Recently in Mt. San Jacinto Category

First-year San Bernardino Valley College coach Quincy Brewer led his team to a Foothill Conference championship. That accomplishment was recognized by his peers as Brewer was named Coach of the Year.

Brewer took a team with 12 newcomers and led it to a 25-8 record, despite playing in what is the strongest conference in the state. Five teams are competing in the playoffs with the Wolverines opening play at home on Saturday.

Mt. San Jacinto sophomore point guard Melvin Goins was named Player of the Year. He averaged 17.1 points in leading the Eagles to a second-place showing.

SBVC had three first team selections - forward Orlando Brazier, point guard Nate Roth and forward Maurice McGee. It also had two honorable mentions in warren Fuselier, the lone sophomore on the team, and freshman forward Aaron Edwards.

Chaffey, third in the conference, placed Winston sophomores Winston Robinson and Nick Turner and first team and Anthony Cammon and Lamar Williams on second team.

The first team also included sophomore Dwight Gordon of Victor Valley. The Los Osos High School product led the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg) and helped the Rams qualify for the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade.

Player of the Year - Melvin Goins, Mt. San Jacinto

Coach of the Year - Quincy Brewer, SBVC

Other first team selections - Dwight Gordon, Victor Valley, So.; Orlando Brazier, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Nate Roth, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Mark Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Jeffrey West, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Winston Robinson, Chaffey, So.; Nick Turner, Chaffey, So.; Rod Singleton, Antelope Valley, Fr.; Maurice McGee, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Maurice Cole, Rio Hondo, Fr.; Kyisean Reed, Antelope Valley Fr.;

Honorable Mention

Galander Abdelrahman, Barstow, Fr.; Warren Fuselier, San Bernardino Valley, So.; Aaron Edwards, San Bernardino Valley, Fr.; Darryl Alexander, Rio Hondo Fr.; Dusty Simcox, Rio Hondo, So.; Curtis Bush, Mt. San Jacinto, So.; Terrance Williams, Mt. San Jacinto, Fr.; Anthony Cammon, Chaffey, Fr.; Lamar Williams, Chaffey, So.; Jerome Moton, Antelope Valley. So.; Raymond Cody, Antelope Valley, So.; Deanard Crouch, Victor Valley, So.; Tory Dudgeon, Victor Valley, So.; Andrew Avalos, Desert, So.; Patrick Rochell, Desert, So.

San Bernardino Valley College sophomore quarterback Mike Stadler did not play in Saturday's 28-10 American Division Mountain Conference loss to Compton.

He has played through a sore shoulder much of the season and head coach Pat Meech said the problem was likely worsened by a hit he took against San Diego Mesa two weeks ago. He will have an MRI Monday.

Freshman Danny Laugen, a graduate of Colony High School, got the start and fared admirably, completing 13 of 23 passes for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times.

He has seen some playing time because of Stadler's nagging injury but got the majority of the reps in practice last week.

"He showed great improvement," Meech said. "He hung on to the ball too long a couple of times but nothing major. That comes with experience."

Next week the Wolverines (0-6, 0-3) play at Mt. San Jacinto (0-6, 0-3) which has struggled as well.

"It's going to be a test of character," he said. "We're both struggling and hungry for a win. It will be a matter of who keeps it together and is able to perservere."
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Dress rehearsals are over. The curtain on the new football season comes up for real Saturday with all area junior college teams in action.

The most notable game will take place in the neighboring county as Victor Valley travels to Riverside Community College's Wheelock Field for a 6 p.m. showdown for the first ever meeting between the schools.

Two other games that would have been Foothill Conference contests in the past are now just nonconference tuneups after a complete retooling of the playoff structure. Chaffey will host Mt. San Jacinto while San Bernardino Valley College travels to College of the Desert, both kick off at 6 p.m.

Riverside and Chaffey are both part of the tougher Central Conference of the National Division while SBVC and Victor Valley are both in the weaker Mountain Conference of the American Division.

The nonconference games loom large for SBVC and Victor Valley because just two of the eight playoff berths will come from the American Division so this gives them a chance to show they belong.

The team in the stronger conference need to win against what are considered lesser foes because of the competition they will see in conference later in the season. The National Division will have six teams in the playoffs, including a handful of wildcards.

But coaches are focusing on the task right in front of them.

"Every game is as important as the next," said Riverside coach Bill Brown, starting his seventh year. "We haven't talked about any other team but Victor Valley."

Riverside was 4-5 a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Coy Glass, a Redlands High School product, leads the offense after sharing duty there last season. Brown indicated he would probably use several running backs and receivers to see who emerges.

The Rams, coming off a 3-7 season, scrimmaged Antelope Valley and Pomona-Pitzer last week and coach Dave Hoover was pleased, especially with his offense. He went through four quarterbacks last year and the offense never did click.

"We churned out some big plays and that's something we were lacking last year. We couldn't move the ball to save our life," he said. "Defensively we're quite young so I'm not quite sure what we have there. But that's something most coaches are probably saying this time of year."

Riverside will be the first of three tough nonconference games for the Rams. Next up is Palomar, then juggernaut Mt. SAC. Hoover is hoping his team survives the tough nonconference grind.

"Health is my biggest concern, playing the teams we're playing to start out," he said. Do I think we can win all three? No. But we're going to compete and I think we can play with anyone in our conference. But one or two injuries and we become very average very fast."

Both SBVC coach Pat Meech and Chaffey coach Carl Beach said right now there is not much of a different feel to the season since they are playing familiar foes, although in a different situation.

"I don't think it's much different for us as coaches because we're still playing teams we know and have played in the past," Meech said. "You're getting player turnover every couple of years so there isn't much familiary with any opponent."

SATURDAY GAMES

MT. SAN JACINTO at CHAFFEY

Time: 6 p.m.

About MSJ: The Eagles are looking to erase the memory of a 1-8 season in which the lone win came over San Diego Mesa. Second-year coach Casey Mazzotta returns QB Colin Wigley and inherited a transfer from SBVC in RB DeShaun Smith. The offensive line they have to work should be much improved led by Jose Acuna and center Sol Sagaio. Top defenders are OLB Ezra Latu, DE Zack Van Deusen and MLB Cole Moseley.

About Chaffey: The Panthers defeated the Eagles 28-10 last season in what was then a conferfence game. It is now a non-conference showdown. Greg Sprowls will run the offense called by new coordinator Matt Bechtel. Leading rusher Jahmel Rover (knee) is out so the Panthers will rely on backfield-by-committee with Tyler Thompson, John Alejandro and Matt Chase sharing the workload. Top cover man Mike Fields (knee) is also out but the Panthers should create pressure up front which is where their experience should be a factor. The biggest question mark will be Chaffey's kicking teams.

VICTOR VALLEY at RIVERSIDE

Time: 6 p.m.

About Victor: Coach Dave Hoover is excited about the potential of his offense led by quarterbacks Elisah Filipili and O'Ryan Bradley, both of whom should see playing time. Bradley is a transfer from UNLV where he tried to walk on. Hoover likes also likes the progress of his offensive line which consists of Alex Mitchell, Beau Humphrey, Louis Morales, Ramon Sandoval and Andrew Gomez - all High Desrt natives. WR Jarrett Partman will be out this week. Eric Brinkley, who has moved from linebacker to safety, and Aaron Mosley key the defense.

About Riverside: Redlands product Coy Glass directs the Tigers offense. Coach Bill Brown will use a stable of running backs in the early going with Cedric Foster, Ben Irwin, Ivan Lopez and Tanner Paes among those seeing action. Travis Carter, Corey Ham (Redlands) and Tommy Curry will be the key receivers. T.J. Tuigamala is the most experienced lineman. Jamell Murry and Andrew Smith (Redlands) lead the defense.

SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY at DESERT

Time: 6 p.m.

About Valley: Sophomore QB Mike Stadler returns but he will be surrounded by mostly newcomers - the most notable being San Bernardino High School alumn Dewayne Booker. He will backed up Devan Libran. Thad Quist and Terrance Humes anchor the offensive line with Humes coming back from a knee injury that sidelined him most of last season. Leaders on defense are S James Hutchins and LB Cordelle Nugent.

About Desert: The Roadrunners were conference champion last year in what was the Foothill Conference. They defeated the Wolverines 27-14 in that run. QB Brent Rausch (Hawaii) has departed but Desert inherited its usual boatload of out-of-state transfers with almost 50 from outside California.

- Compiled by Michelle Gardner

San Bernardino Valley College football coach Pat Meech knows his school lacks the resources to compete weekly against the more traditional powers in Southern California. Now he doesn't have to do so.

The junior college season will kick off this week and the entire conference structure and playoff format has been reworked. The Foothill Conference no longer exists. Adios Mission Conference. Sayonara Western State Conference.

The sport will now be governed under the umbrella of the Southern California Football Association.

Teams are separated into two divisions - the National and American. The National is subdivided into three seven-team conferences (Northern, Central, Southern) while the American has two eight-team conferences (Mountain, Pacific).

The National Division, the power conference, includes perennial title contenders such as Mt. SAC, Bakersfield and former Foothill Conference juggernaut Grossmont. Chaffey, Riverside and Citrus are among the other entrants.

SBVC and Victor Valley factor into the weaker American Divsion. But Meech doesn't mind being lumped into the also-ran category.

"Am I afraid of those schools? No. I would like to play them," he said. "But it would be crazy to think we can go head-to-head with those teams week after week after week."

Veteran Chaffey coach Carl Beach, who was on the committee that developed the new alignment, isn't quite sure his team is ready to battle the big boys, citing resources and enrollment but admits past success is the reason his school has been put in with the stronger teams.

"It's more about what we have done in the past. I'm not so sure we belong there but we'll see," he said.

The alignments will be reviewed every two years with some teams moving up or down depending on competitive balance.

A similar format has been used in the Northern part of the state for several years and received a favorable review.

When it comes to picking a field for the playoffs, eight teams will be chosen. Each of the three National Division conference will be given two spots for a total of six teams.
The American Division would qualify the winner of each conference for the final two spots, provided those teams finish with winning records. If a conference winner is not above .500, a wild-card would be chosen based on state power ranking.

There will be three additional bowl games for teams not making the playoffs to be awarded based on state ranking.

The original plan called for four teams to make the playoffs with all of those coming from the power division. The lesser schools balked at that idea so the current format was a compromise.

Beach said the committee wanted to get the new system in place. This one primarily divided teams based on their competitive history.

When the alignment is addressed again in two years he said more emphasis will be placed on enrollment, particularly a school's ability to draw out-of-state athletes. Resources and facilities will also be issues.

"I think it's fair," Meech added. "It will be good for us to play teams more like us."

Teams in the American Division will have seven conference games, then fill out their schedule with three games against the National Division, giving them a chance to boost their power ranking and see if they are competitive against those teams.

SBVC's nonconference foes will be Riverside, College of the Desert and Saddleback. The Wolverines have played Riverside 68 times, the first coming in 1926 but haven't faced the Tigers since 2002.

Victor Valley's opponents will be Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC.
Rams coach Dave Hoover was alright with the division of the teams but isn't happy with his brutal nonconference schedule.

"Not only are we probably playing the three best teams, we're playing the three most physical teams," he said. "It was a nice idea having the big dogs play the big dogs. It all makes sense. But their nonconference games should be against the teams in their divison in the other conferences."

Chaffey and the other teams in the National Division have six conference games and four non-conference contests.

The Panthers will square off against Mt. San Jacinto, Southwestern, Antelope Valley and Grossmont - all significantly longer trips than treking 20 minutes to SBVC.

While SBVC is excited about renewing its rivalry with Riverside, it is mystified why Chaffey wasn't included on the non-conference schedule since rivalries were also supposed to be kept in tact. That also baffles Beach.

Coaches were allowed to submit a list of three teams they wanted to keep games with and both SBVC and Chaffey listed the other as their top choice.

"It doesn't make sense. We have to pass them by to go to all out other games," Beach said.
Hoover asked to keep Antelope Valley, Desert and Chaffey and got none of those.

NATIONAL DIVISION

Northern Conference: Allan Hancock, Bakersfield, College of the Canyons, Glendale, Moopark, Pasadena City, Ventura

Central Conference: Cerritos,Chaffey, Citrus, College of the Desert, El Camino, Mt. SAC, Riverside

Southern Conference: Fullerton, Grossmont, Long Beach City, Orange Coast, Palomar, Saddleback, Santa Ana

AMERICAN DIVISION

Mountain Conference: Compton, Golden West, L.A. Harbor, Mt. San Jacinto, San Bernardino Valley,San Diego Mesa, Southwestern, Victor Valley

Pacific Conference: Antelope Valley, East Los Angeles, L.A. Pierce, L.A. Southwest, L.A. Valley,Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles

Seven volleyball players from Southern California, six of whom competed in the Foothill Conference, will be taking their games to a little-known town in Oklahoma in the fall.

The contingent headed to Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla. is headed by Chaffey College libero Emilie Shewmaker and Citrus College setter Janelle Martinez who are close friends.

Rounding out the group are outside hitter Riley Collins of conference champion College of the Desert and outside hitter Dorinda Cherry, outside hitter Amy Mulcock, rightside hitter Jewel Robinson and middle blocker Kami Speir, all out of Mt. San Jacinto.

The fact that eight athletes from the area are headed to a town of 38,000 located a half hour out of Tulsa didn't happen by accident.

The Bacone program is directed by Indio native Bianca Oakley, who played volleyball and softball at Desert, continued her playing career at Bacone and just completed her first year as head coach.

"She wanted to recruit a lot of California players," said Shewmaker, who has visited the school twice. "It should be fun with all of us going out there together."

Shewmaker said had talked to Collins at some tournaments but didn't know any of the girls from Mt. San Jacinto until meeting one of them on her first visit. Now she is trying to arrange a beach day for the eight to get together before they head off to college.

"It would be nice to get to know each other a little bit before we get there," she said.

Shewmaker (Don Lugo) played in 61 games and recorded 294 digs for the Panthers, who finished 6-12 overall and 5-7 in Foothill Conference play.

Martinez, a native of Rancho Cucamonga who played at South Hills High School, chalked up 478 assists in 52 games for an average of 9.19 per game for the Owls (10-15, 4-6), who were fourth in the Western States Conference South Division.