September 2008 Archives
University of Redlands junior quarterback Dan Selway, the reigning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year, will not play in next week's conference opener at La Verne.
Selway sustained a broken foot late in the first half last week against Whitworth (Wash.) yet still played in the second half. An X-ray later revealed the extent of the injury.
Selway threw for 489 yards (46-for-63) and five touchdowns in the first two games. He threw for 2,429 yards and 22 touchdowns in leading the Bulldogs to a SCIAC title in 2007.
He will be replaced by junior Steve Smith, who saw action in both the first two games. While his time in those games came in mop-up duty, Smith has played in pressure situations. He entered in the second half of last year's playoff game at St. John's with Selway out with a shoulder injury and completed 12 of 16 passes for 93 yards.
"It hurts to lose Dan but we have the utmost confidence in Steve," Bulldogs coach Mike Maynard said. "He has been here and knows the offense and he has good players around him."
Selway also did the punting and will be repalce there by true freshman Wes Norris.
The Bulldogs are ranked in three national polls, the highest being a No. 19 by the American Football Coaches Association.
University of La Verne football coach Andy Ankeny wanted to challenge his team. So instead of scheduling a cream puff or two for nonconference games, he thought big.
The Leopards lost their opener two weeks ago to Northwest Conference champion Whitworth (Wash.). Saturday they faced No. 25 Willamette, another team from that conference. The result was a 44-0 loss Saturday afternoon at Ortmayer Stadium.
The second-year coach doesn't regret that strategy, even though his team is coming off a 1-8 showing in 2007.
"I want to see where we are as a program," he said. "It's not about where we are Monday when we're getting ready for Redlands. It's about what we want our program to look like long term."
The game got away from the Leopards (0-2) in the third quarter. They only trailed 14-0 at the half with an interception by La Verne's Taylor Hart in the end zone on the last play of the half preventing another Bearcats score.
But the Leopards got off to a slow start and were forced to punt from deep in their own territory on their first possession in the second half. Jason Carpenter's punt was blocked by Harmon Bruno and went out of the end zone for a safety, making it 16-0.
The Bearcats (4-0) set up at the 41 after Jose Green returned the free kick. The visitors capitalized on the next play as Deon Horne raced the distance for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to extend the lead to 23-0.
The Leopards were not in striking distance again.
Willliamette, located in Salem, Ore., put up 21 more points in the final quarter. It was headed for more with the ball in the closing minute at the La Verne 16 but coach Mark Speckman had his quarterback take a knee.
Willamette tallied 506 yards offense, 329 of that coming on the ground. Horne rushed for 129 to lead that effort.
La Verne managed 216 with 149 of that coming through the air. The Leopards rushed for only 67 yards on 39 tries. Their running game struggled last week as well.
Special teams were also a problem with two punts blocked.
Hart led the derfense with nine tackles, the interceptions and a pass breakup. Carpenter had six tackles .
It won't get any easier next week as Redlands (2-0), ranked in three national polls the highest being a No. 19, comes in for a 1 p.m. game that will be the first in SCIAC play for both.
"I believe we're a better team than what we showed today," Ankeny said. "They outperformed us in every area and played with a greater sense of urgency. I really don't want to have that many more of these teaching moments."
University of La Verne football coach Andy Ankeny is going to find out fast just how much his Leopard team has improved.
The Leopards, just 1-8 in Ankeny's inaugural season in 2007, dropped their season opener to Whitworth (Wash.) two weeks ago 22-13. That was the defending Northwest Conference champion so it was a moral victory of sorts.
But the tests won't get any easier. Today Willamette (Ore.), which plays in the same conference as Whitworth, marches in for a 1 p.m. showdown at Ortmayer Stadium. The Bearcats (3-0) moved into the D3football national rankings this week at No. 25.
Then next week the Leos open SCIAC play against No. 20 University of Redlands.
"We've decided to play as many ranked teams as possible," Ankeny said sarcastically.
"But this is really exciting for us as a program. What better way to see exactly where we are and how we stack up."
It will be the first meeting between the two schools. It will also be the second against a SCIAC team for Willamette, which bested Cal Lutheran 31-17 two weeks ago in Thousand Oaks.
The visitors will have one big advantage. Willamette, coming off a 31-23 win over Southern Oregon, will be playing its fourth game while La Verne will be playing just its second.
The Bearcats return 12 starters while La Verne has a steady mix of veterans and newcomers but hasn't had quite the chance to see how the rookies will fare.
Willamette is also making the road trip which might neutralize its other advantage.
La Verne also had an extra week to prepare.
"It's tough flying and then playing, no matter where you're going to or from," Ankeny said. "It makes a big difference. Hopefully that will be to our advantage."
The Leopards will be looking to get more out of the running game than it did in the opener. They are averaging 195 passing yards a game, ignited by junior quarterback Anthony Andre, a product of Riverside Poly High school and Riverside Community College.
But the running game is averaging just 34 yards per game.
Willamette is the opposite. It is averaging 219 on the ground and 79 through the air.
Defensively the Leopards, gave up 400 yards in their opener, 269 of that on the ground. The Bearcats have given up an average of 162 on the ground and 183 though the air.
Ankeny recognizes that the tough early schedule might mean his team's progress may not be reflected in the win column. But he likes what he is seeing from his players.
"Our guys are working hard and they are coming in expecting to win. We know it won't be easy but we're ready to compete," he said. "They have bought in to what we're trying to do. Now we'll see where we really are."
It is a light schedule this week among local colleges. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1), Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) and University of Redlands (3-0) are all idle this week.
Injury-riddled Chaffey (3-0) will hit the road for a 1 p.m. game at Grossmont (1-2). It will be the final tuneup before the Panthers start National Division Central Conference play next week.
San Bernardino Valley College (0-3) will travel to Victor Valley (0-3) for the first game of American Division Mountain Conference action.
The University of La Verne dropped its opening game of the 2008 season, battling defending Northwest Conference Champion Whitworth University to the very end before falling 22-13 to the Pirates Saturday at the Pine Bowl in Tacoma, Washington.
La Verne, which fell 38-0 to Whitworth a year ago, had a chance to pull within a point under two minutes to go. Down by nine, the Leopards reached the Pirate 31-yard line but could get no closer as Whitworth held on downs to seal the win.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Pirates scored twice within a three-minute span to grab a 15-0 lead, first on a five-yard TD pass from Kory Kemp to Joey VanHoomissen with 7:25 remaining in the second quarter, and converted on a Leopard fumble as Kemp once again connected with VanHoomissen in the end zone, this time from four yard outs at the 5:20 mark.
The Leopards finally struck late in the first half when Kemp was intercepted by Joe Padilla, who returned the ball 32 yards to the Whitworth 36 yard line. One third and goal from the Whitworth five, Anthony Andre passed to Phi Van Le for the touchdown. After the Leopards missed the PAT, Whitworth had a 15-6 lead at halftime.
The teams traded punts five times to open the second half. On the first play after Whitworth took over on its own 18 yard line, Kemp was intercepted by Taylor Hart at the 25. Four plays later Andre completed a 19 yard pass on fourth down to Fernando Gonzalez to pull La Verne within 15-13.
Whitworth closed the scoring in the fourth quarter, capping a 9-play, 59-yard drive on a four-yard scoring run by Adam Anderson to go up 22-13. Anderson finished with a game-high 158 yards on 33 carries.
La Verne amassed 229 yards on offense, 223 came through the air as quarterback Anthony Andre debuted with the Leopards by completing 17 of 30 attempts for 203 yards and two scores. On defense, Jason Carpenter led the Green and Orange with a game-high 16 tackles, including two for losses of three yards.
The Leos have a bye next week and enjoy their 2008 home opener Sept. 27 against fellow Northwest Conference opponent Willamette University.
Named a Preseason All-American by D3football.com, Arndt solidifies the defensive line this season after receiving Second-Team All-West honors and First-Team All-SCIAC laurels in 2007, tallying 48 tackles, five sacks and two recovered fumbles for 10 yards.
Exemplifying the ideals of Bulldog football, Drake brings senior leadership to the backfield. Drake earned an All-SCIAC First Team selection last year after a season that included 13 broken-up passes and two interceptions to compliment 39 total tackles.
Returning as a captain for his second season, the consummate athlete Selway takes the reigns for the second year as the signal caller for Redlands. This returning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Offensive Player of the Year garnered a 140.47 efficiency rating in 2007, compiling a total of 2,429 yards passing and 22 touchdowns through the air. He also ran in three touchdowns.
Rounding out this year's captains is Romaine. Providing running and blocking skills, Romaine helped the team gain 1,969 yards rushing and fortified one of the best offensive units in the region and in the NCAA. For his efforts, the SCIAC named him to the conference's second team.
The Bulldogs take on the University of Dubuque (IA) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
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Volleyball standout Brianna Gonzales was named SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week in helping the Leopard squad to a 4-0 debut last weekend.
A senior outside hitter from Whittier, Gonzales was named Tournament Most Valuable Player after helping lead fifth-ranked La Verne to a 4-0 mark - including three wins over nationally-ranked teams - at the Premier Invitational Sept. 5-6 in Tacoma, Wash.
A 2007 AVCA First Team All-American, Gonzales averaged 3.46 kills per game for the weekend. She also had three double-doubles with her kills and digs. She has been nominated for AVCA National Player of the Week for her efforts this past weekend. She tallied 15 kills and 9 digs against seventh-ranked and tournament host Puget Sound in a four-game win. Against #12 CSU East Bay, Gonzales collected a match-high 17 kills along with 15 digs in a four-game triumph over the Pioneers. She finished with 12 kills and 11 digs as the Leopards prevailed over #6 Trinity in four games. | |
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The University of Redlands Cross Country Invitational Saturday will take place on the University of Redlands campus instead of at the Redlands Sports Complex on the corner of E. San Bernardino Ave. and N. Dearborn St.
Starting and finishing at the main quad on the campus, which is located on E. Colton Avenue, the event's start time will remain the same for both men and women. The women start their 6K race at 9 a.m. while the men start their 8K race an hour later at 10 a.m.
