Column: So many great prep football players, coaches from San Diego left off lists of California’s 100 best

Sez Me …

When we who play the newspaper game put preps into the sportswashing machine, it’s wise to use the delicate cycle.

One of the first things I learned in this dodge came from George Dissinger, my Evening Tribune managing editor, champion and friend. “If you’re going to make mistakes,” he cautioned, “don’t make them in obits and high school sports stories. You’ll never hear the end of it.”

The best advice. George’s wisdom still has the Bow Bells ringing in my ears as if a colony of British change ringers have gathered in my skull.

But, in this case, it’s fine to be critical, which is what I tend to be when I see regional bias and a lack of historical knowledge.

With our CIF football championships this weekend, it’s a great opportunity to expound on a September story by our John Maffei on the release of a special, 28-member selection committee’s choices for the top 100 prep players in California history. No San Diegans were among the voters, who were to base their selections heavily on high school performance, then college and pro honors and citizenship.

Prep football has been played here since 1891. San Diego County has produced an unprecedented four Heisman winners, NFL and Super Bowl MVPs/Hall of Famers, and so many Pro Bowlers and collegiate All-Americans.

And yet just 10 San Diegans were chosen?

The 10 picked — Heisman winners Marcus Allen, Ricky Williams, Rashaan Salaam and Reggie Bush (who should have won two), and Lincoln Kennedy, Bill McColl, Harold “Brick” Muller, John Lynch, Junior Seau and Alex Smith (first overall draft choice) — certainly belong.

What of NFL/Super Bowl MVP/Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, NFL MVP Brian Sipe, the great Powell brothers (Charlie, Art and Jerry), Willie Buchanon, Deron Johnson, C.R. Roberts, Joe Roth, Cotton Warburton, Arthur Smith, Pesky Sprott, Sal Aunese, La’Roi Glover, Dave Grayson, Eric Allen, San Diego High’s Ezell Singleton, who was a first-team All-American introduced on The Ed Sullivan Show, throwing 28 touchdown passes in 1958 (at the time, second best in U.S. history), and so many more?

Ezell, a legend, had to make that list.

But it’s the coaching category that sticks in my craw, whatever a craw is.

Duane Maley finished his run at San Diego High in 1959 with a 53-0 thrashing of Monrovia in the SCIF title game. His teams won more games than any other California high school during the 1950s, and his Johnson-Pete Gumina-led Cavers won the mythical national title in 1955. His record: 97-19-3, and remember he was playing power teams from all over Southern California.

Herb Meyer, who coached Oceanide/El Camino so well for so long, was one of the 13 coaches chosen, and well-deserved.

Not selected was a coach who also definitely belongs, Oceanside’s John Carroll. John, playing tough competition, won 13 section titles and two state championships. His record: 248-75-6.

I can add Morse’s John Shacklett, but why bother adding another great coach whose stuff was national?

They’ll make it eventually. But eventually should be now. …

As Hubert Vogelsinger once told Bill Center: “English soccer isn’t worth the time I don’t spend watching it. If they fought World War II the way they play soccer, it would have ended in a nil-nil tie.” …

U.S. soccer needs a Gale Sayers, who was the NFL’s Pele. …

With that draw, the Brits now have one more tie than Nordstrom. …

Messi Argentina getting Roomba-ed by Saudi Arabia is the biggest upset since Upset beat Man O’ War. Or was it Onion over Secretariat? …

When you play the Chiefs, and they’re minus two receivers, without a true deep threat, you have to do something to at least slow Travis Kelce. Double, triple, mechanized army. If Bill Belichick coordinated the Judases’ defense, he wins that game. …

If all you need to do is stop a tight end, you can stop a tight end. Hall of Famer or not. Brandon Staley is a defensive genius, my eye. …

The Fredos know how to play K.C. close. They don’t know how to beat K.C. close. …

As I told Melvin Gordon in my coaching clinic: “If you want to lose your job, the easiest way is losing the football.” Sigh. Another person who doesn’t listen to me. …

Aaron Rodgers has a broken thumb on his throwing hand. How fortunate it isn’t one of his pointing fingers. …

Justin Fields apologized to his Bears teammates after their Falcons loss. So did the Jets’ Zach Wilson, too late not to lose his job and the locker room. …

Kyle Shanahan on the vastly underrated Jimmy Garoppolo, who simply wins games: “We’re fortunate to have him,” said Kyle, after spending the entire offseason trying to get rid of him. …

The Arizona Cardinals now have dumped two — two — assistant coaches this season for allegedly assaulting women, the latest (Sean Kugler) for groping in Mexico City. Just what Roger Goodell needs as he futilely tries to internationalize, an international incident. …

Is there a better person in the NFL than Stefon Diggs? If there is, he’s been canonized. …

Hunter Henry believes he caught that ball. I do not. The rule does not. We no longer may be a nation of rules, but the NFL is — until owners change them at their own convenience. …

I’ll never understand how quarterbacks hang on to the ball with one hand when being mashed by mastodons. …

Lane Kiffin is staying put, after waiting for the Raiders job to come open because Mark Davis’ dad never told him that Lane coached them at one time. …

Brown University baseball coach Grant Achilles, by all accounts, is not a heel. Sorry. At times I get delusional. …

So the Aztecs totally blow one and get beat by a good Arkansas team in Maui and their publicist keeps the players from talking to the media? Might be a good idea to win 11 NCAA titles before joining the Arrogance Club. …

That was a big win that became a big loss. Doubtful State has another worse than that. …

How about that dustup after Aztecs-Hogs? Good thing about postgame scuffles is they get all the attention and make some people forget who won or lost. Not me. …

Eric Musselman, if you have another cheek, you should turn it. Bush league, cussing out fans. …

I firmly believe overtime stats should be in a separate category for all team sports. …

Vegas gets the 2028 Final Four. It wasn’t long ago the NCAA would have gone to Ukraine, played outdoors and put images of Putin on players’ singlets before placing their big deal in Southern Nevada. …

As of now, Tiger isn’t planning to enter the Farmers at Torrey. He doesn’t like to play courses on which he’s been unsuccessful. …

Would Tiger be as big if his nickname were Eldrick? …

A man was arrested in Seattle’s airport for firing off “Heil Hitlers” and promoting a Nazi Aryan nation. Amazingly, he wasn’t released on time to pilot the Messerschmidt. …

Remember when Americans had to go to other countries to be ugly? …

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I do two. Watch and listen. Terrifying. …

sezme.godfather@gmail.com

Twitter: @sdutCanepa