Following the long gray line

ROGER CARLSON

It has been 75 years, virtually to the day, since a man named Sidney

Davidson opened the front door in September of 1929 to let the Long

Gray Line in at Newport Harbor High. So it seemed appropriate to take

a look around and you might be surprised at what I found a few days

ago.

I’ve always been a big fan of Howard Carter, the fellow who nosed

around the Pyramids and found the remains of Tutankhamun, the boy

king. So you can imagine the intrigue as I sauntered through the

various nooks and crannies of Ralph K. Reed Gymnasium on the Sailors’

campus.

There have been a lot of changes since those doors opened in the

early 1930s, but in very short order, the interior of the gym is

going to be unveiled and it is a masterpiece, thanks to the coaching

staff of Larry Hirst, Danny Glenn and Athletic Director Eric Tweit,

along with a couple of once-in-a-decade boosters who have entered the

scene and proceeded to make a true difference with their know-how,

time, sweat and energy.

There was a Newport booster a few years ago named Tom Williams,

and the result of his efforts are still obvious with an awesome

amount of work at Davidson Field revolving around drainage, the level

of the field and many extras, such as the palm trees.

Tom Williams came and went, but he’s still there.

Now, we have a couple of individuals who have been making huge

waves in the area of the main gym and when you see what’s been done

it’ll be clear to everyone that Ed Slater and Scott Burnham are two

who belong in the upper echelon of the Long Gray Line.

I’ve seen it in its not-completely-finished state and it’s obvious

Hirst and Glenn have been able to realize some long-sought dreams of

a classic field house, thanks to the efforts of Slater and Burnham.

The floor is pristine, the striping comes down to just two

options, the main hoops and main volleyball layouts, and at opposite

corners are tributes to the fairest of them all, George Yardley, as

in “Yardley Court.”

The dungeon-like ceiling is gone and all of the leftover chains

and riffraff have been removed, including an estimated 1,000 feet of

extension cords left over the years in the catacombs.

New lighting is expected to be completed later this week and the

entire place has a coat of paint which brings it into a classic look

that you just can’t find anywhere.

“You aren’t going to believe this gym come Dec. 1,” said Tweit.

A blend of 1937 and the present, unique is hardly the word.

It’s always been a great “home gym” and the very tired bleachers

will have to wait for another time before upgrades are considered.

At one time it was thought some earthquake upgrades were in the

works. But from the $320 million school bond issue passed in recent

times, with various pipe dreams regarding deteriorating athletic

facilities, not a nickel is on its way to any athletic facility in

the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

As usual, various carrots are offered to the voters, then

withdrawn in the aftermath of victory for other necessities. I guess.

The gym’s format continues in its current status with the floor

running from east to west and the “balcony” in place behind the east

basket.

Originally the floor ran south to north with “balcony-style”

stands on both sides, at the east and west ends of the gym.

In the summer of ‘63, according to former athletic director Jules

Gages of Carlsbad, the west balcony was eliminated and the floor was

changed to run east to west with accordion-style bleachers, a move

undoubtedly made to avail more floor space over the major portion of

day-to-day schedules. It also extended the length of the court.

So that’s why the present “balcony” on the east end is seldom used

except for overflow situations, because you’re sitting in the end

zone, looking through the back of the backboard.

Photographers like it, because it’s a different look for their

lens. And sometimes it’s a good place for the band.

In the early years an upstairs portion of the gym above the lobby

was dedicated to boxing where the original athletic director, Reed,

would put every freshman boy into the ring to learn the basics. It

also served as a wrestling room.

The girls gym, built in 1948, according to the retired girls P.E.

director, Costa Mesa’s Ellen Caricof, never did have any bleachers

and the entire playing surface was used for games and practices.

Before Al Irwin and his swim program got its pool in 1948 the

Sailors had two options -- “The Corona del Mar Mile,” which was a

dash to the bay and back, or a saltwater pool in Huntington Beach.

The girls gym, now in a dilapidated state, still serves as a

practice surface for Newport Harbor’s girls volleyball and basketball

teams, and the pool has long since been abandoned. Now it’s full of

cement and serves as a staging area.

Soon the Sailors will be presenting their new showcase with a

dedication and call for help for additional funds to complete the

task (the bleachers must be 50 years old).

And, around Dec. 1, the formal dedication, a night to honor George

Harry Yardley III, and a night for the return of the Long Gray Line.

*

While sifting through the echoes of Harbor’s grand facility, some

current items:

Former Newport Harbor High standout Alyson Jennings, now a

freshman at the University of Texas, is a starter for the Longhorns’

varsity as the libero.

The Sailors’ annual football extravaganza, the Battle of the Bay

with Corona del Mar, has been moved up a day to Thursday night, Sept.

23, because of the school district’s observance of Yom Kippur.

And, the Sailors’ nonleague duel with Corona del Mar in boys

soccer Jan. 5 will be played at Orange Coast College, where they’ll

test the Pirates’ FieldTurf.

*

I missed Estancia High’s football opener with Corona del Mar on

Sept. 3, as well as Mesa’s opener Sept. 2, but I had a good excuse.

I had heard of this high school football team to the north with a

remarkable record and decided to take a look, and lo and behold, the

Bellevue High Wolverines proved worthy of their reputation after

posting three straight Division 3-A titles in the Washington

Interscholastic Activities Association.

Before a Qwest Stadium crowd of 24,987 the Wolverines displayed

awesome precision as they dominated Concord De La Salle, snapping the

Spartans’ 151-game winning streak with a near-unbelievable effort,

39-20. At the end they were taking a knee as a measure of respect due

Coach Bob Ladouceur’s incredible program at De La Salle.

The game tape or DVD is available at www.gametapes.com and goes

for $29.95.

Bellevue, with a 14-year-old sophomore quarterback starting for

Coach Chris Goncharoff, rolled up 463 yards on the ground, never

threw a single pass, did not punt, had two penalties for 15 yards,

fumbled once and had no turnovers.

After giving up an 8-play scoring drive on the first series,

Bellevue responded with a 74-yard touchdown run on its first snap,

and the Wolverines were off to the races.

Considering the strength of De La Salle, it has to go down as the

most incredible season-opening victory for any prep team, ever, en

route to ending the longest sports winning streak in recorded

history. Bellevue’s quarterback was a 1-year-old when the streak

began.

Bellevue High, with an enrollment of 1,350, is similar in many

ways to Corona del Mar.

How’d they do it? De La Salle’s system is not subject to the

patent process, and the Wolverines, with 13 returning starters,

matched the work ethic and created a finely tuned variable wing-T.

It was the fifth game of an extravaganza called the Emerald City

Kickoff Classic.

De La Salle (0-1) returned to the field Saturday night, hosting

Clovis West. It has been 25 years since De La Salle lost two in a

row.

I saw Washington and Fresno State the next day at Husky Stadium,

and I have to tell you, in terms of sheer execution, it didn’t hold a

candle to the preps on Saturday.

*

An attempt by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to level a

“$10,000 fine” on the Corona del Mar High general education fund

because baseball coach John Emme and tennis coach Tim Mang “improved”

their facilities, has apparently been scrapped.

That may be good news, I think, for Newport Harbor.

Hey, see ya next Sunday!

* ROGER CARLSON is the former sports editor for the Daily Pilot.

He can be reached by e-mail at rogeranddorothea@msn.com.