FACTS AND FIGURES

A Little History

Growth in South County necessitated the establishment of the South Coast League in 1974, and the teams were as young as the developing area--four of the six schools had a combined 15 years of football experience.

But it didn’t take long for the South Coast League to become an established football power, dominated by three schools: Capistrano Valley, El Toro and Mission Viejo. After Capistrano Valley joined the league in 1978, one or more of that trio won or shared the league title in 12 of 13 seasons, as well as winning six Southern Section titles.

The league attracted national attention in 1987, when Capistrano Valley’s Todd Marinovich broke a national career record for passing yards. But his thunder was stolen by Bret Johnson, who quarterbacked El Toro to its second consecutive Southern Conference championship.

The balance of power shifted in the ‘90s, when parochial schools were placed in county leagues and Mater Dei joined the South Coast League in 1992, winning or sharing the title in each of the last four seasons.

League champions

1974 El Toro and University

1975 San Clemente

1976 Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa

1977 San Clemente

1978 San Clemente

1979 Mission Viejo

1980 Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo

1981 Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo

1982 Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo

1983 Capistrano Valley

1984 Mission Viejo

1985 El Toro

1986 El Toro

1987 Mission Viejo

1988 Mission Viejo

1989 Capistrano Valley

1990 Mission Viejo

1991 Irvine

1992 Mater Dei

1993 Mater Dei

1994 Mater Dei

1995 Capistrano Valley, Mater Dei and San Clemente

Southern Section champions

1978 Mission Viejo (Central Conference)

1980 Capistrano Valley (Central Conference)

1981 Mission Viejo (Central Conference)

1986 El Toro (Southern Conference)

1987 El Toro (Southern Conference)

1990 Capistrano Valley (Division II)

1991 Irvine (Division II)

1994 Mater Dei (Division I)