El Toro, Eisenhower Coaches Resume Their Fuss Over Game Film

Last year, the controversy was so outrageous, Oprah, Geraldo and Donahue were said to have mud wrestled each other to see who would get to air it first.

Today, the feud between Inland Empire and Orange County football coaches--a.k.a. the Country Bumpkins versus the Arrogant Surfers--has been declared more or less passe. At least that’s the official response from two coaches--Rialto Eisenhower’s Tom Hoak and El Toro’s Mike Milner, whose teams will play at Eisenhower next Friday.

The trouble started last year when Hoak, along with Fontana Coach Dick Bruich, offered a few uncomplimentary comments about Orange County to the San Bernardino Sun. Hoak says those responses were blown out of proportion.

“I was asked if I ever had a problem in Orange County,” Hoak said. “This is my 21st year (coaching). I’ve had problems everywhere.”

The El Toro camp was more upset because, when it came time to exchange game films, Eisenhower wouldn’t turn over a videotape copy of its most recent game film (as is customary in Orange County). Eisenhower, which beat El Toro last season, instead offered film of a previous game.

Hoak says, in his area, coaches rely mostly on plain, old-fashioned scouting--something for which he says he pays $500 a season. He can’t help it if El Toro doesn’t do the same.

This year? Hoak got his way again. He says El Toro can have film of Eisenhower’s first two games--victories over Long Beach Poly and Cajon--but if the Charger coaches want to analyze Eisenhower’s game against Muir tonight, they’ll just have to scout it themselves.

“It’s an unfortunate thing,” Hoak says. “I’m being bullheaded. They’re being bullheaded.”

Says Milner: “Yeah. We’re tickled pink.”

But what a wonderful new beginning.

Although the Orange Unified School District had to slash its athletic budget, a federal grant is doing wonders for the outdoor facilities at Orange High.

The school’s tennis courts and outdoor basketball and volleyball courts are being transformed from crumbling asphalt to long-lasting cement, Athletic Director Dave Zirkle says.

“We have an airport runway out there,” Zirkle said. “We could land a 747.”

This week’s Refrigerator Report comes courtesy of Toby Kirschke, 23-year-old brother of Esperanza lineman Travis Kirschke.

At 10:42 a.m. Thursday, Toby entered the Kirschke kitchen and took inventory of Travis’ staples. His findings:

One whole roasted turkey. Three gallons nonfat milk. Five-gallon tub of generic vanilla ice cream. Hamburger, hot dogs. Large canister protein powder. Oatmeal cookies (with raisins). Crispy wheat cereal (with raisins). An abundance of fixins for bean-and-cheddar-cheese burritos (Travis’ favorite).

Notably absent: Steak (doesn’t like it). Cola drinks, chocolate or anything else with caffeine (gives him migraines).

Next week: coaches’ junk drawers.

After a one-year hiatus, La Quinta’s Jim Perry has resumed coaching boys’ basketball. Perry, the Aztec boys’ athletic director, said because he wasn’t coaching, he felt out of touch with the students.

It’s the parents he could do without.

“We have great parents--we do,” Perry says. “But you almost wish you could coach at an orphanage. Really, if the job at Boys Town opens up, I’m there.”

Bit o’ history: In the early 1900s, Orange High was located on what is now the campus of Chapman University. It was there that 1912 Olympic gold medalist Fred Kelly got his start in track and field.

Today, Fred Kelly Stadium--adjacent to El Modena High in Orange--features a fine track. But it’s nothing like the one Kelly ran on in high school.

That one had only two lanes.

This week’s Oops Award goes to a very deserving individual. Her name appears atop this column.

Last Sunday, we wrote that the Pacifica High public address announcer, miffed about a non-call by the referees, forgot to turn off his microphone when he yelled, “Hey! Get that flag out of your pocket!” Most fans in the stadium couldn’t help but hear.

Fact is, announcer Donald Nakamura did forget to turn off his microphone, but he wasn’t the one who complained about the call. He says it was someone near him in the announcer’s booth. He’s not sure who.

In any case, we apologize profusely.

The football stadium at Tustin High has never been a real hospitable place for the visiting team.

Last week, San Clemente Coach Mark McElroy gained some insight into the Tiller perspective.

“Their players kept shouting, ‘House of Pain! House of Pain!’ ” McElroy said. “I’m like, what’s this all about? I guess ignorance is bliss.”

So is beating Tustin at home. San Clemente upset the county’s then-fourth-ranked team, 24-7.

Former Melodyland Coach Dave Marocco, now coaching football at tiny Kaahumanu Hou High on Maui, had this to say after his team’s 62-0 loss to neighboring Lahainaluna:

“Our kids had splinters on their tongues.”

Your guess is as good as ours.

Final note: Those who write or fax in letters daring us to “have the guts to reprint” them, need to remember three things: name, address and telephone number. Yours, not ours.

Sorry, but by simply signing it “High School Sports Enthusiast” or “Concerned Parent,” you leave us to wonder whether you really exist. For all we know, the letter might have been written by your cat.

Then again, cats almost always sign their name.