High School Review : Losing Dual Meets Is Unknown Feeling for Boys at La Jolla

SAN DIEGO — An impressive streak is still alive in San Diego County track and field: The La Jolla High School boys’ team has not lost a dual meet in three years.

The Vikings defeated University of San Diego High School, 111-25, on May 5 to close another perfect dual-meet season.

The streak began with a 69-67 victory over University City in 1985, and La Jolla has won 28 consecutive dual meets since. La Jolla’s last loss was in 1985 to Kearny.

Dating back to 1978, La Jolla has lost only three dual meets.

“I don’t know (what the secret is),” said Chuck Boyer, who has coached track at La Jolla since 1971, with the exception of a one-year retirement in 1985. “As a head coach, I’ve worked real hard to get other coaches interested in track and to come out and help. I think the kids reflect the other coaches’ enthusiasm.

“When I came to La Jolla, people said, ‘There’s no way you can win there--they’re all surfers.’ ”

The closest La Jolla came to losing this spring was against University City. The score was 69-67, the same as the meet that started the streak.

“We felt the pressure (of the streak), and we felt very lucky to get by University City,” Boyer said. “When you win as often as we have, it’s not a big deal to win; it’s a big deal to lose. If University City had a second shot at us, I’m not sure we’d come out on top.”

Three La Jolla athletes are planning to continue in college. Charles Huff (triple jump, long jump, 100 meters and 400-meter relay) has accepted a track scholarship to Washington State; Jerry Walker (triple jump, 440, mile relay and 440 relay) will attend Lewis and Clark College (Ore.) on a track scholarship, and Sean Edwards (high and intermediate hurdles), who led the Vikings in dual meets with 63 3/4 points this year, plans to run track at Princeton.

Behind its one-two punch of Patti Pearson and Tori Spiekerman, Fallbrook has clinched its second Palomar League softball title in two years.

Pearson, a catcher, earlier this spring broke San Diego Section career records for hits and triples. After Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Mt. Carmel, she has 116 hits and 17 triples.

Spiekerman, a 6-foot right-hander, is 19-4 and had given up only one run in her past nine games.

Both have signed letters of intent to play softball in college, Pearson at Cal State Northridge and Spiekerman at Louisiana Tech.

“Pearson throws out 70 to 80% of the girls who try to run against her,” said Fallbrook Coach Bill Regal. “Nobody runs against her anymore because of her reputation for throwing the ball quickly and accurately. And she’s used to catching a college-class pitcher.”

Spiekerman is averaging 10 strikeouts a game and leads the team in runs batted in.

“In girls’ softball, pitching is 90% to 95% of the game,” Regal said. “With her averaging 10 strikeouts a game, that means our defense only has to make 11 more outs. We’ve been in a lot of low-scoring games, but we feel that’s to our advantage. If we can score one or two runs, Tori usually rises to the occasion.”

Fallbrook will open the San Diego Section playoffs on Tuesday at home against an opponent to be named.

Oceanside High graduate Chris Chambliss, a former major-leaguer, wasn’t even the best player in his family, according to Frank Chambliss, the Torrey Pines baseball coach and Chris’ brother.

“We had another brother, Randy, who was 6-4 and could run,” Frank said. “He would have been the best, but he hurt his hip when he was 21 and never was the same.”

Add Frank Chambliss: He took his Torrey Pines players to Mazatlan, Mexico, in December for a few games against Mexican high school and semi-pro teams. Chambliss believes Mexican players are more committed to the sport than American players, even if they can’t afford the equipment.

“The catchers down there would play with just a face mask--no shin guards, no chest protector,” he said. “I’d ask them why they didn’t wear more protection, and they’d say, ‘That’s why you have a glove.’ ”

More signings: Lincoln’s Carl Gaines has signed to play basketball at Grambling State University, and Mt. Carmel’s Alan Cross has signed to play football at the University of Iowa.