PREP FOOTBALL ’99 : PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE : FACTS AND FIGURES

A LITTLE HISTORY

With The Times All-Orange County football team marking its 40th anniversary this season, here is a selection of prominent all-county choices from Pacific Coast League schools:

Dan Princeotto

Estancia, 1972

Despite lacking size, the 5-foot-6, 152-pound Princeotto was one of the county’s leading rushers, gaining 1,189 yards with 10 runs of 30 or more yards.

Dan Bauer

Costa Mesa, 1979

Bauer caught a county-record 68 passes, including 12 for touchdowns, in becoming the first Mustang named to the all-county team. The wide receiver had a one-game high of 13 catches.

1998 IN REVIEW

The League Race: Laguna Hills was unbeaten on the field but was knocked out of the race when an ineligible player was discovered on its roster after winning its first three league games. A legal appeal failed, and victories in the final two games were not enough to earn a playoff berth. Aliso Niguel and University tied for the championship; a 20-9 victory over the Trojans in the eighth week gave Aliso the top seeding for the playoffs.

Game of the Year: One day after having to forfeit five victories, Laguna Hills met Aliso Niguel in what would have been a battle of league unbeaten teams. Though the circum- stances had changed, the game lived up to expectations. Ryan Johnson rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead Laguna Hills to a 12-10 victory. Sacks by the Hawks’ Michael Thai and Nema Nowzari in the last minute blunted Aliso Niguel’s final drive.

Play of the Year: Rich Hada recovered a fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown late in Aliso Niguel’s 10th-week game against Costa Mesa, clinching a 27-18 Wolverine victory and a share of the league championship. Hada had returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown earlier in the game.

The MVP: Brandon Lamas, a junior end who anchored a Laguna Hills defense that gave up only eight points per league game, was chosen the defensive MVP. Jimmy Herzog of Costa Mesa, who led the league in rushing and scoring, was the pick on offense.

Playoff performance: Moving up to Division VI, the Pacific Coast League didn’t fare well, as Aliso Niguel, University and Costa Mesa all fell in the first round. University came the closest to winning, dropping a 21-19 decision to Katella.

League

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Standings W L T Aliso Niguel 4 1 0 University 4 1 0 Costa Mesa 3 2 0 Laguna Beach 2 3 0 Laguna Hills 2 3 0 Estancia 0 5 0

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Overall

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Standings W L T TP PA Aliso Niguel 5 6 0 240 240 University 6 4 1 232 186 Costa Mesa 6 5 0 281 263 Laguna Beach 3 7 0 122 290 Laguna Hills 2 8 0 223 128 Estancia 1 9 0 114 316

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Leaders

Statistics include regular-season games only

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PASSING Att Cp TD Yds Valbuena, Estancia 221 105 8 1,481 Champlin, Laguna Hills 163 71 15 1,357 Schissler, Laguna Beach 187 91 5 917 Hill, Aliso Niguel 93 46 6 735 RUSHING Att Yds Avg TDs Herzog, Costa Mesa 274 1,385 5.1 16 Johnson, Laguna Hills 181 1,103 5.7 7 Chesley, Laguna Beach 151 727 4.3 7 Tanielu, Estancia 94 609 6.8 5 RECEIVING Att Yds Avg TDs Tanielu, Estancia 68 1,121 17.1 7 Loidolt, Laguna Beach 33 313 9.5 3 Fischer, Laguna Hills 31 525 17.4 8 Moore, Aliso Niguel 21 444 21.1 4 SCORING TD FG XP TP Herzog, Costa Mesa 17 0 2 104 Tanielu, Estancia 12 0 4 76 Edwards, University 10 0 0 60 Fischer, Laguna Hills 10 0 0 60

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