THE YEAR IN PREP SPORTS : You Think Athletics Are Life and Death? Then Read No Further

The legal maneuvers and controversy can be annoying, and it’s easy to make a case that almost everybody involved--including the media--takes high school sports too seriously.

But there is much that is fun--and funny--about athletics below the college level. With weak apologies to a late night talk show host who has turned something as simple as “the list” into an art form, we offer some impressions and observations of another completed season.

Workouts for football begin Aug. 26--in about 10 weeks.

FAREWELL

People come and go in the ever-changing world of prep sports. Some we will miss . . . and some we won’t.

A few we wish weren’t going:

10. Art Michalik--This former pro wrestler once came out of retirement to wrestle a bear. Who wouldn’t miss him?

Michalik, who resigned as football coach at Los Amigos, was funny and gruff and sometimes complained to the point of laughter.

Unfortunately, Art discovered a bear was easier to contend with than today’s youth. He resigned because the kids were “uncoachable.”

9. Tes Whitlock--Yes, Tes. The Loara basketball star never met a shot he didn’t like or take, which made him the most exciting player in the county the past two seasons.

Two things you could always count on from Tes: lots of shots and lots of talk. Best quote in the county.

8. Keri Phebus--Keri, a junior, said she will not play tennis for Corona del Mar in the fall.

The Sea Kings’ opponents will find that comforting. During the past three seasons, Phebus was 117-4 and won the Southern Section singles title in 1988 and ’89.

She will continue to concentrate on her tennis career in amateur tournaments, where one hopes the competition will be more challenging.

7. Erin Pyka--The speech she gave about the importance of athletics will not soon be forgotten. The Saddleback Valley Unified School District’s school board was considering the elimination of five athletic programs, and Pyka eloquently pointed out the need to keep them.

What made the El Toro swimmer’s performance that night so impressive was that her sport wasn’t even threatened. Hopefully, someone listened . . . in Sacramento.

Pyka, the State CIF scholar/athlete of the year, will attend Harvard--which is no surprise.

6. Lance Eddy--There’s Mr. October. And Mr. Magoo. And even Mr. Ed. But who was known as Mr. Softball around these parts? Eddy, that’s who. The outspoken coach at Canyon the past nine seasons resigned recently. He was so committed to softball that some might say he should have been committed, period, but he did a lot to advance the sport in the county.

4. Thomas Clayton--He helped the Tustin basketball team win a State championship. Along the way, Clayton, a 6-foot power forward, outplayed guys four or five inches taller.

Off the court, he went one-on-one against an even tougher opponent--dyslexia--and won.

A funny, witty kid who will attend San Jose State in the fall.

4. Shawn Viloria--The spunky El Toro senior enjoyed a good prank almost as much as playing soccer. She rarely missed an opportunity to pull practical jokes on Charger Coach Kerry Krause.

She also found time to lead El Toro to the section 4-A championship. Afterwards, Krause got even by spraying his star with whip cream.

Such antics were commonplace whenever Viloria was around.

She will attend UC Santa Barbara this fall--just a warning to that school’s soccer coach.

3. Tony Solliday--So El Toro quarterback Rob Johnson was the county’s top passer and got more publicity, not to mention the county’s player of the year award. But it was Solliday who drove Capistrano Valley nearly the length of the field to beat Paramount in the Southern Section Division II championship game.

He was a class act with a good sense of humor, according to Capistrano Valley coaches and teachers.

Said one teacher: “If you were talking about John Kennedy, Tony would raise his hand, smile and ask, ‘Is that John Fitzgerald Kennedy?’ Tony was a lot of fun.”

Solliday will attend the Naval Academy. They’ve heard of John F. Kennedy there, we’re pretty sure.

2. Amy Ward--Nutty, intelligent and competitive, the Trabuco Hills swimmer found fun in everything she did.

When Ward realized the Mustangs couldn’t win the section 2-A meet, she found another way to get motivated for the last event. Swimming the final leg of the 400 freestyle relay, Ward made a deal with her club coach--if she swam her personal best, she would get a day off from practice.

She won.

And what did she do on her day off? She went to another school’s prom, her second in a week.

Arizona will get her swimming and dancing skills this fall.

1. Herb Hill--Yeah, the former Loara football coach has been retired a year already. But we still miss the big lug. What a classy guy.

THE CHIEF

An NBA trivia question, circa 1995: Name the most famous mop-head since Paul McCartney.

Answer: Cherokee Parks.

There’s no doubt Orange County basketball fans will miss Parks. The guy had more shots than a hospital and more moves than a chess tournament during his four years at Marina High School.

His thunderous dunks, rebounding and scoring took the overachieving Vikings to the section 5-A final last season.

Now Parks, a 6-foot-11 center, is off to play for defending NCAA champion Duke this fall. He’ll leave a void much bigger than his size 15 shoes.

Parks set a number of scoring and rebounding records. But some of us will remember him best for his ability to go on the record--with his outrageous quotes and perspective of on life.

A few of our favorites from the Chief:

Cherokee, why won’t you be playing against the Soviet junior national team in May?

“It’s the same night as the Marina prom. And this outrageous senior just became available.”

When meeting President Bush before the Capital Classic all-star game:

“Mr. President, will you autograph my tie?”

Footnote: Bush obliged.

What do you want for Christmas?

“Linda Evangelista, the model. Or a 1990 Ford truck. Midnight blue.”

What was your most memorable Christmas?

“When I was 10 years old, my sister, Corey, and I slashed car tires on some of the neighbors’ cars. My mom used all our present money to pay for the tires.”

What’s your favorite movie?

“ ‘Time Bandits.’ I’ve seen it 36 times.”

BEHIND THE BOOSTERS

The Top 10 things overheard at booster club meetings. (No names; you know who you are):

10. “There’s a BMW in the parking lot with its lights on.” Room empties.

9. “Boy, that Southern Section office, what a swell bunch of folks.”

8. “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”

7. “OK, who ordered the pate?”

6. “Those Times prep writers hate our school.” Overheard at several meetings.

5. “Know any good swimmers in Bolivia?”

4. “Catholics? We don’t need no stinking Catholics!” Overheard at public school meetings.

3. “Save our athletic programs from budget cuts--sell our Mercedes.” Yeah, right.

2. “So what if he doesn’t live in our district? That hasn’t stopped us from getting transfers before.”

1. “Two, four, six, eight . . . If we lose, we litigate.”

THE WELCOME MAT?

The Top 10 reasons private schools should play in the public leagues:

10. It took Servite 10 years to beat Mater Dei in basketball. Capistrano Valley could do it in half the time.

9. Ecological reasons. Santa Margarita officials listed it as a legitimate reason. But think of all the paper you used during litigation . . . Save a tree.

8. Ego-logical reasons.

7. Some of these public school people could use a little religion.

6. The private schools need to pick up a few easy victories.

5. South County parents could witness a real disciplinarian--Servite football Coach Larry Toner. And they need to see some discipline.

4. Santa Margarita won’t need its travel agent and Lear jet for league road games.

3. God thinks it’s a good idea.

2. Unlimited district boundaries (See private schools and a certain South Coast League swim program).

1. Southern Section could go back to real litigation.

The Top 10 reasons private schools shouldn’t play in the public leagues:

10 . Some Orange County law firms would go broke.

9. That “no religion in public schools” thing. Public school athletic teams wouldn’t have a prayer.

8. Gary McKnight.

7. Notre Dame would want to join, too.

6. In the wacko world of high school athletics, it just makes too much sense.

5. Eric Patton, Capistrano Valley football coach and Mater Dei grad, would be torn.

4. The Servite “Hut” Drill.

3. Tom Lewis, Mike Mitchell, Stuart Thomas, LeRon Ellis, Danny O’Neil, Reggie Geary and Derek Sparks.

2. Even in the Sea View League, Santa Margarita will still be a two-day drive.

1. Pope might want free ducats.

THE NAME GAME

A few that had us checking the program twice:

7. Ladd Brunner--Fullerton first baseman.

6. Ty Cobb--Kennedy High School first baseman. The great, great, great grandson of the Georgia Peach.

5. Dax Dowling--Katella center fielder.

4. Tara Kroesch (pronounced Crush)--The junior lived up to her last name, leading the Newport Harbor girls’ volleyball team in kills.

3. Motor Mosebrook--Is it any wonder this guy played linebacker at Capistrano Valley?

2. Shade Summers--Esperanza pitcher who cooled his heels after breaking his arm in a fight early in the season.

1. Stacy DeBoom--Newport Harbor softball player. Name alone strikes fear into pitchers.

FINALLY, SOME SERIOUS STUFF

Orange County teams that made the Southern Section academic team champion list and their grade-point averages:

7. Foothill boys’ track and field (3.40)

6. Sonora girls’ soccer (3.51)

5. Fullerton boys’ basketball (3.52)

4. Trabuco Hills golf (3.54)

3. Sonora girls’ basketball (3.57)

2. Woodbridge water polo (3.57).

1. Ocean View girls’ cross-country (3.86)

Times Staff Writers Martin Beck, Fernando Dominguez, Chris Foster, Tom Hamilton, Steve Kresal, Barbie Ludovise, Ara Najarian, Mike Reilley and Elliott Teaford contributed to the final Prep Wednesday of the 1990-91 season.