UPON FURTHER REVIEW: IN GOOD HANDS 34-YEAR-OLD DECISION TO TAKE CHANCE ON NEWCOMB PAYS.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

LANCASTER - John Lowery didn't know it at the time, but the destiny of a proud coach and his football program was in the palm of his hand 34 years ago.

Thankfully for the coach and the town, Lowery knew exactly what to do with such a valuable possession.

Back in 1969, Lowery, at the time the head football coach at Antelope Valley High and in need of a new running-backs coach, called Brent Newcomb and asked him to come out to California to interview for the position.

But there was a problem. Newcomb didn't have enough money to make it from Arizona to California for the mandatory interview.

``I was in Flagstaff at the time, I had just completed (a tour) in Vietnam and I was looking to go back to school (for his teaching credential) and do some bartending to make some money,'' Newcomb remembers. ``Bottom line was, I didn't have the money to drive out there.''

Thinking it was an opportunity lost, Newcomb tried to forget about it and move on.

Then he got another call from Lowery.

``He said, `What the heck, I'll interview you over the phone,' '' Newcomb said. ``And so that's what we did.''

By the end of the call, Newcomb had the job.

And so began one of the most charming and long-lasting relationships in California high school history. Newcomb, the Arizona country boy with the sly country twang, and gritty Antelope Valley in the middle of the Mojave Desert. A coach and a town forever linked by victories on the football field and even bigger wins in the game of life.

For 34 years, Newcomb has walked the sidelines at Antelope Valley, the past 26 as its head coach. On the field and off, the victories keep adding up.

He took the Antelopes into Friday's game against Loyola of Los Angeles one win shy of career win No. 200 - though the Cubs didn't cooperate in a 16-7 victory. Antelope Valley gets another chance next week against Barstow, a game the Antelopes should be favored to win.

Newcomb's teams have won three Southern Section championships and sent dozens of players off to college, and all the while he's been a disciplinarian, friend and father figure to his devoted players.

``And at an urban school like ours, that's very, very important,'' Antelope Valley vice principal Gary Roggenstein said. ``He fills quite a few gaps in the lives of a lot of kids.''

The players are grateful.

``He knows exactly what to say and when to say it. He cares about us and we care about him.'' Antelope Valley guard Sean Lloyd said. ``He deserves to win 200 games.''

The victories on the field are the obvious wins but hardly the most meaningful. Newcomb's goal each year is to get at least one kid out of the Antelope Valley and onto a successful track in life. That devotion to his players surprised Roggenstein, who worked at Highland and Palmdale highs before coming to Antelope Valley.

``The behind-the-scenes things he does are pretty extensive, I wasn't really aware how committed he was in that regard,'' Roggenstein said. ``He's in my office all the time battling for these kids' (academic) eligibility, and it's not just talk. He goes the extra mile with a team-run tutoring program and by constantly staying on top of his players about their school work.''

Players past and present talk often about the vital role Newcomb has played in their lives.

``When I was in basic training I wasn't thinking about my mom and dad, I was thinking about (Newcomb) and the lessons I learned about overcoming difficult circumstances and succeeding under pressure,'' said Dan Swift, who played under Newcomb in 1976 and '77. ``Those are lessons you take with you the rest of your life, the discipline and work ethic and being a team player.''

The current team can relate.

``He stays on us to do well (on and off the field), and a lot of us need someone like that,'' lineman Konstantine Farrell said.

Amazingly, not once in the past three decades has Newcomb desired to move on. This desert rat likes his life quiet, simple and predictable, and that's exactly what he's found in the Antelope Valley.

``I've got no complaints, none whatsoever,'' Newcomb said. ``I'm one of those guys who, I don't know, this place fits me. I got my fishing close by, and if I want to go to the beach it's not that far of a drive. I live three miles away from school and it takes me five minutes to get here. Heck, I can call a coaches meeting at 6:25 p.m. and be there by 6:30 p.m. I know plenty of coaches who don't have it nearly as good.''

Vincent Bonsignore, [phone]

vincent.bonsignore(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Brent Newcomb has 199 wins in his 34 years at Antelope Valley High.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer