Last year’s Serrano of Phelan football team made another charge to the CIF Southern Section Eastern Division championship game. Photo: shsrattler.com.
If you count a forfeit loss from last season, the Phelan school won its 300th game since the football team began playing in 1977 with its 22-15 come-from-behind victory last Friday over Paraclete of Lancaster. It’s also confirmed that the Diamondbacks have one of the top 30 all-time records in state history and probably will keep winning as long as Ray Maholchic is coaching them.
Up next in this series: Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland). The Dragons are more known for basketball and actually started playing football much later than basketball. They’ve still produced quite an impressive list of football players and have won more than their fare share of games. For more on the Cal-Hi Sports football archives project and how we can help your school, CLICK HERE. Note: One doesn’t have to be the football coach or AD to order this work. It can be presented to any school as a gift.
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It took awhile for the Serrano of Phelan football team to get going in its opening game last Friday against Paraclete of Lancaster.
That was understandable. Five days of practice and one scrimmage were wiped out from the team’s preparations due to the massive Blue Cut Fire, which also forced evacuations of some players and head coach Ray Maholchic (who lives in nearby Wrightwood).
Sultaan Sullivan rushed for 3,209 yards and scored 51 TDs last season for Serrano to rank among the state leaders. Photo: Twitter.com.
Once the Diamondbacks got some momentum going, however, they continued their winning ways with a 22-15 win over the Spirits. Running back Brandon Murcio scored on a 1-yard TD run with 1:04 remaining for the winning points that broke a 15-15 tie. Serrano also had scored earlier in the fourth quarter after trailing 15-8.
According to the school’s card files from legendary researcher Bruce McIntosh, which were converted into documents last week, this is the 40th season of Serrano football and entering the season opener the all-time record was 300-149-3. That record, however, as with all others in the Cal-Hi Sports archives, didn’t include a forfeit loss from last season that was a 63-0 win on the field over Quartz Hill. Going by official records, therefore, the win over Paraclete last Friday would count as No. 300.
Serrano’s all-time winning percentage of 66.7 also is good enough for inclusion into the state record book. Those records are still being worked on to account for every team from last season, but it’s for certain that the Diamondbacks at 66.7 would be among the top 30.
Maholchic is responsible for a majority of Serrano’s wins. He won his 200th game last season when the Diamondbacks thrashed Burroughs of Ridgecrest 40-14. He’s also the school’s athletic director.
Serrano has been able to continue to win despite its transition from being a small school early in its history to more of a large school in the last 20 years.
The best team Serrano ever had may have been the one that lost to Citrus Hill of Perris in the CIF Southern Section Eastern Division championship. Entering that game, the D’backs and Hawks were both 13-0. The team that Serrano beat to get into that game, Carter of Rialto, was 12-0.
Serrano’s 2004 squad is the only one that was able to get it done in a CIFSS title game and finished 14-0 after topping Palm Springs 25-18 in the Eastern Division final. Since then, the D’Backs have been a CIFSS divisional runner-up four times, including last year when they lost to league rival Oak Hills 40-21 after beating that same team 36-10 earlier I the season.
Here are some other Serrano football records that the school has been sent courtesy of this archive initiative:
WIN-LOSS RECORDS FOR EACH DECADE
1970s: 13-14-1
1980s: 63-44-0
1990s: 55-53-2
2000s: 101-26-0
2010s: 68-12 (not including forfeits)*
REPORTED ALL-TIME RECORD HEADING INTO 2016 SEASON:
300 WINS, 149 LOSSES, 3 TIES*
66.7 ALL-TIME WINNING PERCENTAGE
(Based on half-win, half-loss for tie)
*Note: Counting forfeits, record for 2010s would be 67-13 and all-time would be 299-150-3.
Best Records For Single Season
14-0 – 2004
13-1 – 2002
13-1 – 2012
11-1 – 2007
12-2 – 2014
Worst Records For Single Season
1-9 – 1985
2-7 – 1977
3-9 – 1996
3-7 – 1990
3-7 – 1993
Records Against Notable Opponents
1-0 VS. Centennial (Corona)
13-2-0 VS. Burroughs (Ridgecrest)
14-3-0 VS. Silverado (Victorville)
16-4-1 VS. Sultana (Hesperia)
5-2-0 VS. Oak Hills (Hesperia)
5-2-1 VS. Lutheran (Orange)
8-5-0 VS. Paraclete (Lancaster)
5-13-0 VS. Beaumont
*Notes: There are no defaults or forfeits recorded in the Serrano card files. The game against Corona Centennial came in 1989 when that school was brand new.
Most Points Scored (Single Game)
77 VS. Adelanto 2013
69 VS. Twentynine Palms 1988
63 VS. Hesperia 2012
63 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2014
63 VS. Coachella Valley (Thermal) 2015
62 VS. Palm Desert 2004
61 VS. Bloomington 2002
61 VS. Bartstow 2011
61 VS. Hesperia 2015
60 VS. Webb (Claremont) 1983
57 VS. Sherman Indian (Riverside) 1978
56 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2010
56 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2012
56 VS. Palm Desert 2014
Most Lopsided Wins
77-0 VS. Adelanto 2013
69-7 VS. Twentynine Palms 1988
61-0 VS. Barstow 2011
63-7 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2014
63-7 VS. Coachella Valley (Thermal) 2015
60-6 VS. Webb (Claremont) 1983
61-8 VS. Bloomington 2002
52-0 VS. Sherman (Indian) 1986
52-0 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2013
50-0 VS. Indio 2004
56-6 VS. Sultana (Hesperia) 2012
Most Points Allowed (Single Game)
53 VS. Burroughs (Ridgecrest) 2003
52 VS. Bloomington 1999
50 VS. Norco 2015
49 VS. Lutheran (Orange) 1985
48 VS. Banning 1990
47 VS. Palm Desert 2007
45 VS. Whittier Christian (La Habra) 1978
44 VS. CSD (Riverside) 1977
Most Lopsided Losses
44-0 VS. CSD (Riverside) 1977
40-0 VS. Beaumont 1984
39-0 VS. San Jacinto 1984
Longest Winning Streaks
17 – 2004-2005 (had 14-0 season, then won first three)
13 – 2002 (won first 13, then lost)
13 – 2012 (won first 13, then lost)
11 – 2007 (won first 11, then lost)
Longest Losing Streaks
0-7 – 1977 (won first two games, then lost last seven)
0-7 – 1984-1985 (lost last two, then first five)
0-7 – 1995-1996 (lost last game, then first six)
Remember, any school in the state or a fan/supporter of any school in the state can have this research completed in a customized fashion in return for a reasonable fee. For details, CLICK HERE.
Stockton office assistant editor Paul Muyskens also contributed to this post. Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
3 Comments
I started the football program at Serrano High School in 1977. We didn’t have grass on the field until the second year so we held practice at Hesperian Jr High School(two-a-days were fun). I’ve watched Ray Maholchic methodically bring the program along to the power house It is today. I congratulate Ray and the team on their first win toward another CIF Championship.
Coach Reed
Hey coach Reed. You were my JV coach in the years of 1986-1988 seasons. Coach Wisburg was the varsity coach which I was apart of in 89-90 season. I had you for drivers ED also and I played baseball JV & Varsity. I did not graduate from Serrano in 1991, instead I dropped out of school & moved to Oregan to become a father in 1990. I did go to night school to graduate then enlisted in the US Air Force and became a Desert Storm veteran. Often in my life I remember you ordering us to do “up-downs” and run up and down “The Hill”.
You help frame my life since then and I thank you. All that conditioning sure did pay for itself while in the service. Today at 44 yrs old and a 100% Disabled American Veteran I am finishing my studies as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with a focus in helping ALL Veterans in any way possible. You helped shape my early life and I thank you.
Eddie Rodriguez
13165 Aaran’s Pond Dr.
Apt 101
Tampa, Fla 33612
Serrano Diamondback for life
Gulf War Veteran-Air Force
Disabled American Veteran (DAV)
Hi Coach Reed,
Would you be willing to send me an email or call?
joseph.piazza@me.com
916-719-7781
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