Under the lights at SBVC

OK. I have to admit I was not excited about the prospect of 7
p.m. football games at San Bernardino Valley College. It is hard enough
covering 7 p.m. high school games and they are usually a good 30-45
minutes shorter. Now I am going to try and make a 10 p.m. deadline when
games aren’t over until 10 p.m. . . . and that is if you’re lucky.

The Wolverines used to play night games in the era of veteran
coach Ron Smedley but went to afternoon games when he retired five years
ago.

The thinking in going back to night games was that the school
would draw a bigger crowd than was the case in 1 p.m. contests where the
number of players on the field often outnumbered the fans in the
stands. In this case administrators were right, at least judging by the
turnout for Saturday’s 2007 home opener against Los Angeles Southwest.
The crowd was an estimated 1,000 was probably the total of all the home
games last year.

There was a legitiamte buzz in the air too. That buzz died down a
bit after the Wolverines failed on fourth down twice and fumbled twice
in the first four possessions.

San Bernardino native Henry Tauteoli leaped up and down on the
sidelines, waving his arms, trying to get the crowd back into that game.
It worked momentarily. But a ferocious hit by DeMorris Brooks that
nearly decapitated a Cougar ball carrier helped more.

SBVC trailed at the half 26-7.

Jovante Taylor single-handedly dismantled SBVC. He caught a
45-yard pass from Kurious Alexander (yes that is his real name) to open
the scoring, then later returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.
And that was just in the first half. He returned the second half kickoff
89 yards for another score.

We were all a little mystified when the Wolverines even kicked to
him later in the fourth quarter after scoring. A collective groan went
up as Taylor, the state track champion in the 100 meters, settled under
the ball. But this time the Wolverines made the tackle.

All in all it was a fun night, although some of the luster was
taken off by a 45-28 loss.

The Wolverines are 0-2 but have a week off to address their issues
before hosting Grossmont in a Foothill Conference opener Sept. 22. By
the way, Grossmont is off to an uncharacteristic 0-2 start as well.

Brooks is an exciting player. So is wide receiver Sylvester Burel.
SBVC has some talent.

Let’s hope the buzz remains and that the Wolverines can rise to the
challenge.

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Cal State volleyball team leaps to No. 1

The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team moved up to the top
spot in the AVCA Division II National poll this week after the two teams
ranked ahead of it in the preseason poll lost matches their first
weekend.

Being No. 1 can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a nice
accomplishment for a program that has been among the country’s elite the
last five years and it is good recognition for a city that isn’t often
put in a positive light in the media.

But there is also the pressure that comes with living up to those
expectations. Opponents will get that much more fired up when playing
the Coyotes. And they already will be facing the toughest competition in
the country when CCAA play starts this weekend. Cal State will host
Monterey Bay Friday and Sonoma State Saturday at Coussoulis. Those two
matches should be free passes. But there are formidable foes waiting in
the wings in long-time nemesis UC San Diego, Cal State Los Angeles,
Chico State and neighborhood foe Cal Poly Pomona, which always gives Cal
State a problem.

The higher the Coyotes finish in the rankings, the better their
chance at hosting the Pacific Region and possibly the NCAA Nationals.
The first regional ranking won’t come out until October and hosting
rights for that tournament traditionally go to the top team, no
questions asked.

There are other things considered when it comes time to select a
host for nationals however. That right will go to one of the eight
qualifiers. Should the Coyotes win the Pacific Region, they would be
attractive as a host site because of the quality of the arena, the
accessability in and out of the area from a transportation standpoint as
well as the organization the Cal State staff has shown when it has
hosted marquee events in the past.

A team from the West is also due to host. The NCAA tries to move
the event around so that each region has the opportunity every few
years. It was held in Pensacola, Fla. last year with Nebraska-Kearney
getting the nod the previous year.

The last time the event was held in the West was when the Coyotes
hosted in 2003. The last host from the West before that was Cal State
Bakersfield in 1997.

So let’s hope the Coyotes live up to that billing and have that
chance further down the road.

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