From the sidelines

Don Cantrell

Three of the four sophomores from the ’49 Newport Harbor High grid

team, one that won eight of nine games while scoring 323 points, are back

in focus on the local scene.

The three outstanding members are guard Gino Boero, a stout

240-pounder his first year out; fullback Don (Roxie) Aarvold, and tackle

Dennis (Scott) McClellan. The fourth, halfback Billy Kindell, disappeared

years ago. His mother once operated Kindell Ceramics in Laguna Beach.

Boero returned in the recent past from Palm Springs where he had

acquired a nice home. In time, he felt drawn back to the harbor area and

obtained a tri-plex.

Aarvold and his lovely wife, the former Janice Allen, daughter of

one-time Newport Beach councilman Robert allen, recently returned to the

harbor area after a long stay in beautiful Durango, Colo. where he

developed a popular auto repair business.

McClellan was greeted warmly at the last Class of ’52 reunion at the

Balboa Pavillon. He has been in the real estate field for many years and

makes his home in southern Orange County.

While the Aarvolds are looking for a permanent residence, Aarvold is

spending some time on his boat in the harbor.

One major event that kept Boero quite active for more than a week

recently was mapping plans for the colorful marriage of his youngest

daughter, Julie. His home was surrounded by old friends and relatives.

Reflecting back, he ignored or laughed off most nicknames that came

his way. Only two would hold firm over the years. One was pure Italiano,

“Gino.” The other, which always amused teammate Rex Bell of ‘51, was

“Speedy.” That moniker came from his dad, “Papa” Gino.

Boero said he always loved the spirit of his mates on all three teams

in ‘49, ’50 and ’51 and never fails to stress his admiration for head

coach Al Irwin.

Irwin maintained lofty regards for the four sophomores on the ’49

outfit.

He once said the ’49 team was “a good, average-sized team from end to

end. They were all quick and reacted quickly.”

But beef was hard to come by.

He said, “We had some beef with Gino on defense. Although he had knee

problems all along, he still got the job done.”

Boero said, “We still had great spirit in ’51 with the likes of Rex

Bell, Rolly Pulaski, Jim Pascoe and others. I enjoyed all the great guys

I played with in those three memorable years.”

A few past years stung a number of times with heartaches over the loss

of people long dear to Boero, including Sailor guards Bill Wittman, John

Kingston and Joe Noel, former Tar Coach Don Burns and Rex Bell’s son,

Lennie.

“It hurts,” he said, “and I miss them dearly.”

One of his first friends at Harbor High was guard Kingston. Senior

Kingston once laughed and exclaimed, “Gino is our little monster guard.”

He was only 15 as a sophomore, but he looked like a starter for the USC

Trojans.

One former teammate said, “I used to laugh with delight when Gino

would catch a halfback from the other team. He’d pick him up off the

ground with a bear hug, stopping all forward motion, but the ball

carriers often kept peddling their feet while a foot off the ground.”

He added, “Then they’d try ramming their fullback up the middle and

bog down at the line of scrimmage.”

Out of one fond recall, he said, “We were halfway through the ’49

season and Kingston suddenly realized I had just earned enough quarters

for my first varsity letter. He ran on the field and gave me a big hug. I

was very touched by that.”

During Harbor’s first 25 years of football, Boero and Al Muniz (250)

in ‘48, were the two biggest linemen who had ever taken the field for the

Sailors.

With the passing of years, however, Boero would be the first to note

that big size is not uncommon among preps anymore.

He recalls a couple of Newport linemen once some years past, and both

were about 270 pounds and stood about 6-foot-6.

He and his sophomore mates always held firm together on the field.