High School Football Scene & Heard: On a super performance, Superior Garror, and a final look back

BUENA PARK — Notes, quotes and anecdotes from the state championship football weekend:

Winters High School quarterback Lane Brown came into the 6-A title game against Morse with some are-those-real numbers. Try 2,069 yards passing and 22 touchdowns, plus 1,906 yards rushing for 24 TDs.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior lived up to his billing in Saturday’s 28-7 win over Morse, rushing for 154 yards on 25 carries and three TDs. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 52 yards and a score.

There is no truth that beneath his jersey Brown wore a red T-shirt with “S” scripted across the chest. And while Brown can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, he did show some hops.

On one first-half play, Brown darted right to evade the rush, then, in full sprint, threw an incomplete pass before flying out of bounds, leaping over the Tigers’ bench and dodging a couple of Morse cheerleaders.

“That type of stuff just comes natural for him,” said Winters assistant coach Mark Layne. “He literally enjoys playing. And he’s got a little bit of show-off to him.”

Small-town charm

Winters sits 30 miles west of Sacramento. Population: 7,860. The high school opened in 1891 and has an enrollment of about 450. The football team, appearing in its first state championship game, was given a royal send off Friday morning, escorted by police cars and fire trucks blaring sirens.

Accompanying the team to Buena Park was the school’s 30-piece band, which performed a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

“We never get to do things like this, travel for a football game,” said Sara Doyle, who plays the trombone and snare drum. “This is a new experience.”

After going through the handshake line, the Winters players sprinted to the band and held their helmets high while the musicians played the school alma mater.

Upon receiving the state championship trophy, head coach Daniel Ward ran to the visitors’ stands, held the trophy aloft in one hand and pointed to the fans with the other.

Winters delayed the start of its boys basketball season until Monday because 10 players were on the football team.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Morse star running back Superior Garror was in tears after the game.

Layne, though, took the time to seek him out and told the senior: “You can play on any team I’ve ever coached. You are a bad dude.”

Despite Winters loading the box with seven and eight defenders, Garror rushed 19 times for 83 yards and one touchdown. He finished his senior season with 3,699 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns.

Role model

No one on the Morse sideline was more encouraging than chaplain/mentor Dalvon Logan. Throughout every game this season, Logan stalked the sideline, yelling encouraging chants.

“One, two, three, let’s go O-line!”

Then the players on the sideline repeated the cry.

Logan’s other lines: “One, two, three, get it back … One, two, three, let’s go defense … One, two, three, good job, O-line.”

“That’s the part God put inside of me,” Logan said. “It’s passion to continue to fight, teach these kids to fight regardless of whatever it is in life. It’s compassion and love now. God’s got great plans for these kids, to be soldiers for life.”

Oh say, you cannot see

Years from now, Folsom’s 42-21 win over Cathedral Catholic for the Division 1-AA title might best be remembered for the fog that rolled in minutes before kickoff and blanketed the field.

“When we came out (before kickoff), I’m wondering, ‘Are we going to play this thing?’” said Cathedral Catholic coach Sean Doyle.

Spectrum News, which televised the game, adjusted and moved cameras to the sidelines. Cathedral Catholic assistants passed on watching the game three stories above the field in the press box and headed to the field.

“We can’t see a thing,” said a Dons assistant.

The public address announcer watched the action on a TV monitor and relayed information to the fans.

Said Doyle: “My wife and family said it looked like a great game, from what they could see courtesy of the announcers.”

By the numbers

1 – State championships for Valley Center after the Jaguars’ 36-35 win over San Jose Lincoln for the 6-AA title.

9 – Plays of 25 yards or more in Valley Center’s win.

0 – Number of those plays that were runs.

Food review

Opted for pollo street tacos at Elpollofino. Sides included rice and beans. Beans looked more like soup. Owners permitted two sides of rice instead. Tortillas, chicken, salsa all muy delicioso. On Scene & Heard five belch scale, meal earns 4½ belches.

Flag man

Besides blocking and tackling as a tight end and linebacker, Winters’ Anthony Matamoros drew an important assignment before kickoff. He was the player assigned with carrying the team flag emblazoned with a ‘W.’

Asked what the criteria was to tote the flag, Matamoros said, “It’s never really been determined. I’m a captain and carried it all 15 games.”

What does it mean to him? “Not the attention. You bring the energy with that.”