FACTS AND FIGURES / PLAYOFF HISTORY

Capistrano Valley

Last appearance: 1996.

Record: 17-16 in 18 appearances.

Highlights: Qualified for playoffs in program’s first 14 seasons, winning a Central Conference championship in 1980 and a Division II title in 1990.

Dana Hills

Last appearance: 1997.

Record: 4-4 in four appearances.

Highlights: Advanced to the 1991 Division II championship game before losing to Irvine, 22-11, in an all-South Coast League final.

Mater Dei

Last appearance: 1997 (11th year in a row).

Record: 46-22 in 29 appearances.

Highlights: Seven section championships is the most of any county school. Won lower division championships in 1956, ’57 and ’60 and major division titles in 1965, ‘91, ’94 and ’96.

Mission Viejo

Last appearance: 1997.

Record: 27-17 in 19 appearances.

Highlights: Streak of 16 consecutive years of qualifying for the playoffs ended in 1993. Won a pair of Central Conference championships, in 1978 and ’81.

San Clemente

Last appearance: 1997.

Record: 7-9 in nine appearances.

Highlights: Advanced to Central Conference championship game in 1979, beating three teams by a total of 18 points, before falling to Esperanza, 14-7.

Trabuco Hills

Last appearance: 1996.

Record: 18-6 in nine appearances.

Highlights: Won three Division VIII championships while in the Pacific Coast League, defeating league opponents Woodbridge in 1988, Orange in 1989 and Costa Mesa in 1993.

1997 IN REVIEW

Although Mater Dei won its sixth consecutive league title and marched to another section championship game, there were still some surprises in the South Coast League. One team broke a 19-year losing streak and two teams rediscovered the postseason.

Dana Hills returned to the playoffs for the first time in six years after it defeated Trabuco Hills, 35-14, in the final week of the regular season. Julio Peraza rushed for 1,826 yards and scored 23 touchdowns for the Dolphins.

Mission Viejo secured its first playoff berth since 1994, rallying for a 27-14 victory over Capistrano Valley in the final regular-season game.

That loss provided a dismal end for Capistrano Valley, which began the season unbeaten in its first four games, but consecutive losses to Bakersfield and Mater Dei, by a combined score of 64-3, sent the team into a tailspin.

San Clemente defeated Capistrano Valley for the first time since 1978 in Week 9, 22-3. The victory featured an unlikely hero, Norman Pridgen. The Tritons played without James Allen, their leading rusher, but Pridgen filled in and rushed for 145 yards in 10 carries and scored a touchdown.

With Mater Dei, nothing was too surprising.

The Monarchs played in their fourth section title game in five seasons. It took Long Beach Poly’s 28-25 victory over Mater Dei in the Division I final at the Coliseum to snap the Monarchs’ 27-game winning streak.

Mater Dei extended the streak with several standouts leading the way.

Mike McNair, who is now at Notre Dame, rushed for 2,678 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. Teammate Joey Boese, now at Wisconsin, had 57 receptions for 975 yards, five interceptions and also scored 11 touchdowns.

Mater Dei quarterback John Leonard completed 61% of his passes for 2,427 yards and 21 touchdowns with three interceptions.

League

*--*

Standings W L T Mater Dei 5 0 0 Dana Hills 3 1 1 Mission Viejo 3 2 0 San Clemente 2 2 1 Trabuco Hills 1 4 0 Capistrano Valley 0 5 0

*--*

Overall

*--*

Standings W L T TP PA Mater Dei 13 1 0 516 153 Dana Hills 7 3 1 323 262 Mission Viejo 8 3 0 299 175 San Clemente 6 4 1 273 213 Trabuco Hills 4 6 0 183 240 Capistrano Valley 2 6 2 166 228

*--*

Leaders / Statistics include regular-season games only

*--*

PASSING Att Cp TD Yds Leonard, Mater Dei 158 105 17 1,860 Edwards, Trabuco Hills 182 75 7 1,156 Dixon, Cap Valley 159 85 7 1,153 Fitch, Mission Viejo 130 69 9 1,149 Walker, Dana Hills 146 69 7 920

*--*

*--*

RUSHING Att Yds Avg. McNair, Mater Dei 225 1,885 8.4 Peraza, Dana Hills 232 1,662 7.2 Allen, San Clemente 116 795 6.9 Montecinos, San Clemente 168 762 4.5 Chavis, Mission Viejo 135 727 5.4

*--*

*--*

RECEIVING Att Yds Avg. Boese, Mater Dei 45 770 17.1 Tortorici, Capistrano Valley 38 724 19.1 Heaney, Trabuco Hills 34 491 14.4 Page, Dana Hills 24 309 12.9 Romero, Mater Dei 21 490 23.3

*--*

*--*

SCORING TD FG XP Pts Peraza, Dana Hills 21 0 8 134 McNair, Mater Dei 22 0 0 132 Gilliam, Mission Viejo 5 10 29 89 Chavis, Mission Viejo 12 0 2 74 Montecinos, San Clemente 12 0 0 72

*--*