Davidson Field to be put to test

ROGER CARLSON

The ongoing improvements at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium,

which will unveil a state-of-the-art facility in September, has

created a shuffling of schedules this fall.

The Pirates have decided it’s off limits until October, to make

sure all the bugs have been worked out, and to allow for the

possibility the completion date of Sept. 1 won’t be met.

It couldn’t have come at a better time, given the fact this year

the CIF Southern Section is allowing any and all the luxury of

playing a game during the “zero week,” which had, in recent years,

been set aside for scrimmages, those non-scoring rehearsals.

In the past, only an “exotic,” such as an out-of-state venture in

Hawaii, Canada or something east of the Colorado River would get you

passage from the CIF. But now it’s simply an open date.

You can still elect for a scrimmage, as is Newport Harbor in what

is becoming a traditional clash with powerhouse Mission Viejo.

Others, however, are opting to play in the zero week, freeing up a

week during the regular season to serve as a bye week, which is

another way to say “get healthy” during a grinding schedule.

So this fall, for the first time in Newport-Mesa Unified School

District history, Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and Estancia will be

playing for keeps in nonleague duels before Labor Day.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, Costa Mesa and Brea Olinda will square off

at Newport Harbor and, a night later, Corona del Mar will test its

“veteran” status with a matchup against district rival Estancia.

No doubt it’s going to be an interesting fall.

Corona del Mar will return the next week to the same site and

battle Costa Mesa, then is at Newport Harbor Sept. 24.

Newport is beefing up with a Sept. 9 game against always strong

Fountain Valley and will precede its Sea View League schedule with a

game at Mira Costa.

Costa Mesa has a bye before Orange and Estancia in November, and

Corona del Mar has a bye before Pacific Coast League action.

The lack of Orange Coast as a site in September for Costa Mesa and

Estancia will surely takes its toll on Davidson Field with an

addition of seven games which otherwise would have been played at

OCC. So the early start is a bonus.

Here’s how the schedule plays out into the first weekend of

October (so far):

Costa Mesa vs. Brea Olinda, Sept. 2; CdM vs. Estancia, Sept. 3;

CdM vs. Costa Mesa, Sept. 10; Costa Mesa vs. Huntington Beach, Sept.

16; Marina vs. Newport Harbor, Sept. 17; Buena Park vs. Estancia,

Sept. 18; Laguna Beach vs. Costa Mesa, Sept. 23; CdM vs. Newport

Harbor, Sept. 24; Dana Hills at Newport Harbor, Sept. 30; Orange vs.

Estancia, Oct. 1; and Valencia at Newport Harbor, Oct. 2.

That’s a lot of playing time on one field, which is what they’ve

been doing at Irvine in the Irvine Unified School District for years.

Hopefully, nothing freakish will be forthcoming in terms of weather.

And, there is the possibility Coast will seek a spot on Sept. 4,

for its game with Glendale College.

The Pirates are hopeful of starting with Glendale at Coast, on

schedule. But if there are problems, they will move their Sept. 4 and

Sept. 18 games with Glendale and Saddleback to Newport Harbor or

Huntington Beach, assuming either is available. A third option for

Sept. 4, said OCC Coach Mike Taylor, is Sage Hill School (capacity

about 400).

Glendale vs. OCC, at Sage Hill. For sheer historical purposes

alone, I don’t think I could resist passing it up!

Saddleback and OCC on Sept. 18? I’m putting my money on LeBard as

the site.

Estancia has the pristine Coast facility for its games against

Ocean View, Westminster and, in the regular season finale, Costa

Mesa.

Costa Mesa treks across Fairview Ave. for games against Santa Ana

and Orange before the Battle for the Bell with Estancia.

While thinking about blowout victories and the subject of

sportsmanship recently, I wandered back to an early introduction of

runaways.

As a youngster, I found myself intrigued by a book of all-time

college football scores by Christy Walsh, which I purchased at a

Pasadena book store in 1949.

Reviewing great seasons from the likes of USC, Michigan, Yale,

Notre Dame, Army, and many others, I came across the 1916 season for

Georgia Tech, which showed a 222-0 victory over Cumberland

University.

Research found that Cumberland apparently had whipped Georgia Tech

in baseball in the spring of 1915, 22-0, and it was suspected that

Cumberland had enlisted the aid of several “ringers” for the event,

which was not uncommon in those years on the college or high school

level.

Apparently infuriated, the Georgia Tech football coach, the

immortal John Heisman, first offered Cumberland a $500 guarantee to

play the football game, and attached a $3,000 penalty clause in the

contract to guarantee his chance for revenge.

It was 126-0 at halftime and, by some accounts, the game was cut

short by 15 minutes in the second half.

Cumberland lost nine fumbles and had six passes intercepted. One

Yellow Jacket scored seven touchdowns and seven others scored two or

more. Cumberland, which also reportedly lost to Sewanee that season,

100-0, never made a first down.

College football’s most coveted trophy, the Heisman Trophy, is

named after what appears to be one of the most unsportsmanlike

coaches in sports history.

Running the score up was not uncommon and Heisman jump-started his

career at Georgia Tech in 1903 when his Clemson team defeated Georgia

Tech, 73-0. Georgia Tech saw the light, I guess, and hired Heisman.

For the next 16 years, Heisman’s Georgia Tech teams slaughtered as

many as possible, including such foes as Dahlonega in 1907, 72-0,

Mercer in 1914, 105-0; Carlisle in 1917, 98-0; and, in 1918,

victories of 118-0, 119-0 and 128-0 over Furman, the 11th Cavalry and North Carolina State, respectively.

Well, I’ve brought all this up because it’s about all I can tell

you about the notion which finds someone like the great John Heisman

immortalized, while former Estancia High girls basketball coach Tami

Rappa finds herself without a team, partly because she was “running

up the score” with wins by margins of 21 and 20 points over rival

Costa Mesa.

Somehow, somebody had their wires crossed. And they still do.

Hey! See you next Sunday!

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

His column appears on Sundays. He can be reached by e-mail at

[email protected].