 12. Sports programming on Channel 9 Saturday night did not fare as well. The Laker-Clipper game got a 5.1 rating and a 9 share, and the Michigan-Duke delayed basketball game finished with a 2.0 and a 4. Each rating point represents about 50,000 homes in the greater Los Angeles area. Last year, Channel 13 averaged a 4.4 rating and an 8 share for the Mater Dei-Rialto Eisenhower title game. The station is in the second year of a three-year contract with the Southern Section to televise the Division I championship.

Three of the Southland’s top running backs fell short in their goal to break the single-season touchdown scoring record of 46 set by David Dotson of Moreno Valley Valley View in 1991. Bloomington’s Greg Oliver scored four touchdowns against La Mirada, giving him 45. Steve Wofford of Bakersfield finished with 43 and Ted Iacenda of Newhall Hart with 42. Oliver did break Dotson’s single-season scoring record of 282 points set in 1991. Oliver’s 45 touchdowns and 41 two-point conversions gave him 352 points. Wofford also set the record for most touchdowns in a career with 107, breaking the mark of 94 set by Russell White of Encino Crespi from 1986-88.

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Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ final top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Mater Dei SS I 14-0 2 2. Los Alamitos SS I 12-1 3 3. Bishop Amat SS I 13-1 1 4. Sylmar City 4-A 14-0 5 5. Canyon Springs SS IV 13-1 6 6. Ant. Valley SS II 11-2 10 7. Bloomington SS VIII 14-0 8 8. Newport Harbor SS V 14-0 9 9. LB Poly SS I 10-2 7 10. Hart SS II 13-1 4 11. Trabuco Hills SS I 10-3 11 12. Loyola SS I 8-3 12 13. Peninsula SS II 11-2 13 14. Westlake SS III 10-2 14 15. Fontana SS I 8-4 15 16. SO Notre Dame SS II 13-1 18 17. St. Paul SS I 7-3 17 18. Ayala SS III 12-2 16 19. Arroyo Grande SS VII 12-1 NR 20. Alta Loma SS VI 10-4 NR