Unless something strange happens, Oaks Christian and Sacramento Grant head coaches will win the 200th games of their prep careers this season. Redell could reach No. 200 in ESPNU-televised showdown on Friday against Skyline of Washington. Grant also faces nationally-ranked foe in a Seattle area matchup this weekend.
 
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
 
The first time Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football coach Bill Redell met hockey legend Wayne Gretzky took place a few years ago when Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were looking into where their son, Trevor, would go to high school.
 
Redell was in for a surprise.
 
"I've met you before,” Gretzky said.
 
Redell couldn't remember and was starting to feel embarrassed since Gretzky only happens to be the best player in the history of his sport.

This was when Gretzky reminded Redell that he once played in the Canadian Football League for the Hamilton Tiger Cats. As a nine-year-old boy, Gretzky went to see a Tiger Cats' game with his family and asked Redell for his autograph.
 
"He said he still has it,” the 68-year-old coach recalled in an interview last week with CalHiSports.com.
 
Redell had no idea when he was hired to coach the new Oaks Christian program when it began in 2000 what it would become. He, of course, hoped the Lions could one day be competitive at the highest levels, similar to Crespi of Encino, the school he coached at previously. By 2006, however, Oaks Christian was 15-0, won the first-ever CIF state bowl game with a win over Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa in the Division III contest and was named CalHiSports.com State Team of the Year.

The two wins to start the 2009 season at Oaks Christian has pushed Redell's career coaching record for high school to 199-59-3. If the Lions win this weekend in their nationally-televised showdown against Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., Redell will join the 200-win club and will gain entrance into the all-time state record book in the coaching category.
 
The other prominent California football coach taking his team up to the Seattle area this weekend, Mike Alberghini from Grant of Sacramento, also is in line to win his 200th game this season. Alberghini's 192nd win will be tough to top because that was the one against Long Beach Poly last December in the CIF Open Division Bowl Game. The 62-year-old's career record entering this weekend's showdown against nationally-ranked Bellevue, Wash., which will be held the next night after Oaks Christian plays Skyline, is 194-32-1. Depending on what happens against Bellevue, Alberghini's 200th will come either in Week 8 or in Week 9.
 
Both men display their passion for coaching in interviews, but in different ways. Redell likes to tell stories, while Alberghini often provides answers to questions that sportswriters dream of. One question to Alberghini and he'll talk for several minutes. The difficulty is scribbling down what he's saying fast enough.
 
The trip to Seattle this week is the first out-of-state contest that Oaks Christian has played and the experience so far has been hectic for Redell.
 
"It's different than any other game and can give you a lot of headaches,” Redell said. "We've got planes, hotels and all kinds of stuff. It's been a lot more preparation for this game than any other we've played.”
 
Oaks Christian is a team, though, that is a bit used to the spotlight. The Lions were on ESPN for the first time in 2006 for a game against Venice and in addition to Gretzky's son this year's team also includes quarterback Nick Montana, son of Joe Montana, and wide receiver Trey Smith, son of actor Will Smith.
 
"While we have been on national TV before, none of these kids have been before,” Redell said. "You bet they are going to be hyped up. It's a chance to show everyone what kind of team we have.”
 
The Lions left on Thursday for their trip to Sammamish and practiced on Thursday night at Husky Stadium.
 
Grant is leaving Sacramento on Friday and will walk the field at Seattle Memorial Stadium (near the Space Needle) for approximately 45 minutes. Alberghini said he'll then try to find a place to watch the Oaks Christian-Skyline game on ESPNU.
 
"I thought it would be a big challenge for our football team to play Bellevue this season,” Alberghini said. "Eventually, this will get to be a good football team and this game will tell us where we are. I think we still have a way to go to be the quick-strike physical team like last year. We've made way too many mistakes.”
 
The Pacers do have experience in playing strong out-of-state opponents, however. They traveled to Alta, Utah two years ago to play the eventual Class 5A Utah state champs and last year they traveled to Pocatello, Idaho and played Highland, which was a state champion as well.
 
"We brought up a lot of kids that got to go to the state game and to Idaho,” Alberghini said. "We might lose on Saturday, but I don't think we're going to self-implode. We want to be a program where our kids are prepared to do these types of things.”
 
Note: Entering this weekend, California has only won six times against 10 losses in all-time games played against Washington. Bellevue is 3-0 itself against Golden State squad, with the most famous win occurring in 2004 when the Wolverines defeated De La Salle of Concord, 38-20, and ended De La Salle's national-record win streak at 151 games. In addition to Oaks Christian-Skyline and Grant-Bellevue, two other California teams are playing on Saturday in the CBA Football Classic at Seattle Memorial Stadium. In the first game of the day, Miramonte of Orinda meets Glacier Peak of Snohomish. Then just before Grant hits the field to play Bellevue, Foothill of Palo Cedro is playing Union of Vancouver.
 

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