Irvine High School players and coaches celebrate after winning the Dennis Toohey Fence Post Trophy last season. (Photo: OC Sports Zone, Fernando M. Donado).
High school football teams in Irvine will once again be trying to win the coveted Dennis Toohey Fence Post Trophy.
Irvine captured the trophy last season, defeating Portola 21-17 on Friday, Oct. 23. The Vaqueros went on to win the outright league title the following week.
The Fence Post race begins this week with two Friday games that will affect which team ultimately takes home the trophy: non-league games between Portola and Irvine at Irvine Stadium and the Woodbridge vs. Northwood game at Portola.
The six Irvine teams are divided into two leagues within the Pacific Coast Conference and the Fence Post winner is usually determined in the final two weeks of the season.
The trophy goes to the Irvine team with the best record against other Irvine teams and is named in honor of Dennis Toohey, the late former Irvine youth football coach, who had a big impact on local players. The Fence Post reflects Irvine’s ranch heritage.
Dennis Toohey died on Nov. 2, 1990 of cancer at the age of 56.
To see additional photos, click on the first picture:
Photo courtesy Portola football
Photo: OC Sports Zone, Tim Burt
Photo: OC Sports Zone, Fernando M. Donado
The 2020 football season was delayed until the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and a decision was made by the district athletic officials not to award the Fence Post following an abbreviated season, according to Mark Cunningham, athletic director for IUSD.
Past winners:
- 1978: University
- 1979: Irvine
- 1980: University
- 1981: University
- 1982: Irvine
- 1983: University, Irvine and Woodbridge (3-way tie)
- 1984: Irvine
- 1985: Woodbridge
- 1986: Woodbridge
- 1987: Woodbridge
- 1988: Woodbridge
- 1989: Irvine
- 1990: University, Irvine and Woodbridge, (3-way tie)
- 1991: Irvine
- 1992: Irvine
- 1993: Irvine
- 1994: Irvine
- 1995: University
- 1996: Irvine
- 1997: Woodbridge
- 1998: Irvine and Woodbridge, tie
- 1999: Irvine
- 2000: Irvine
- 2001: Woodbridge
- 2002: Irvine
- 2003: Northwood
- 2004: Woodbridge
- 2005: Northwood
- 2006: Woodbridge
- 2007: University
- 2008: Irvine
- 2009: Irvine
- 2010: Northwood
- 2011: Beckman
- 2012: Northwood
- 2013: Irvine
- 2014: Woodbridge
- 2015: Woodbridge
- 2016: Beckman
- 2017: Woodbridge
- 2018: Woodbridge
- 2019: Portola
- 2020: Trophy not awarded
- 2021: Irvine
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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