James Madison High School - Prospectus Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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SPORTS

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Record-Breaking Warhawks Scramble Into Playoffs A dark cloud hung over the head of Coach Bob Bishop as he sat in his office last summer. He could not help but wonder about the fate of his 1975 Madison football team. The team had been severly thinned out by the graduation of many outstanding ball players. Conse- quently, many foresaw a bleak future for the Hawks. The team did have one of the county's most formidable quarterbacks returning in Ken Hubbard,along with an extremely talented repertoire of running backs. How- ever, it was the players up front, the linemen, that Bishop felt would make or break the Hawk's season. That was the major area where rebuilding was required. Starting with returning lettermen like Trip Miller, Tony Rodri- guez, Russ Burkhart, and Steve Crutchfield, Bishop pro- ceeded to build two fine offensive and defensive units. The inexperienced Warhawks received their first test against the St. Augustine Saints. They responded with a routing 41-6 effort. It was only the beginning for Madi- son, as they blitzed through the regular season. Crush- ing victories over such teams as Crawford 24-11, and San Diego 27-7, along with the odd 1-0 overtime victory over Pt. Loma helped them to finish in second place with a 7-2 record. The team became the third team in Madison history to advance to the playoffs. The first round pitted Madison against Avocado League champion Escondido. Led by Melvin Fields 126 yards rushing and Ken Hubbard's pinpoint passing, the Hawks scrambled by the Cougars, 35-22. They had become the first Madison team to advance to the second round. The Warhawks found themselves squaring off against Gross- mont League champ Granite Hills. In the sloshing mud and driving rain at Aztec Bowl, Madison rolled to a 14-7 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, they fell to the potent Eagle attack and lost 32-14. Thus ended a Cinderella season. Picked to finish in fourth place, the Hawks had hustled to find themselves competing for the league championship and a playoff berth. They set many records on their way to an outstanding 8-3 season, and will be remembered at Madison for years to come. 190 Varsity Football