I sat in the office early last week debating which local college football game to cover on Saturday. The first thought was to go to the SCIAC opener between University of La Verne and Redlands at Ted Runner. It was the only game featuring two local teams. The Bulldogs are nationally ranked and it was a conference opener.

Then I had second thoughts. San Bernardino Valley College was also playing at home against San Diego Mesa. It was a legitimate chance for the Wolverines to break the 19-game losing streak that dated back to the midway point of the 07 season.

While the Wolverines did show some improvement in their first four, it wasn’t quite enough to get them in the win column. But this was their best shot.

So the decision was made.

And the Wolverines delivered a 14-10 win. Not without a few tense moments.

When you’re not used to winning you find new ways to lose. And this one looked like it was headed for heartbreak again. Mesa helped out by missing a 21-yard chip shot field goal with 4:43 to play that would have cut the SBVC lead to 14-13.

That proved critical because SBVC didn’t go anywhere when it got the ball back and a 9 yard punt gave Mesa the ball back at the SBVC 32 with 2:43 to go. It got to the 7 where it had a first-and-goal. It would make it as far as the 2 before the defense stiffened with Jim O’Brien, who is seemingly everywhere on the field, making the game-saving fourth-down tackle.

Had Mesa made that field goal earlier, it wouldn’t have had to go for the touchdown. It could have won with a field goal.

Good for the Wolverines. It’s had to look on the positive side when you’re still 0-fer. So improvement was meaning little. Now they have something more than a moral victory!

They are off next week then play at Compton, which is 0-5. So they have a very good shot at win No. 2.

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