Meek, Barnett Named Coaches of North/South Game

Esperanza’s Gary Meek and Trabuco Hills’ Jim Barnett were named Tuesday as coaches for the 36th Orange County North/South All-Star football game.

Meek, who played in the 1959 game for Santa Ana Valley, will coach the North. Last season, the Aztecs finished 7-4 and were eliminated by Trabuco Hills in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Barnett, who was on the opposite sideline in that game, will coach the South. Barnett won three Southern Section titles and finished with an 83-38-2 record in 10 years before resigning at the end of last season. The Mustangs (10-3), who jumped from Division VIII to Division I last season, lost to top-ranked La Puente Bishop Amat in the semifinals.

“I am excited about being asked,” Barnett said. “I don’t know if I’ll bring over my old staff or not. I may have to scramble around, but I’ll be OK.”

Meek has a career record of 79-25-3 and has won two section titles in nine years. He also coached the Aztecs to a 27-game winning streak in 1990-91, fourth-longest in section history.

The game is scheduled for July 14 at Orange Coast College. The 35-man rosters will be released April 1.