Sidelines: Newport and Santa Ana, a heated matchup

Don Cantrell

The sizzling heat continues to be a familiar subject this summer

and oldtimers swear the intense heat was there in Southern California

every September.

It never measured up to Death Valley, but some may have claimed it

neared that point in early September of 1942 at the old Santa Ana Bowl.

That’s when the first clash between Harbor High and Santa Ana was set.

It was a practice game.

It could have been over 100 degrees and the attendance was not

impressive because of that heat.

Santa Ana was a much bigger high school and outmanned the Sailors on

the field, but the Saints hadn’t expected Harbor to appear with the

makings of a potential small schools CIF production.

Though slight in numbers, the Tars featured some noteworthy size and

speed that could match the Saints. The Tars were paced by a future

first-team all-CIF fullback named Harold Sheflin, who weighed 215 pounds,

and a future all-CIF second-team tackle named Manuel Muniz, who almost

weighed 200 pounds.

Although the spirits were up for both teams, the heat would soon have

all the players wilting. In fact, it wasn’t long before both teams chose

to sit for the huddles. The waterboys were on call and ready.

One break happened early for Harbor when it found itself near the

Saints’ goal line. Neither team would be near the goal line again. Long

drives required high energy and that was lacking on both sides.

It was time for a wise decision in the play calling from one yard out

and the play caller made the right move. He knew the Saints would stack

up the line to halt the great Sheflin since they knew about him from the

previous year when he was a third-team All-CIF fullback.

The play caller turned to the 140-pound tailback Ed Miller to cart the

ball up the middle. And Miller, a 10.2-in-the-100-yard-dash sprinter,

flashed through the line with no trouble. Harbor took the extra point and

led 7-0. And that was the game.

Miller, who, in time, would become a top-ranking San Diego city

attorney, hadn’t anticipated the play, but was bound and determined to

sprint through the Saints’ line and score. Harbor and the Saints would

collide again in future years since Santa Ana joined the Sunset League in

1943.

Only one other team could slow Harbor down during the regular ’42

season and that was league contender Long Beach Jordan. It also had the

Tars nailed down 0-0 until a break in the game.

Jordan kicked a punt from its end zone and the ball only traveled to

the 34-yard line. Several plays later, the Tars moved to the one-foot

line off a run by Sheflin. On the next play, Sheflin bulled up center for

the touchdown. The Tars won 7-0.

Newport routed most other regular-season teams by 40-50 points.

Unfortunately, the Sailors beat a small school, Laguna Beach, 50-0,

and that called for a price to pay.

World War II produced severe fuel shortages, which is why many schools

tried to play close to the local scene. Laguna didn’t appreciate the 50-0

loss in ’42 and stressed the point to new coach Les Miller in a ’44

engagement.

Miller was told Laguna would not tolerate another lopsided loss like

in ’42. Hence, Miller chose to make so-called amends and held his ’44

team down after it went ahead 12-0. It bewildered and frustrated one play

caller, blocking back Joe Muniz, and he went out once to complain to

Miller relative to some plays not working.

Miller gave him no response, but years later after Muniz returned home

from WWII, Miller bumped into him one day and tried to explain.

Looking back, Miller once said, “The Laguna game also bothered the ’42

coach, Wendell Pickens. He said the ’42 team was so good, one couldn’t

hold it back even with the substitutions because many of them were as

good as the first teamers.”

There came a day after the big war when Newport wouldn’t play Laguna

again for a number of years.

The ’42 Harbor team wound up its season by battling Bonita High in the

small schools CIF championship final. Newport led 6-0 after the first

half with Sheflin piling over for the touchdown. Unfortunately, Sheflin

hurt his foot just seconds before the half.

Sheflin, who seemed to be the only one capable of stopping Bonita’s

future All-American, Glenn Davis, via West Point, was gone. Davis ran

wild in the second half, scoring five touchdowns. Harbor lost 39-6.

Davis later called Sheflin the greatest player he ever faced, which

was an astonishing salute to the Tars’ fullback.