A LITTLE HISTORY

1966--New schools were popping up every year in the 1960s, with releaguing taking place almost as often. Created in the midst of that maelstrom, however, was the league that would see fewer changes than any in the county. The Garden Grove League roster in its initial season was Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, Pacifica, Rancho Alamitos and Santiago, and this fall five of those schools will be competing in their 35th consecutive season in the league; the one exception is Pacifica, which had a six-year run from 1981-86 in the Empire League before returning. Los Amigos joined the league in 1970, and with the exception of Kennedy’s seven-year string (1987-94) making it an eight-team league, there has been little change. Rancho Alamitos took the first title.

1978--The Pacifica-Santiago game had everything going for it, a couple 8-0 teams squaring off for a league championship in the season’s final game. It pitted the county’s top-ranked defense of Pacifica against Santiago’s top-rated offense. All the game lacked was a winner. Tim Rotell, Pacifica’s quarterback, scored on an eight-yard run with 6:31 to play and Dan Garrison kicked an extra point to tie the score, 14-14. Garrison missed a 45-yard field goal with 15 seconds to play, and the teams settled for a tie for the title.

1999 IN REVIEW

Despite entering league play with a combined 1-5 record, Garden Grove and Los Amigos battled for the championship, with Garden Grove claiming its first title in eight seasons. The Argonauts defeated Los Amigos, 27-11, during Week 5. . . . Aoatoa Sualua, a two-way standout who rushed for 1,405 yards in 11 games for Los Amigos, was named the league’s most valuable player. . . . Bolsa Grande ended a 21-game losing streak by defeating La Quinta, 18-0, during Week 6. . . . Only third-place Pacifica could manage a postseason victory, defeating Costa Mesa, 14-6, in Division IX before losing to Western, 44-27.

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League Overall STANDINGS W L T W L T TP PA Garden Grove 6 0 0 7 4 0 327 213 Los Amigos 5 1 0 5 6 0 207 317 Pacifica 4 2 0 7 5 0 412 238 Santiago 3 3 0 5 5 0 327 196 Rancho Alamitos 2 4 0 3 7 0 283 333 Bolsa Grande 1 5 0 1 9 0 72 362 La Quinta 0 6 0 0 10 0 39 510

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Leaders

Statistics include regular season games only

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PASSING Att CP TD Yds Green, Rancho Alamitos 282 122 26 2,288 Fuske, Pacifica 179 88 14 1,355 Pilkington, Santiago 146 70 16 1,199 Sutherland, Garden Grove 48 24 4 543 Dinh, Los Amigos 76 32 4 488

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RUSHING Att Yds Avg TD Perry, Santiago 211 1,467 7.0 11 Sualua, Los Amigos 187 1,247 6.7 13 Loken, Garden Grove 140 857 6.1 9 Kemp, Pacifica 149 775 5.2 16 Pounds, Rancho Alamitos 122 707 5.8 6

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RECEIVING Rec Yds Avg TD Garcia, Rancho Alamitos 58 1,081 18.6 13 Hildreth, Rancho Alamitos 40 651 16.3 8 Lovelace, Pacifica 33 557 16.9 7 Weber, Pacifica 32 527 16.5 5 Thomas, Santiago 25 449 18.0 3

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SCORING TD FG XP TP Weber, Pacifica 11 1 48 117 Kemp, Pacifica 17 0 0 102 Garcia, Rancho Alamitos 14 0 2 86 Sualua, Los Amigos 13 0 4 82 Thomas, Santiago 13 0 2 80

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NOTEBOOK

After Garden Grove won the league title without losing a league game, Argonaut Coach Kris Van Hook figured he would have a swarm of kids out. But it hasn’t happened. Van Hook said he might suit up fewer players than he did last year. “I can’t figure it out,” he said. “Usually, we have a bunch of kids come out who have never played football. A lot of times, those are some of our best players. But we didn’t get anybody like that this year.” . . . At 6 feet 1, 280 pounds, Los Amigos’ Tui Soifua is getting some looks from Pac-10 schools as a fullback. “They like him as a blocking back,” Los Amigos Coach David Olson said. “He’s a good athlete, he has very good feet and he carries his weight well.” Olson is one of four head coaches in their first or second year in the league. . . . Santiago’s senior group was 10-0 as freshmen. . . . Santiago Coach Bart Recktenwald, a former player at La Quinta, is the youngest coach in the league at 32. . . . Tony Lanzon, who probably would have been Rancho Alamitos’ starting tailback, decided not to play his senior season. . . . With only 25 players suiting up at Bolsa Grande, Coach Steven Howard said he will try to shorten the game. “It’s not like basketball where you can go into the four corners,” Howard said. “But we’ll do everything we can to keep the clock running and hope no one gets hurt.”