Friday, 9/11, 2026
It's now been a quarter century since that terrible day.
Still we remember as we should always.
On a much happier note
I received a message from John Zant, my old teammate on the St. Francis H.S. Golden Knights team (12-1) that won the 1963 C.I.F.-Southern Section "AAA" Championship.
Our alma mater was playing a game in Santa Barbara today, would we be interested in joining him and his wife, Kathleen, for a pre-game meal and the game.
I was all in but Laurie was still recovering from her emergency assignment as the Camarillo H.S. Frosh Team Photographer yesterday.
I was excited to see John who had spent his adult life as an excellent sports journalist for Santa Barbara newspapers.
Let's take a look at our combatants . . .
The Golden Knights were representing
the Angelus League
2026 Results
0 Wins - 2 Losses
Lost to Alta Loma 21-7
Lost to Crespi 26-21
vs.
The Cardinals are members of
the Marmonte League
2026 Results
2 Wins - 1 Loss
Beat Paso Robles 37-24
Beat West Ranch 42-13
Lost to Lancaster 50-34
Since the game was being played at Santa Barbara City College's La Playa Stadium, John suggested that we meet for needed sustenance at the Shoreline Cafe across the street from the stadium at a table literally on the beach's sand.
Kathleen was a delightful
dining partner
After nearly two hours eating and having lively chats, it was near game time.
On to La Playa Stadium
It was a BEAUTIFUL night for
American football!
End of the First Quarter
St. Francis led 7-0
Halftime Score
St. Francis was now in front, 21-7
The Golden Knights looked nothing like an 0-2 club. Their speed an explosiveness was outstanding.
The Cardinals were making mistakes and never showed any sense of urgency.
St. Francis Coaching Staff meeting
at halftime before addressing the team
In 1963, our St. Francis Coaching Staff was made up of but four men.
End of the Third Quarter
St. Francis cruising, 35-7
With John Zant who still wears his
C.I.F. Championship jacket stylishly
I still have mine but I only weighed 170 lbs. playing Center when I received it 63 years ago.
It's a little tight now.
As for John, he was both an explosive WB for us who made a living off of our "Wingback Counter Trap at Nine" play and was the fastest Golden Knight on our Track and Field team as well.
No Contest
Speed KILLS!
St. Francis (1-2) - 42
Bishop Diego (2-2) - 7
It was great spending the evening with John and Kathleen, we need to do it again soon but with Laurie in tow.
During the game, I received two concerning text messages.
From Michael at the
Ventura-Camarillo game
Was he involved in some sort of high school patriotic hijinks?
Had he joined a Native American war party?
We'll need to interview a few suspects soon to get to the bottom of this episode.
From Michael D'Antuono
The Pasadena H.S. Bulldogs were a powerhouse during my playing and coaching career. I saw on-line that their school enrollment is now only about 1,200 students.
Between their declining enrollment and athletes transferring to other institutions, the Bulldogs simply did not have enough players to play at the Varsity level when health and safety questions came into play.
Now Pasadena's Muir H.S. is the only one of the Rose City's three public high school still playing Varsity football.
Muir and Pasadena used to also compete with Blair H.S. back in the day.
Where is high school football headed?
Finishing on a high note . . .
school photograph was GREAT!
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