// Once a Diablo, Always a Diablo

Tradition

Since 1966, Mission Viejo High School has built one of Orange County's most decorated athletic legacies — championship banners, Olympians and professional athletes, and coaches who turned the Diablos into a name known statewide. Tradition Never Graduates.

8×

Football CIF-SS Titles

2×

Football State Titles

25×

Boys Swim CIF-SS Titles

Olympic / Pro / HOF Alumni

// Banner Wall

Championships

1978

CIF-SS

Football

Central

Program's first CIF title — def. El Dorado 21-6 (coach John Murio).

1981

CIF-SS

Football

Central

Def. Los Amigos 35-0 (coach Bill Crow).

2001

CIF-SS

Football

Division II

Def. Chino 18-9 (coach Bob Johnson).

2002

CIF-SS

Football

Division II

Def. Hart 10-6.

2004

CIF-SS

Football

Division II

Def. Valencia 49-21 — Mark Sanchez's senior year; capped a 14-0 season.

2014

CIF-SS

Football

West Valley (Div II)

Won the SS title at Angel Stadium (QB Brock Johnson).

2015

CIF-SS

Football

Division 2 (West Valley)

Won the SS title en route to a 16-0 state championship.

2023

CIF-SS

Football

Division 1/2

Won the SS title (coach Chad Johnson) en route to the state title.

2015

CIF STATE

Football

Division 1-AA

1st state title — def. Bellarmine (San Jose) 24-0; capped a 16-0 season.

2023

CIF STATE

Football

Division 1-AA

2nd state title — def. De La Salle 27-14 at Saddleback College.

1975-2007

CIF-SS

Boys Swimming & Diving

Div 4-A / Div I

25 CIF-SS team titles (1975-88 + 1992 in 4-A; 1994-99, 2003, 2005-07 in Div I). Coaches incl. Mark Schubert.

2015

CIF-SS

Baseball

Division 2

Def. Chino Hills 3-1 (Jun 6, 2015); roster included future MLB pitchers Patrick Sandoval & Tanner Bibee.

League Dominance

Football — ~24-26 South Coast League titles all-time (first in 1977); Bob Johnson alone won 16 league titles 1999-2017.
Girls Track & Field — 20 consecutive South Coast League championships (coach Fred Almond); 8 OC titles incl. 5 straight 1988-92.

Section Finals Appearances

1985 · Football (Central) — runner-up
2003 · Football (Division II) — runner-up
2010 · Football (Pac-5) — runner-up
1989-2004 · Boys Swimming & Diving — runner-up
2011 · Boys Basketball (Division 2AA) — runner-up

// Diablo Greats

Hall of Fame

Brian Goodell

'77

Swimming

2× Olympic gold (400m & 1500m free, 1976 Montreal) & world records; ISHOF Honor Swimmer; now on the Mission Viejo city council.

Julie Foudy

'89

Soccer

USWNT captain; 2× World Cup champ (1991, 1999); Olympic gold 1996 & 2004; National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Mark O'Meara

'75

Golf

1998 Masters & 1998 Open Championship; World Golf Hall of Fame.

Mark Sanchez

'05

Football (QB)

USC; #5 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft; NY Jets/PHI/DAL/WAS; 2004 National Player of the Year.

Joe-Max Moore

'89

Soccer

USMNT (24 goals / 100 caps); 3 World Cups; 1992 Olympics; National Soccer Hall of Fame (2013).

Chandler Hutchison

'14

Basketball

Boise State; 22nd overall in the 2018 NBA Draft (Chicago Bulls); also WAS/PHX.

Patrick Sandoval

'15

Baseball (LHP)

MLB — LA Angels / Boston Red Sox.

Tanner Bibee

'17

Baseball (RHP)

Cal State Fullerton; MLB Cleveland Guardians (AL Rookie of the Year runner-up).

More Diablos in the Pros

Jordan PalmerUTEP; NFL Bengals/Titans; QB trainer (brother of Carson Palmer).

Konrad ReulandNotre Dame/Stanford; NFL Jets/Ravens/SF/IND; died 2016 (organ donor to Rod Carew).

Jarrett PattersonNotre Dame; NFL Houston Texans.

Brenden SchoolerTexas/Oregon; NFL New England Patriots.

Nick DzubnarCal Poly; NFL Chargers/Titans.

Tre MaddenUSC; NFL Seattle Seahawks.

Jed CollinsWashington State; NFL Saints/Lions.

Jeff BacaUCLA; NFL Minnesota Vikings.

Matt KeneleyUSC; NFL San Francisco 49ers.

Scott Von der AheArizona State; NFL Indianapolis Colts.

Rudy HolmesDrake; NFL Atlanta Falcons.

Easton Mascarenas-ArnoldOregon State/USC; NFL Cleveland Browns (2025).

Boog PowellMLB Seattle Mariners / Oakland A's.

Kyle AbbottLong Beach State; MLB Angels/Phillies (1991-96).

Andreas GustafssonSwedish Olympic race walker.

Donothan BaileyU.S. men's national artistic gymnastics team.

Troy KoppCFL / Arena Football QB.

Preston BurpoPro goalkeeper (USL/MLS).

Next Up · College Recruits: Dijon Lee Jr. (Alabama signee; 4-5 star, a top California prospect in the 2025 class.) · Kadin Semonza (Ball State / Tulane.) · Joey Yellen (Arizona State / Pittsburgh / Cal Poly.)

// By the Numbers

Records & Milestones

Founding: 1966
Football streak: 41 games (2001-2003)
Football season: 2004 — 14-0
Football season: 2015 — 16-0
Football season: 2023 — 13-3
Football national rank: #2 (MaxPreps, 2004)
Swimming: 25 titles (1975-2007)
State titles (football): 2 (2015, 2023)
Academics: 3 (1988-89, 1994-96, 2001-02)
Academics: 6× (1988, 1994, 2001, 2009, 2013, 2024)
Academics: Since July 1985
Stadium: 'Diablo Stadium'

// Sideline Legends

Coaches Who Built It

Bob Johnson

Football1999-2017

Built Mission Viejo into a national power: 5 CIF-SS titles plus the program's first state title (2015, 16-0) and 16 league titles. The 'QB whisperer' and Elite 11 co-founder who trained Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez. ~338-342 career wins; CA HS Football Hall of Fame, 2023. Died March 11, 2026 (age 80).

Chad Johnson

FootballDec 2017-present

No relation to Bob Johnson. Came from 12 years as OC at St. John Bosco & Trabuco Hills; led MV to its 2nd state title (2023, 27-14 over De La Salle).

Mark Schubert

Boys Swimming1970s-80s

Among the coaches behind the program's 25 CIF-SS swim titles; later a U.S. Olympic swimming coach.

Fred Almond

Girls Track & Field1980s-2002

20 consecutive South Coast League titles (1983-2002).

John Murio

Football1970s

Won the program's first South Coast League title (1977) and its first CIF-SS title (1978).

Bill Crow / Mike Rush

Football1980s

Sustained the program through the 1980s, including the 1981 CIF-SS title and several league titles.

Rob & Bret Johnson

Football (assistants)2004-present

Bob Johnson's sons; both former college/pro QBs (Rob holds a Super Bowl ring from Tampa Bay). Grandson Brock Johnson quarterbacked the 2014 SS and 2015 state titles.

// The Stakes

Rivalries & Leagues

Primary rival

San Clemente (Tritons) — the marquee football rivalry; the two usually finish 1-2 in league.

Rivalry milestone

San Clemente beat MV 21-20 in 2018, ending MV's ~two-decade league hold (their first win over MV since 1999).

Rival

Trabuco Hills (Mustangs) — a longstanding league/feeder rival; met in the Great American Rivalry Series.

Regional opponents

Capistrano Valley, Tesoro, San Juan Hills, El Toro, Aliso Niguel, Dana Hills.

League (historic)

South Coast League (CIF-SS) — the football home for decades; first SCL title in 1977.

League structure

The South Coast + Sea View Leagues together form the Coast View Athletic Association.

Realignment (2024-26)

Football competes in the Coastview Conference (10 schools incl. Aliso Niguel, Beckman, Capo Valley, Dana Hills, El Toro, MV, San Clemente, San Juan Hills, Tesoro, Trabuco Hills); other sports in Sea View / Alpha League.

Compiled from public and official sources including the CIF-SS record books, MaxPreps, CalHiSports, and Pro-Football-Reference. Some league-title totals are program-reported and pending official confirmation; for live rosters and final scores, see diabloathletics.com.

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