Just Preps : Cream of the Crop : It Rises to the Top at Bishop Amat, Best of the Best for the Last 10 Seasons

The top high school football program in the Southland the last 10 years?

Santa Ana Mater Dei? The Monarchs didn’t even make the top 10 list.

Los Alamitos? Close, but not quite.

Carson? One of the top, but the top?

Overall record, league finishes and playoff results make La Puente Bishop Amat No. 1. In the last 10 years, the Lancers have won or shared their league title every season. Their overall record of 108-16 is tops among any team in top-division competition.

“The program really got going under Jim [Patricio, the coach from 1979-84] and has had enough luck to stay on top ever since,” said Tom Salter, in his second year as coach of the Lancers. “We’ve been fortunate to get a lot of quality players come through here.”

A common thread among most of the top programs has been coaching continuity, but even that isn’t absolute. Pasadena Muir has had nine coaches in the past 10 years.

The top 10:

1. LA PUENTE BISHOP AMAT

Record: 108-16 (87%), including the Southern Section Division I title in 1992.

Coaches: Don Markham (1985), Mark Paredes (1986-’93) and Tom Salter (1994-present).

Comment: No team has been as consistent as the Lancers. The school set a state record for victories in 1992, when it went 15-0. Bishop Amat is best known for running backs such as Eric Bieniemy, Mazio Royster, Rodney Sermons and Daylon McCutcheon. The program was handed over last year to 32-year-old Salter, a longtime assistant and graduate of the school.

2. LOS ALAMITOS

Record: 109-17-2 (85%), including the Southern Section Division III title in 1991 and Division II titles in 1992 and ’93.

Coach: John Barnes (1979-present).

Comment: The Griffins have been the top team in the Southland the last four years, highlighted by their 47-game winning streak that was stopped by Mater Dei in the Division I semifinals last season. Barnes has built the program into a powerhouse with a passing game. For example, Tim Carey, now at Stanford, passed for 3,397 yards in 1992 and senior Kevin Feterik might break that record this season.

3. CARSON

Record: 98-27-2 (77%), including City Section Division 4-A titles in 1986, ‘88, ’90 and ’93.

Coaches: Gene Vollnogle (1963-90), Marty Blankenship (1991-92) and David Williams (1993-94).

Comment: The program has gone downhill since Vollnogle retired in 1990 as the winningest coach in state history. Williams led the Colts to a sectional title in ‘93, but he resigned after last season and was replaced by Mike Sakurai.

4. FONTANA

Record: 101-24 (81%), including the Southern Section Big Five Conference title in 1987 and Division I title in ’89.

Coach: Dick Bruich (1977-present).

Comment: Fontana has been at the heart of a surge in football quality in the Inland Empire. Bruich’s teams have reached the quarterfinal round of the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons. The program’s depth suffered a setback four years ago when neighboring A.B. Miller opened.

5. PLACENTIA VALENCIA

Record: 106-22-3 (81%), including the Southern Section Central Conference title in 1987 and Division VI titles in 1991 and ’92.

Coach: Mike Marrujo (1982-present).

Comment: In the last 10 years, the Tigers have won or shared eight Orange League titles and never missed the playoffs. Valencia has been in 31 playoff games during that time, including five sectional championships. Despite forfeiting three games last season because of an ineligible player, finishing 5-6-1, the Tigers still advanced to the Division V quarterfinals.

6. LOYOLA

Record: 99-23 (81%), including the Southern Section Division I title in 1990.

Coach: Steve Grady (1976-present).

Comment: Loyola is steeped in football tradition. Grady was a star running back at the school in 1962. After graduating from USC, he returned to Loyola as a coach. His teams have advanced to the playoff semifinals five of the last seven years, including two championship games.

7. NEWHALL HART

Record: 101-25-1 (80%), including the Northwestern Conference title in 1986.

Coaches: Rick Scott (1984-87), Dave Carson (‘88) and Mike Herrington (‘89-present).

Comment: The Indians have built their fortunes around scoring. In each of the last 10 seasons, their quarterback has been on the All-Southern Section team. Returning senior Steve McKeon passed for 2,925 yards and 30 touchdowns last season. Hart has won 19 consecutive league games.

8. NORCO

Record: 102-26 (80%), including Southern Section Division V titles in 1992 and ’93.

Coach: Gary Campbell (1970-present).

Comment: The veteran coach shows no signs of slowing down. The Cougars have played in four title games the last five seasons and were on a 30-game winning streak in 1992-94. Norco was moved to the Mountain View League in 1988 and has won five league titles since.

9. PASADENA MUIR

Record: 90-32-3 (72%), including Southern Section Coastal Conference titles in 1985 and ’86 and the Division II title in ’89.

Coaches: Jim Brownfield (1977-86), Dwain Thornton (‘87), Herb Robinson (‘88), John Tyree (‘89-90), John Rome (‘91), Mike Morris (‘91), Brownfield (‘92), Jack Allen (‘93-94) and Michael Harrison (‘94-present).

Comment: Nine coaching changes in 10 years would normally hurt a program, but Muir has continued to flourish because the talent pool never seems to go dry. Brownfield had the team on a 24-game winning streak when he first stepped down in 1986.

10. HAWTHORNE

Record: 94-26-3 (76%), including the Southern Section Division III title in 1992.

Coaches: Larry Reed (1985-86), Goy Casillas (1987-’90) and Dan Robbins (1991-present).

Comment: The Cougars have won or shared seven league titles in the last 10 years and advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the playoffs seven times. The ’93 team, which lost a heartbreaker to Newbury Park in the Division III final, 22-14, might have been the school’s best.