1999 The year in review

Remembering the lowlights, highlights and spotlights

By BRETT PAPE
Valley Press Staff Writer

You won't read about mudpies or burgers. There will be no talk of radio hosts impersonating high school athletes.

You won't read about any rumors that circulated throughout the Valley. Rumors like the 1999 season being the last for Steve Hagerty at Paraclete, or the one that had Quartz Hill's Kellie Cox not playing softball in 2000.

And, you won't read about the lack of support of athletics from local school districts. Or, you won't read about school boards which only seem to fling money toward athletics when it comes time to name football fields after themselves.

Nope. None of that stuff will be found here. Nothing but news and notes that grabbed the attention of athletes, coaches, and fans of high school athletics.

So, in no particular order, here's what happened in 1999:
One fine season

Rosamond coach Tim Cox may not have liked the way it ended, but the 1999 Roadrunners' football season may have been the best ever.

Rosamond sprinted out to a 12-0 start, with impressive wins over Tehachapi, Hesperia and Mojave along the way. During the run, the Roadrunners swept through High Desert League play to capture their second straight league title.

The combination of Cory Allred and Mike Williams gave Rosamond the most potent quarterback-receiver duo the school has ever had. Allred threw 2,494 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Williams had 63 catches for 1,164 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.
Overcoming adversity

Mojave's 10-2 record in football said more about its character and heart than anything else. The Mustangs climb one mountain after another to record the school's best season on the gridiron since 1979.

The biggest obstacle was having to overcome the tragic death of Mr. all-everything Koury Davis. Davis was killed shortly before the start of the season in a car accident.

The Mustangs also overcame not having the services of Koury's brother, Kelvin, for all but one game because of a heart condition. In his only game, Kelvin rushed for 122 yards on just five carries.
Three-Clete

After suffering three nonleague losses in its first five games, the last thing many felt Paraclete would be celebrating at the end of the season was a Southern Section championship.

However, the Spirits proved that ending strong is more important than starting strong, capturing the Division XII title with a 43-6 win over Kilpatrick. The win gave Paraclete its third straight section title.

Sophomore running back Curtis Brown led the way for Paraclete, rushing for 2,633 yards in 14 games. Brown set a new state record for most yards gained as a sophomore.
Undisputed champs

After ten years of coaching football at Highland, Lin Parker can finally call himself an undisputed champion.

While he won a share of the league title with Palmdale and AV High in 1996, Parker led the Bulldogs to a perfect 5-0 record in league to grab the title. Wins over defending champ Littlerock (40-14) and AV High (16-3) was enough to convince Valley fans that Highland was the top team in '99.

Highland went advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996, losing to Saugus 48-37 in the Division III quarterfinals.

"We had a heck of a run," Parker said. "I don't think too many people expected us to win league. . . It certainly feels good not to have to share it with anyone."
New King of the Hill

It may not have resulted in a league championship or a playoff win, but even first-year Quartz Hill football coach Pat Degnan had to call '99 a success.

The Rebels won just three games, but one of their wins was 49-28 victory over Palmdale. It was the first league victory for Quartz Hill since the '95 season.

Quartz Hill finished much like it started, losing to Hart 62-18 in the first round of the playoffs.
Highland flying high

Even without legendary volleyball coach Mike Bird, the Highland girls' volleyball team captured its second consecutive league championship.

With Bird now coaching at a San Diego-area school, Tom Jones took over the program and promptly led them to a 10-0 record in league play. The Bulldogs finished the season with an impressive 17-4 record.
Sophomores shine

Before the '99 Golden League cross country finals, Highland's Cassie Ramirez and Lancaster's Ryan Rogers were the last runners thought to win their respective races. However, both sophomores did just that by coming up with their best performances of the season.

Ramirez got things started by taking first in the girls race with a time 19 minutes, 58 seconds. Following Ramirez's lead, Rogers went to the front with 800 meters left in the race and never trailed the rest of the way to place first with a 17:13 finish.
Freshman sensation

While the competition was nothing to brag about, Lancaster freshman tennis player Sonya Reynolds still had one of the most impressive league seasons of the 90s.

Reynolds won the Golden League title and finished her regular season with an impressive 47-1 record. Reynolds is considering giving up high school tennis to concentrate on national-level junior tennis.
End of a career

One of the greatest softball careers came to an end when Jodie Cox pitched her last game in Quartz Hill's 6-3 loss to Thousand Oaks in the second round of the Division II playoffs.

While it was a tough way to go out, it did nothing to tarnish Cox's impressive career. Cox is the only player in Golden League history to earn the league's MVP award in four consecutive seasons.

At the plate, Cox hit .472 with 29 home runs, 110 RBI and 125 runs. In the circle, she was 70-20 with 777 strikeouts and a 0.78 ERA. Her 29 home runs are the second-most in Southern Section history.
Arms race

Palmdale pitcher Matt Harrington's and Highland hurler Matt Parris' junior seasons in '99 were so strong, that pair of righthanders already have signed letter of intents with Division I colleges.

Harrington signed with Arizona State, while Parris signed with UC Santa Barbara. The pair never faced each other last year, but should square off at least once in 2000.

Parris was at Paraclete last year, transferring to Highland during the summer. Both possess a fastball that has been clocked in the 90s, and are expected to be drafted in the Major League Baseball amateur draft next June.
Bobcats miss out on title

Despite one of the most impressive individual seasons by a pitcher, the Boron softball team just missed winning a section championship. The Bobcats suffered their only loss of the season, losing 4-0 to Cornerstone Christian in the championship game.

Junior pitcher Jennifer Jenkins was 24-1 on the season, with an earned run average under a run a game. Boron could make another title run in 2000, as it has lost only three starters from last year's team.
Mighty Knights

Desert Christian certainly had a baseball season to remember, advancing to the Division V semifinals and finishing the season by playing at The Hangar.

The Knights played in front of 700 fans at Lancaster Municipal Stadium in the semifinals, losing 11-5 to L.A. Baptist. The Knights finished the season with a 24-2 record.

The impressive season garnered Knights' coach Dean Spoelstra the Valley Press Coach of the Year Award.
Still winning

All Quartz Hill tennis coach Bill Lenaway does is win Golden League championships.

Lenaway guided both the girls and boys to titles in '99, and now has won 21 league titles in his 12 years as coach. He won the girls title without having an individual title, while the boys team swept both the singles and doubles competitions.

Uploaded January 3, 1999