Canyon High Linebacker Austin Looks to Extend Streak to 39 in Shrine Game

It has been nearly three years since Randy Austin was on a football team that lost.

“I’ve got a 38-game winning streak,” said Austin, an All-American linebacker from Canyon High. “I don’t know what it is to lose. And I don’t want to go out losing my last game.”

Austin’s final game as a high school player comes tonight in the 35th Shrine All-Star game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The game, which begins at 7 p.m., matches the 30 best recently graduated players from Southern California against the 30 best from Northern California.

Austin, who is going to UCLA, played on three Northwestern Conference championship teams at Canyon. He will start at linebacker for the South.

Joe Zacharia, Austin’s teammate at Canyon, is the South’s starting nose guard.

The final Canyon connection is Coach Harry Welch, who is one of the three coaches for the South.

Notre Dame High’s John Perak, who will attend Colorado next season, is the starting tight end for the South. Notre Dame was the last team to defeat Canyon, beating the Cowboys, 7-0, on Sept. 30, 1983.

Westlake’s Gary Wellman, headed for USC, will start at split end for the South, while Simi Valley’s M.J. Nelson, bound for Colorado, will play at defensive back and wide receiver.