Complete History of the South Hills Varsity Football Team

In the summer of 2000 South Hills was granted a six year accreditation with no revisit, not real common in the recent era of heightened focus on educational institutions. This last accreditation is a reminder to the South Hills community that its strong athletic tradition has not come at the expense of classroom learning. South Hills has been, and continues to be a great place to learn and grow. The non-four wall curriculum is a big part of this.

Learning takes place everywhere in the school experience, and athletics can be a very powerful part of this learning experience. Just ask any linebacker who has to know when to blitz and peel, or blitz and tackle. Ask an offensive lineman who has to know when to push his zone block and pick off the downhill linebacker. Or ask the Quarter Back who has to know which routes convert when the coverage changes, or who his inside and/or outside hot route is. Anytime the mind is performing (mental gymnastics), learning takes place. This includes athletics.

For almost 40 years South Hills has provided this type of, both strong academic and competitive athletic, environment for its students. One of the reasons for this is the philosophy the South Hills administration has encouraged and supported. A philosophy that recognizes learning takes place everywhere. When a student participates in the band, learning is taking place. When a student is performing in a play, learning is taking place. And when a student sees man coverage and adjusts his route, learning is taking place.

South Hills is a place where strong tradition is blended with new insight, and creativity is encouraged. In this supportive environment a strong football program was able to grow. Nevertheless, the main ingredient has been the athletes themselves. As the saying goes, you cannot win the Kentucky Derby riding a donkey. Any coach who has remained in the business for a considerable time will attest to this. In this, the most important area, South Hills football has been blessed.

South Hills Football – the years 1964 to 1991

South Hills has had only four football coaches, four baseball coaches, and only four principals. Consistency and continuity, as well as hard work are hallmarks of the South Hills tradition. In the summer of 2000 South Hills was granted a six year accreditation with no revisit, not real common in the recent era of heightened focus on educational institutions. This last accreditation is a reminder to the South Hills community that its strong athletic tradition has not come at the expense of classroom learning. South Hills has been, and continues to be a great place to learn and grow. The non-four wall curriculum is a big part of this. Learning takes place everywhere in the school experience, and athletics can be a very powerful part of this learning experience. Just ask any Linebacker who has to know when to blitz and peel, or blitz and tackle. Ask an offensive lineman who has to know when to push his zone block and pick off the downhill Linebacker. Or ask the Quarter Back who has to know which routes convert when the coverage changes, or who his inside and/or outside hot route is. Anytime the mind is performing (mental gymnastics), learning takes place. This includes athletics. For almost 40 years South Hills has provided this type of, both strong academic and competitive athletic, environment for its students. One of the reasons for this is the philosophy the South Hills administration has encouraged and supported. A philosophy that recognizes learning takes place everywhere. When a student participates in the band, learning is taking place. When a student is performing in a play, learning is taking place. And when a student sees man coverage and adjusts his route, learning is taking place. South Hills is a place where strong tradition is blended with new insight, and creativity is encouraged. In this supportive environment a strong football program was able to grow. Nevertheless, the main ingredient has been the athletes themselves. As the saying goes, you cannot win the Kentucky Derby riding a donkey. Any coach who has remained in the business for a considerable time will attest to this. In this, the most important area, South Hills football has been blessed.

The Farley Day Years, 1964 – 1966 record (15-11-1)

South Hills began football competition in 1964 with Farley Day at the helm, and a bright future ahead. Part of these early years was current South Hills Vice Principal Steve Arkle. Player Arkle would go on to set a number of records, be part of the first CIF title staff, and coach current head coach Steve Bogan in the local All Star game, then played at Citrus College. As with most new programs the first year is the tough year. Most of the players are underclassmen, and the schedule doesn’t care. Not only were there no seniors, there also was no grass to practice on. The result was the Huskies battled to a three and five record in their opening campaign. They followed the next year with a 6-4 record and a trip to the playoffs. The winning ways were on. Before Coach Day would retire the Huskies would make two trips to the playoffs, and capture a league title. All this, in three short years. The championship year would be 1966. The record would be 6-2-1.

The Jim Jones Years, 1967 – 1976 record (67-31-4)

The Jim Jones era began and ended with league titles. In only his first year as a head coach Jim Jones guided the Huskies to a 5-3-1 record and a league championship. He finished his high school head coaching career with a Sierra League championship in 1976. Coach Jones would then go on to become head coach at Cal Poly, Pomona. Nine interceptions in nine games, still a school record. Those were the numbers a young all star defensive back put up in the 1967 campaign. That defensive back is still part of the Husky family. Only now he is coaching teachers as South Hills Vice Principal. Not only did Steve Arkle help lead the Huskies to a league title as a player, he would later help Jim Jones, Ken Diebold, and Jack Nemzek lead the 1974 Huskies to a CIF 4A title, and #1 ranking in the state. In 68 the Huskies went 5 and 4, and dropped to 1-7-1 in 1969. 1970 saw the team struggle to a 4 and 5 record. However, the 71 campaign saw a return to winning ways and a 5-4 record. A young sophomore quarterback, named Brian Bethke (#17), would lead the 1972 squad to a 5-3-1 record. Brian will be the Quarter Back who starts the Huskies on a run known as the golden years. In 1973 the Huskies capture the Sierra League title, with a 9-1 record and experience a remarkable second half performance against New Port Harbor, at Mt. SAC, during the playoffs. This seems to have been the actual catalyst that launched the Huskies on their way. CIF 4A Champs, State Champs and a #2 national ranking is how 1974 finished. The Huskies defeated St. John Bosco in the Coliseum, in the famous Fog half, and Brian Bethke walked away with the CIF 4A player of the year award. It simply doesn’t get any better. 1975 brought another league title, a 13-1 record, and another CIF player of the year. John Van Vuren, #42, the go to player for the Huskies, became the second and last South Hills player to receive the CIF top divisions top honor. In 76 the Dawgs capture another Sierra League title, and said good by to head coach Jim Jones. Coach Jones will head off to the next level as the head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. As head coach Jim Jones not only won a CIF title, he also had the privilege of coaching a future member of the super bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, Milt McColl. Long time assistant Jack Nemzek will take over the reigns, and the winning ways will continue.

The Jack Nemzek Years, 1977 – 1991 record (107-55-4)

In 1977 the Huskies go 7-4 and drop to 4-5 in 78. With the new Valle Vista beginning in 1979 the South Hills Huskies begin a phenomenal seven (7) year dominance of league opponents. In other words, the Huskies won the Valle Vista league title seven years in a row. That is two 3-peats plus one. The Huskies went 10-2 in 79 and 11-1-1 in 80. In 1980 they also end up as CIF finalists. With 1981 came another league title and a complete shutout of all league opponents (130 – 0). In 82 the Dawgs finish 8-2 and in 83 they go 8-4. 1984 saw the overall record drop to 5-6, yet the Huskies still took the league championship by running the table in league. In 1985 South Hills will finish 8-2-1 and capture its seventh straight Valle Vista League championship. This will also be the first year the Huskies are without longtime offensive and defensive coordinators Ken Diebold and Steve Arkle. New to the staff is former Edgewood graduate, St. Francis assistant, and future head coach Steve Bogan. 1986 and 1987 were extremely successful years with trips to the CIF semifinals and a big playoff win over Diamond Bar, but no league title. After many years of simply reloading the Huskies experienced the difficulties of rebuilding. In1988 they saw their record drop to 3-7. 1989, fortunately, saw a return to winning ways and the playoffs. The Huskies finished 5-4-2. After a another rebuilding campaign and a 4-6 record, South Hills was excited about the 1991 campaign. Unfortunately, an onslaught of injuries will undermine Coach Nemzek’s farewell season. Although the come from behind 16-14 victory over cross-district rival Covina was the seasons big win – it came while the Huskies were healthy. By the end of the 1991 campaign the Huskies will be playing with their number three quarterback. Future baseball professional, and starting Quarter Back, Dan Ehler will be out with a broken hand, and so will the talented backup Jeff Zeen. Add to that a couple of more starters out and you have a real character building year. Nevertheless, it was an exiting year as Jacque Jordan, Tray Nelson, and Dan Ehler all go on to either receive scholarships, or sign pro baseball contracts. In fifteen seasons at the helm Jack Nemzek, Ken Diebold, and Steve Arkle will not only take the Huskies to the CIF finals, they will finish with six league titles. Coach Nemzek will retire with seven league titles and 107 wins, making him the winningest coach in South Hills history.

The Years 1992 – 2004 … current.

In the last five years South Hills has been to the finals four times and three of those times they have come away with titles. Things didn’t start so nice back in 92. 1992 was Steve Bogan’s first year as the Huskies head coach, and the last year the Huskies had a losing season. On staff was current head wrestling coach Rob Froh, long-time assistants Tom Peterssen, Anthony Delaney, and current Los Altos head coach Greg Gano. Quarter Back Danny Ehler had a tremendous year, as did running back/linebacker Steve Duran. However, as a team the Dogs ended up one game shy of a breakeven season. The record was 4 and 6. The 1993 season saw much improvement. A very young team that would make their first visit to the playoffs under the new staff, showed signs that 1994 would be a big year. Senior Harold Carter enjoyed an excellent year as both a receiver and defensive back. Jumping in and out of the Bear 46 Defense, the young team almost knocked off Western in the playoffs. A strong tradition was showing some life. The overall record was: 7 – 4. 1994 was a big year for the resurging program. Until Quarter Back Brett Pierce was hit with a torn hamstring, the Huskies seemed almost unstoppable. The year started with three straight shutouts before Wilson was able to convert a turnover into a fourth quarter touchdown. In that game Antwan Duncan rushed for 194 yards including a 97 yard touchdown. Highlights included Brett Pierce playing virtually everything. Other than the kickoff team, he never left the field. Besides his duties as Quarter Back and free safety, he punted, returned kicks, and hit on 7 of 9 field goals, including the game winning field goal to defeat Bonita.

1995 saw the Huskies take an at-Large berth and use it to defeat seated Beverly Hills High. At Quarter Back was Brian Banta, who went on to quarterback at Claremont College in the SCIAC conference. Matt Rogers will go on to play for the Washington Huskies and have a big day in the Rose Bowl his senior year, as the Huskies down Big Ten champions Purdue. From there Matt will go TV fame as a finalist on American Idol. 1996 saw one of the Huskies all time best teams roll undefeated through the regular season. Not one game was in doubt by the fourth quarter, not even the quarter-final game with undefeated La Mirada. But when junior “All Everything” Quarter Back Ryan Smith had his arm pop out of its socket, South Hills new things would be tough the following week and it was. The season ended in the semi-finals and what seemed like a definite CIF title would have to wait. From the 1996 team Sean Pierce and Grey McNeil will go to shine at San Diego St., David Chidester will go to play at Saint Mary’s, and Ryan Smith’s injury will see his full-ride offer to Colorado St. disappear. Frankie Salazar will go on to become a Jr. College All American at Fullerton JC and Brandon Lofton will be the first of four Huskies to don a uniform for the Sacramento State Hornets.

1998 saw Ryan Leadingham take a great high school career from South Hills to the north where he broke almost every passing record that existed at Sacramento State. He was a three year starter and probably could have run for office. T.K. Matthews also went north, but a little farther, and was a staple at running back for Wilamette University, in Oregon. From the the 1999 team, Matt Williams will receive a full ride to Sacramento State, where for at least one season there were three Huskies playing football for coach John Volek and the Hornets. 2000 brought the long wait to an end as the Huskies defeated La Habra in a come from behind 19-14 victory. After 26 years the Huskies had another title. But more than that, it was simply a great high school football game which wasn’t over until Kirk McClain pulled down the fourth interception for the night. Prior to that, Chris Eadie hooked up with Jason Murray (Boise State) on a 55 MD route to give South Hills the lead. As side note, South Hills ended up picking off 16 passes during the playoff run of four games.

2001 found the Huskies get knocked out in the semi-finals while 2002 found them winning another title with a big margin 36 – 8 over new league rival Walnut. The Huskies were in a new league after former league and district rival Covina led a campaign to get the dogs of South Hills out of the Valle Vista League. Nevertheless, the first year in the new San Antonio League ended well, very well. South Hills ended the year with 30 interceptions and another CIF title and was well on the hill. In 2003 the Huskies came 6 inches and 6 points short of shutting out the playoffs in their march to a third title in four years. Brothers Bryan (Oregon St.) and Jeremy Payton (Arizona St.) led the Huskies to their back to back titles, and also made it very difficult to fill a schedule for the next two years. 2004 saw South Hills win another league title, but fall short as cross-town rival West Covina won their first CIF title in school history.

And that brings us to 2008 where everything is still a work in progress.