CHULA VISTA — The Chicago Bears of the mid-to-late 1980s were some great teams with lots of characters: Coach Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Jim McMahon, Richard Dent, Steve McMichael, “Little Lew” Barnes, Bryan Wagner, ….
Wait, weren’t Lew Barnes and Bryan Wagner the respective head coaches for Olympian and Hilltop in Friday night’s battle for the Metro South Bay title at Hilltop?
“Imagine that — the punter vs. the punt returner,” said Wagner before the game.
Wagner’s upset-minded Lancers beat Barnes’ Eagles 28-13.
“It was crazy being with the Bears at that time,” said Wagner. “You had all those personalities like ‘the Fridge’ and McMahon. And, of course, I was there for Payton’s last year.”
Barnes, a Lincoln High School graduate and an All-American wide receiver at the University of Oregon, and Wagner, a Hilltop graduate and punter from Cal State Northridge, became Bears teammates in 1987.
“I knew him very briefly,” said Barnes. “That first year I was on the IR.”
Olympian High School coach Lew Barnes during Friday’s Football game played against Olympian High played at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, CA. (Xavier Hernandez for the UT)
Barnes was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round (138th overall) in 1986. He made his biggest mark as a kick returner.
Wagner went undrafted in 1985 but was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. He had stints with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Denver Broncos before the Broncos traded him to Chicago in August 1987.
“Lew was there already, but I think he had a broken leg, so I really didn’t get to know him until camp the following year,” said Wagner. “I really didn’t know he was from Lincoln.
“When I heard he got the Olympian job, I had to give him a call and congratulate him. We’ve had a great relationship.”
After spending time with the Bears, Lions, Falcons, Chiefs and Bills, Barnes retired. Wagner jumped around the league until 1996. Stops included the Green Bay Packers (1992-93) and his hometown San Diego Chargers (1994). He also had a quick stint with the Frankfort Galaxy in the World League of American Football.
**Senior decision**
Friday night’s regular-season finale between Olympian and Hilltop was Senior Night for the host Lancers. The seniors, however, made a rather unique choice of how to celebrate.
“We had a game earlier and it was that team’s Senior Night and the delay seemed to affect our play; we came out flat,” said Wagner. “So I gave them the option of having it before the game or after. They chose after. They didn’t want anything to let them lose focus for a chance at a league title.”
The Lancers (6-3 overall, 2-0 Metro South Bay), who came into the game on a four-game winning streak, last won a league title in 2018. Olympian (8-1, 2-0) were league champions last in 2023
**Playoff outlook**
Coming into this weekend’s games, Olympian sat in the MaxPreps.com rankings at No. 31, putting them in position for the No. 3 seed in Division 3. Hilltop was at No. 48, in line for a Division 4 spot.
**Play of the Week**
Where are the TV cameras when you need them? They missed a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play during the junior varsity game between Olympian and Hilltop Thursday afternoon.
Olympian sophomore quarterback Kellen Fish threw a quick hitch pass to his right to Mario Hodge. Hodge caught it and lateraled to freshman right tackle Ethan Rivera, who raced (not lumbered) the remaining way for the score up the Hilltop sideline.
The Eagles’ sideline erupted.
“It was a good play,” explained Olympian assistant coach Arnold Escano of the rare TD by a tackle. “You can pitch the ball to anybody.”
The Eagles won 25-0 to improve their record to 8-2.
**Food review**
You must have the Baum Dog from the stand at the south end of the stadium. The stand is still run by the baseball team, with the dogs named after 29-year baseball coach John Baumgarten, who passed away in 2021. The large dogs in the seeded bun gets five belches on the U-T five-belch meter.