Valencia’s Marrujo Washes His Hands of Responsibility for the Mud Bowl

Mike Marrujo, Valencia’s football coach, would like to set the record straight about why a junior varsity game between Valencia and Anaheim was played in a rainstorm before Friday’s game between Esperanza and Los Alamitos at Bradford Stadium.

The center of the field was churned into mud only an hour before the county’s biggest prep game of the season. The field conditions angered both Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes and Esperanza Coach Gary Meek.

“It was a call by the administration, it certainly wasn’t my call,” Marrujo said. “I had no problem moving the (JV) game to Esperanza, but no one from Esperanza ever called suggesting a move.”

Marrujo said the stadium field is the only facility on Valencia’s campus with goal posts and all home varsity, junior varsity and freshman games are played at the stadium, which is the home field for Esperanza, El Dorado and Valencia high schools.

Jim Patterson, Esperanza’s athletic director, said he was unaware that a junior varsity game had been scheduled at Valencia that afternoon.

“Our league plays junior varsity games on Thursday afternoons, so we had no inkling that they would be playing Friday,” he said. “This is a situation that is being looked into. Hopefully, it won’t happen again.”