CENTURY LEAGUE FOOTBALL : Orange Coach Hill Chalks Up His 200th Victory

By MARTIN HENDERSON

Oct. 14, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

ORANGE —

The smile belied what he had been saying all week. Dick Hill’s 200th victory in Orange County wasn’t just another game.

George Perez and Greg Overton and a couple of other players held Hill aloft, like some sort of trophy, while Hill grinned from ear to ear. And after being lowered to the ground, you couldn’t have knocked that smile off with a two-by-four.

“Now, it means very much, in relationship to having it over,” Hill said as well-wishers encircled him as though he was a 65-year-old rock star. “The kids wanted it very badly. I feel very proud to accomplish it.”

He was most proud of the way Orange carried out the historic 40-19 victory over El Modena. By the time the starters stepped off the field after three quarters, the Panthers had a 40-3 lead. They played their best game of the year and they’re tied for first place in the Century League with a 4-2, 1-0 record. El Modena is 2-4, 0-1.

“I’m thankful to the Lord for giving me the special ability that I have, some special coaches, special teams and special kids so that we can enjoy the success that we’ve had,” Hill said.

Only three hours before kickoff, Hill said a 200th victory would be important “because it’s our first league game and it’s a win our kids need; outside that, it’s just another ballgame.”

Although he is 200-90-3 as a coach in Orange County for Santa Ana Valley, Santa Ana and Orange, the victory was Hill’s 212th as a varsity coach--he went 12-1 at Downey his first season, 1956. He has been a winner at every level, including Santa Ana College (now Rancho Santiago) in 1957-58 (15-3-3), as an assistant varsity coach at Foothill in 1992 (8-5) and as a junior varsity coach at Savanna last year (10-0).

“Coach Hill told us last week there would be a lot of talk about his 200th victory and that it will be a good thing when it happens,” said quarterback Andy Lauridsen, “but that (the 200th victory) wasn’t our main concern.”

Of greater concern after last week’s 20-15 loss to Anaheim was executing properly, and the Panthers fulfilled that task.

Lauridsen completed seven of nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed eight times for 90 yards.

Dick Hill in the County

Dick Hill’s record as a head football coach in Orange County. Hill reached his milestone 200th county victory with a 40-19 victory over El Modena Thursday:

(Year School: W-L-T)

1959 Santa Ana Valley: 4-5-0

1960 Santa Ana Valley : 9-3-0

1961 Santa Ana Valley: 12-0-0

1962 Santa Ana Valley: 8-1-0

1963 Santa Ana Valley: 8-3-1

1964 Santa Ana Valley : 9-2-0

1965 Santa Ana Valley: 7-3-0

1966 Santa Ana Valley: 5-4-0

1970 Santa Ana Valley: 0-9-0

1971 Santa Ana Valley: 5-4-0

1972 Santa Ana Valley: 8-2-0