Football Program Comes Full Circle : Santiago Can Reach Playoffs for First Time Since ’87 by Beating Rancho Alamitos

The last time Santiago defeated Rancho Alamitos was 1989. It also was the last time Rancho Alamitos didn’t make the playoffs.

If Santiago beats Rancho Alamitos tonight at Garden Grove High, it will be 1989 all over again--with a little twist. A Santiago victory not only knocks Rancho Alamitos out of the postseason, but it puts the Cavaliers into the Southern Section football playoffs for the first time since 1987.

Last year, Santiago came close to beating Rancho Alamitos--losing 10-9--and making the playoffs--it tied for third but lost a coin flip to Garden Grove. This year, the Cavaliers are flipped out about having the opportunity to do something they haven’t done in nine years.

“Our team is real pumped up,” Santiago senior offensive lineman Napolean Tercero said. “We know we can beat them. Last year, we could have beaten them. I think we’ve already accomplished a lot. We’ve turned the program around and we’ve finally got people coming out to our games.”

But Santiago’s second-year coach, Ben Haley, said his program won’t be completely turned around unless it wins tonight.

“I’m not interested in not going to the playoffs,” said Haley, who noted that he made that clear when he applied for the Santiago job.

“I mentioned the playoffs in the interview and they said, ‘You’re nuts.’ They were asking my friend [Foothill Coach] Tom Meiss how Ben is going to handle losing. Tom said, ‘I’m not sure he’s going to have to worry about that.’ ”

But Haley admitted he worried plenty about losing last year.

“After we lost our first few games, I felt like if we didn’t beat Buena Park we might not win a game the whole season,” Haley said.

Santiago defeated Buena Park and Haley said some of his players’ reaction caught him by surprise.

“On the bus after the game, the juniors were all crying,” Haley said. “When I asked them why they were crying, they said, ‘Coach, we haven’t won a game [at any level] since we’ve been here.’ ”

The Cavaliers don’t cry anymore--they’ve won 10 games over the last two seasons--but they aren’t as accustomed to winning as Rancho Alamitos. Since 1989, the Vaqueros have won two league titles, have reached the Division VII finals twice and the semifinals and quarterfinals once.

“It’s been a strange feeling the last couple weeks not to have clinched the playoffs,” Rancho Alamitos Coach Doug Case said. “I’m used to being relaxed this time of year, but every week has been a nail-biter. We need to go to the playoffs, but if we don’t make it, maybe it would stir some hunger. Complacency is something you have to watch out for.”

Rancho Alamitos Athletic Director Dan Rankin said a loss tonight would be disappointing and costly.

“It’s a big blow financially if we don’t make it to the second or third round of the playoffs,” he said. “We shouldn’t, but we’re kind of counting on that money. We’re not used to this, coming down to the last week. But I do think it’s good for the league.”

Pacifica (7-1-1, 4-0) has won the league title, and Los Amigos (7-2, 4-1) has clinched a playoff berth. Rancho Alamitos (3-5-1, 3-1-1) and Santiago (3-2, 5-4) will decide third place unless Los Amigos loses and falls to third.

And what will decide tonight’s game? Quite possibly Santiago’s defense and its ability to contain Rancho Alamitos running back Leo Kosi, who ran for 301 yards in 33 carries last week. For the season, Kosi has rushed for 1,480 yards--third best in the county.

“Kosi will get his yards and you have to understand that, but you have to hold him down so that he doesn’t run wild,” Haley said.

Santiago has been fairly successful in holding down talented backs. Last week, Los Amigos’ Greg Fausto gained only 104 yards and 48 of those came on a run late in the game. The Cavaliers also held Rancho Alamitos’ all-county back Chris Young to fewer than four yards a carry last year.

But the game also could come down to the quarterbacks. If that’s the case, Rancho Alamitos probably has the edge--senior John Frank over sophomore Ben Tran. Frank has had an off year--completing 60 of 119 passes for 850 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions--but he has played in five playoff games and Tran has yet to play in one.

“That quarterback [Frank] is damn good,” Haley said. “If you totally sell out for the run, you’re in trouble.”

But Case said he’s not about to take Tran or Santiago lightly.

“When they were having their down years, you didn’t want to be the team to lose to an 0-9,” Case said. “So it was hard to get the kids up for the game. But I don’t think it’ll be a problem this year. It’s win or watch.”