Los Alamitos High football head coach John Barnes reached a plateau in his long prep career, boldly going where only three men have gone before – and only one other from the CIF Southern Section.
On Thursday, Oct. 4, a fired up Los Alamitos High team opened Sunset League play with a 46-0 beat down of visiting Marina (Huntington Beach), making Barnes just the second prep coach in the 100-plus year history of CIF to win 300 career games.
The ensuing victory celebration at Veterans Memorial Stadium left barely a dry eye in the house as Barnes received a foot-tall trophy and hugs from past and present players, including his son, Tesoro head coach Brian Barnes. Los Alamitos School District Superintendent Sherry Kropp, whose son once played quarterback for Barnes, and CIF Director Rob Wigod. Both delivered congratulatory speeches prior to Barnes addressing 2,000 screaming spectators
“It’s unbelievable,” said Barnes, who credited, in order, his family, the coaching staff, the community, and the Los Alamitos High football program. “The emotion was almost too much to comprehend…I’m touched.”
The Griffins ((5-1, 1-0) essentially ended the game in the first quarter. Still, they played hard for all four quarters and delivered a stellar performance on both sides of the ball, scoring on their first six possessions and never allowing the opposition to drive deeper than their 29-yard line.
Senior quarterback Cody Marshall, who completed 12 of 16 passes for 175 yards, picked apart the Vikings defense, scrambling for a pair of scores and throwing for three, all in the first quarter as the Griffins jumped to a 32-0 lead. His first score occurred on the second play of the opening drive, when he found wide receiver Dashawn Gordon in the flat for a 40-yard touchdown. Marshall and running back Richie Molina then scored on back-to-back 1-yard runs before receiver Josh Davis caught a 44-yard touchdown to give the Griffins a 25-0 edge.
“Coach just kept calling great plays,” said Marshall, whose offensive line provided ample time by refusing to budge in the trenches. “He told us not to worry about No. 300 – he told us to just play.”
The Griffins defense then dented the board, doing the deed with its third interception of the first quarter. Safety Demonte King snagged the first pair,
The Vikings – try as they might – never put together a single threatening drive, with the furthest reaching the 29-yard line – a feat that didn’t occur until late in the fourth quarter. The Griffins defense forced four interceptions.
Barnes has a career record of 300-98-10, four CIF championships and 16 league titles. He grew up in Lakewood and attended St. Anthony’s High School (Long Beach), where, of course, he played football.
Barnes earned his first head coaching gig at Magnolia, where he won a pair of games.
He didn’t stay long, though, because in 1979, Barnes became the head coach of Los Al, where he would later take over duties as athletic director.
