HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS 1985 : Turn Out the Lights on a Year of High School Sports in Orange County : AWARDS

Red Badge of Courage: To Servite defensive end Christian Galdabini for overcoming the untimely death of his father to become second-team All-County.

To Ocean View softball pitcher Jackie Oakley for pitching 24 of 31 games with damaged ligaments and tendons in her throwing hand after she had dedicated her season to former teammate Dena Kimble, who was killed in an automobile accident on March 4.

Best Biography-in-a-Program: To Villa Park football assistant Steve Walker, who, according to his biography, “lives at the YMCA in Orange with his pet dolphin, Max, and his favorite pastime is analyzing specific tank battles during the end of World War II.”

Hatfield and McCoy: To Newport Harbor football Coach Mike Giddings and the Orange Coast Daily Pilot. Giddings refused to speak to Pilot reporters after the newspaper published letters that criticized the coach for running up the score in a 68-27 win over Laguna Beach. Giddings was further irritated by a column that included quotes from Newport quarterback Shane Foley saying he was recruited out of Palm Springs High. When Giddings resigned following the season, the Pilot’s story said that Giddings was unavailable for comment. Wonder why?

Busy Body: To Woodbridge baseball Coach Dave Cowan, who was about to remove pitcher Marc Fertig in the fifth inning of a game, unaware that Fertig was throwing a perfect game. Only after he was informed by Woodbridge players did he allow Fertig (who finished with a no-hitter) to stay in the game. Said Cowan: “I was too busy with other things to notice.”

IT’S ALL IN A NAME

ALL-FIELD AND STREAM TEAM

Chris Boatman Corona del Mar basketball

Jim Buck El Dorado football

Darrell Crain La Quinta football

Pat Crane Mission Viejo football

Bill Crowe Mater Dei football

Bob Finn Mater Dei football

John Fish Marina football

Warren Fish Servite football

Mark Fishburn Villa Park football

Greg Gill El Modena football

Mike Herring Irvine basketball

Rick Hunt Marina football

Dave Marsh Villa Park football

Bill Parrott Mission Viejo basketball

Jimmy Raye Irvine football

Orlando Robbins Buena Park basketball

Marcelus Robbins Buena Park basketball

Jim Sammon El Dorado basketball

Dave Trout Foothill basketball

ALL-DIMINUTIVE TEAM

Joe Small Bolsa Grande basketball

Bill Little Mater Dei football

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH PLAYERS OF THE YEAR Gunner Wolfe Edison football

Buffy Rabbitt Newport Harbor girls’ cross-country

ALL-NEWLYWED TEAM

Mark McBride La Quinta football David Husband Football football

Jamie Kiskis University basketball

Jeff Love Tustin football

ALL-PRO TEAM

Jim Collins Edison football

Mike Haynes Mater Dei football

K.C. Jones Corona del Mar girls’ basketball

Joe Morris Edison football

Marc Wilson El Modena football

ALL-CITY TEAM

Costa Mestakedes Katella football

Holly Wood Mater Dei girls’ basketball

A PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE WE’D LIKE TO SEE

Good evening and welcome to Rambo Pyrotechnical High School football!

We at Rambo Pyrotechnical thank you for your support and promise you that all of the Road Warriors’ games will be high-spirited adventures. Remember, our motto is ‘We aim to win. . . . and we aim dead-center.’

You see, football here at Rambo Pyrotechnical is more than just a sport. It’s a way of life. You know that student-athletes who survive basic training in August are the best of their class and will represent the school and community with pride. (Services Tuesday, by the way, for those who didn’t survive).

Coach Cleats is respected as one of the finest field generals in the county, and the fact that so many Rambo Pyrotechnical grads are now playing for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and, of course, the New York Police Bomb Squad, is ample evidence of the success of the program.

Tonight’s Homecoming game against our rivals from G. Gordon Liddy High School promises to be entertaining, as I’m sure we all remember what their plastic explosives did to our Math Club’s float last year. Those rascals. Heaven only knows what surprises the visiting Patriots will have in store for us tonight, but this time we’ll be ready.

So let’s all support Coach Cleats and his staff, who won’t stop at anything to put a winning team on the field. Remember, it’s our goal that come June, every Road Warrior in uniform will be able to say, “When I came to Rambo Pyrotechnical, I didn’t even know how to spell ‘graduate,’ but today. . . . I are one!”

Adam Bomb,

Principal

John Rambo Pyrotechnical High

BEST QUOTES OF 1985

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

Ken Millard, Estancia baseball coach: “Every time we beat ourselves in a game, I make the kids shake hands with each other because you should always congratulate the team that beats you.”

BEST OF THE REST

Jim Rawls, Garden Grove football coach, on the prospects for his team in 1985: “We stink. We’re horrible. We don’t have a chance.”

Reporter: “Are you going to tell that to your kids?”

Rawls: “Oh, no. You always lie to your kids.”

Kevin McConnell, Valencia baseball coach: “We’re playing just hard enough to get beat.”

Lmanyeo Scott, Orange Lutheran quarterback, comparing rock star David Lee Roth to high school students: “He’s just like us except that he has money and he doesn’t have parents around telling him what to do.”

Jim O’Connell, Fountain Valley defensive line coach, on the camaraderie of the Barons’ staff: “Yeah, I sort of think of Mike (Milner, head coach) as my dad. Isn’t that right, Mike?”

Milner: “If I was your father, I’d have 5 o’clock beatings every night.”

Larry Zucker, Southern Section marketing and promotions director, discussing the kinds of corporate sponsorship the section will accept: “We only go for the Cadillacs of business . . . or, should I say, the Lincolns, since Ford is one of our biggest sponsors.”

Gary Bowden, Canyon wrestling coach, on why people wrestle: “It reminds me of the guy rolling around in a bed of cactus. Somebody comes up to him and asks why he’s doing that. And he says, ‘Well, because it feels so good when I stop.’ ”

Mark Smith, Westminster linebacker, on teammate Ray Smith, whose full beard and muscular build make it difficult to believe he’s only a sophomore: “My Dad thinks he’s 30.”

J.B. Hollis, Dana Hills kicker, following his 37-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining that beat Irvine, 10-7: “I was standing on the sideline thinking, ‘I better make it or the team’s going to kill me.’ ”

Gene Lloyd, Brea-Olinda basketball coach, on the Wildcats’ deliberate, half-court game: “If my guys break a sweat on offense, they sit down.”

Bob Erbst, Katella basketball player, on the intimidating nature of Knight Coach Tom Danley: “He can make you feel two feet tall in about three seconds.”

Steve Sabins, Canyon basketball coach, on Comanche guard Matt Miller’s strength as a shooter but weakness on defense: “He needs to be platooned.”

Jerry Witte, Saddleback football coach, when asked if he was nervous before a homecoming game: “It won’t bother me. I’m not going to the dance.”

Jerry DeBusk, Newport Harbor basketball coach, on his debut as girls’ softball coach: “I don’t know if I’ve quite got the hang of it yet. Just the other day I wanted a girl to steal, so I pointed toward second base and yelled, ‘Run!’ Don’t laugh--she was safe.”

George Fairchild, La Habra basketball coach, shouting instructions to his team, which trailed Brea-Olinda, 42-5, late in the first half: “Run your offense!”

Dick Hill, Santa Ana football coach, asked about sophomore running back Robert Lee, who rushed 231 yards to lead the Saints to the Southern Conference championship over Mission Viejo: “He’s a pretty good prospect.”

Bill Crow, Mission Viejo football coach, on meeting San Diego Morse, which had previously played at St. Anthony High in Hawaii: “I hope they ate a lot of poi over there.”

Lupe Pallares, mother of record-setting Valencia running back Ray Pallares, on the diet she used so that 10-year-old Ray could play Pop Warner football with kids his own age: “We didn’t feed him.”

Gary McKnight, Mater Dei basketball coach, admitting he was nervous before his team’s opening-round playoff game against Verbum Dei: “I was so nervous, the minute I got into the gym, my right arm went numb.”

Steve Thornton, Dana Hills basketball coach, after the Dolphins went 2-1 against three league rivals in a week: “I’m so glad this is over. This was like taking a long walk through Death Valley.”

Chris Wright, Loara running back, on Saxon quarterback Wade Clester: “He’s my buddy. He’s very good. He’s just a stud. That’s all it is.”

Al Hackney, referee, to the Magnolia band after a halftime show at Glover Stadium: “Good job, Band.”

MALAPREPS

Bob Brucato, Mission Viejo baseball player: “I try to put others above myself and let them know I’m on the same level as them.”

Jim Harris, Ocean View basketball coach, explaining a shouting incident between referee Al Hackney and Seahawk guard Blaine DeBrouwer: “It involved two similar personalities who clashed.”

RITUALS TO TOSS OUT

Cheerleaders with microphones

Balloons

The wave

Basketball coaches who trail by 20 points and call timeout with 15 seconds left.

Extra points

Free throws

Intentional walks

COACH, YOU REALLY MEANT ...

Quote: “He looked great in the summer passing leagues.”

Translation: “It’s easy to look great when you don’t have over-fed defensive tackles chasing you. My grandmother can stand back there and complete passes without being rushed.”

Quote: “I really don’t pay any attention to polls.”

Translation: “I’d like someone to explain how we can be No. 7 after we’ve beaten three teams in the top five.”

Quote: “Youth may be a problem this year.”

Translation: “Most of these kids think John Lennon led the Russian Revolution.”

Quote: “We don’t have much size, but we have some good shooters and hard workers.”

Translation: “We may not win a game.”

Quote: “We have a lot of respect for their program.”

Translation: “Those guys are lucky we’d let them on the same field with us.”

Quote: “Our defense keeps us in games.”

Translation: “Our defense has to keep us in games, because our offense keeps trying to give them away.”

Quote: “I can’t understand how anyone could pick us to win the league.”

Translation: “Our league will be a cake walk.”

Quote: “We stress the team concept--there are no stars here.”

Translation: “There are no stars here.”

TAKE THESE RULES, PLEASE

No dunking in warmups

No returning kickoffs out of the end zone

Baseball’s re-entry rule

Basketball coaches having to remain on the bench