Orloff Explains His Evasive Action

Dana Hills football Coach Scott Orloff is not in the habit of leaving the field without shaking hands with the opposing coach.

But given the climate that prevailed after his team’s 19-18 loss to Mission Viejo, Orloff thought it best not to shake Bob Johnson’s hand.

“That’s not me,” Orloff said. “But I felt I was keeping a situation from getting any uglier.”

Orloff said the situation started in the summer when two Dana Hills players, tight end/linebacker Tommy Cullinan and wide receiver Lewis Mathews, transferred to Mission Viejo.

Cullinan was a big factor in Mission Viejo’s one-point victory Friday, catching four passes for 63 yards, recovering a fumble and making several key tackles, including one to save a touchdown late in the game. Mathews is ineligible.

Then in early fall, Mission Viejo began investigating a player who had transferred to Dana Hills. Eventually, Dana Hills admitted it had violated Southern Section rules. Result: The Dolphins forfeited their only victory, a 37-14 rout of Santa Margarita.

“The good thing is that Mission called us about it, but they did an awful lot of research on it,” Orloff said.

Against this backdrop, even the routine exchange of videotapes became a source of conflict last week.

Mission Viejo provided a copy of its victory over Marina that was blank after one quarter.

But Johnson said he sent an assistant with a new copy once he found out about the problem.

Johnson, meanwhile, was unhappy with the tape Dana Hills provided because he said it was shot too tight and all 11 players were not always visible.

Then on Friday, Orloff said, a Mission Viejo assistant told a Dana Hills player as the teams left the field at halftime that the Dolphins’ 15-6 lead meant nothing because they “were going to forfeit all their games anyway.”

“That was inappropriate,” Orloff said. “I have never had one of my assistants say anything to another player. After that, I decided it would be best to just leave the field after the game.”

Johnson denied that any such remark was made by anyone on his staff.

“If there was anything said by anybody it was their coaches,” Johnson said.

YELLOW CARD PROPOSED

If Southern Section administrators have their way, all 507 member schools will adopt the use of the Fans Yellow Card as early as this week.

It was developed last season by students at Temescal Canyon and Elsinore high schools, both in Lake Elsinore, and at last week’s meeting, the section council recommended its adoption as part of a renewed attempt to bring sportsmanship to the forefront.

The Fans Yellow Card is meant to send up a red flag to boisterous spectators at athletic events by telling them that enough is enough. Among other things, it reminds fans that their “behavior may not be appropriate” and that “your admittance is a privilege . . . not a license to verbally assault players, coaches or officials.”

It concludes with this statement from students who developed the card: “It’s not your game, it’s ours, the players and athletes that are competing. We hope the spectators will watch, enjoy, encourage and be proud of us, win or lose. We need your support and enthusiasm, not your yelling and criticism.”

It’s too early to tell if the card--which is gaining acceptance in the Inland Empire, Elsinore Athletic Director Roger Blake said--can overcome potential stumbling blocks in Orange County and elsewhere.

“Quiet frankly, who is going to hand this out? Administrators have a little too much to do at our football games,” said John Turek, athletic director at Troy High and the Freeway League’s representative to the council. “By and large, most fans I’ve seen at our contests and tournaments have been surprisingly well-behaved.”

The El Toro girls’ basketball team had trouble with its fans last season. But school administrators dealt with the problem by posting signs in the gymnasium warning of the consequences of rude behavior.

Times staff writers Paul McLeod and Martin Henderson contributed to this story.