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The baseball team from San Bernardino Valley College and the softball team from Chaffey College are playoff-bound. The draw for both was announced on Sunday and each has a tough challenge ahead.
The No. 14 Wolverines (21-14-1) will challenge No. 3 Santa Ana (29-7), with their best-of-three series starting with a single game on Saturday. Game two will be on Sunday with the if necessary game to follow if the teams split the first two.
SBVC had to win three games last week against an improved Antelope Valley and it did just that, with two of those three coming on the road. That helped the Wolverines tie Chaffey for second place behind Rio Hondo which ran the table. SBVC got the nod ahead of Chaffey because it beat the Panthers head-to-head in their series.
Meanwhile the Chaffey softball team tied College of the Desert for first place. The Panthers (27-9) got the No. 15 seed and will travel to No. 2 Cypress (36-4) for games on Saturday and Sunday as well. COG got a No. 9 seed but it boasted a better overall record and a higher RPI.
The Panthers have traditionally gotten in the playoffs as a second-place team but always get a 1 or 2 seed and proceed to get mercy ruled in two games. But this is one of the school's best teams and it shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
Here are the other matchups. The highest seeded team will host:
SOFTBALL
No. 1 College of the Canyons (37-2-1) vs. No. 16 Santa Barbara (23-15)
No. 8 Bakersfield (27-13) vs. No. 9 Desert (32-4)
No. 4. Mt. San Antonio (33-7) vs. No. 12 Santa Ana (26-14)
No. 5 Riverside (28-11) vs. No. 13 Citrus (24-15)
No. 3 Cerritos (29-8) vs. No. 14 Southwestern (25-12)
No. 6 Saddleback (27-10) vs. No. 11 San Diego Mesa (27-8)
No. 7 Ventura (32-7) vs. No. 10 Glendale (27-13)
No. 2 Cypress (36-4) vs. No. 15 Chaffey (27-9)
BASEBALL
No. 16. LA Valley (19-17) vs. No. 17 Bakersfield (25-11)
No. 15 Santa Barbara (19-17) vs. No. 18 Canyons (20-15-1)
No. 1 Orange Coast (31-4-1) vs. LA Valley-Bakersfield winner
No. 8 Southwestern (21-1-4-1) vs. No. 9 El Camino (27-9)
No. 5 Glendale (25-10) vs. No. 12 San Diego Mesa (20-15)
No. 4 Mt. San Antonio (28-8) vs. No. 13 Golden West (18-17-1)
No. 3 Santa Ana (29-7) vs. San Bernardino Valley (21-14-1)
No. 6 Cuesta (23-13) vs. No. 11 Cypress (22-14)
No. 7 East LA (21-15) vs. No. 10 Riverside (18-18)
No. 2 Rio Hondo (33-3) vs. Santa Barbara-Canyons winner.
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With spring sports in full swing now, there are a lot of sporting events in the area from which to choose. Here's the rundown on what's going on locally . . .
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at College of the Desert, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 7 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Redlands, 7:30 p..m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Rio Hondo, 5 p.m.
Chaffey at Desert, 5 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
Baseball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Women's basketball
Redlands at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Caltech at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Baseball
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field), 2 p.m.
FRIDAY,
Men's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Dominguez Hills at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Chico State, 5:30 p.m.
Baseball
Whitworth (Wash.) at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
St. Martin's (Wash.) at Cal Poly Pomona, 2 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at Azusa Pacific, 2 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley and Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Grossmont, 2 p.m.
Softball
Cal Baptist at Cal State San Bernardino (DH), noon
Redlands at Azusa Pacific, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 7:30 p.m.\
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 3 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Barstow, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Whittier at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State Los Angeles at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Stanislaus, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at San Bernardino Valley, 1 p.m.
Victor Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.
Cerro Coso at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Cal Lutheran, 5 p.m.
Whittier at Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Baseball
La Verne at Biola, 1 p.m.
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona (DH) 11 a.m.
Azusa Pacific at Cal State San Bernardino (at Fiscalini Field) , 1 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley, Chaffey at College of the Desert Tournament
Victor Valley at Southwestern, noon.
Softball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Azusa Pacific, noon
Pomona-Pitzer at vanguard, noon.
Swimming and diving
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Redlands, 10 a.m.
Caltech at La Verne, 10 a.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 10 a.m.
SUNDAY
Baseball
St. Martin's at Cal Poly Pomona, 11 a.m.
Chaffey at Desert Tournament
Softball
Redlands at Concordia-Irvine, 11 a.m.
Want to check out some of the local college sports action? Well there are a lot of contests to choose from!
MONDAY
Women's basketball
Cerro Coso at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 7 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Whittier, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Chaffey at San Bernardino, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Victor Valley, 5 p.m.
College of the Desert at Barstow, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Men's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
UC San Diego at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino at San Francisco State, 5:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Baseball
Westmont at Pomona-Pitzer, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Barstow at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 3 p.m.
College of the Desert at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 7 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occidental, 7 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Cal State San Bernardino at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
Mt. San Jacinto at San Bernardino, 1 p.m.
Desert at Victor Valley, 1 p.m.
Barstow at Cerro Coso, 1 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Occcidental, 5 p.m.
La Verne at Redlands, 5 p.m.
Swimming and diving
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 11 a.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Cal Lutheran, 11 a.m.
Redlands at Whittier, 11 a.m.
Here's what's happening in local college sports this week
MONDAY
Women's basketball -
San Bernardino Valley at Cerro Coso, 6 p.m.
Chapman at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Men's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Francisco State at Cal Poly Pomona, 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men's basketball
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 7 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 7 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 7 p.m.
Whittier at La Verne, 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Pomona-Pitzer, 7:30 p.m.
Redlands at Occidental, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
San Bernardino Valley at Barstow, 5 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Chaffey, 5 p.m.
Victor Valley at Mt. San Jacinto, 5 p.m.
THUSRDAY
Women's basketball
Occidental at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 7:30 p.m.
La Verne at Caltech, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Lutheran at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Men's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 7:30 p.m.
Women's basketball
Humboldt State at Cal State San Bernardino,5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Dominguez, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Men's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 3 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley at College of the Desert, 3 p.m.;
Barstow at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 7 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 7 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 7 p.m.
Women's basketball
Sonoma State at Cal State San Bernardino, 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Chaffey, 1 p.m.;
Victor Valley at Barstow, 1 p.m.
La Verne at Pomona-Pitzer, 5 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Whittier, 5 p.m.
Redlands at Caltech, 5 p.m.
The University of Redlands is busily preparing for its season opener on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ted Runner Stadium against North Central (Ill.), ranked fourth nationally by D3Football.com. That's one heck of an opener!
Would have liked to have seen this matchup last year when the Bulldogs had a veteran quarterback in Dan Selway. But it is what it is.
The Bulldogs will have junior Chad Hurst at quarterback. He was Selway's backup last year. He played in four games and went 4 of 9 throwing but you can't read much into that because his time was in mop-up duty and the Bulldogs weren't going to be throwing and most of the time didn't have their other first-teamers in the game either.
This one will be tough for the Bulldogs to pull off, not just because of the caliber of the foe and having a new quarterback but because they are opening the season a week earlier than usual.
Coach Mike Maynard had six quarterbacks in the mix but went with Hurst because he was the backup last year so he has a better grasp of the offense. He also executed it better on the practice field.
Other local college games this week:
- San Bernardino Valley College at Chaffey, 6 p.m.
The Wolverines also have a new QB and all-world running back Kristin James is gone. SBVC's success will depend on the showing of the newbies. The defense also must perform better than it did last year because it will tough to have the same offensive production.
Chaffey lacked consistency on offense last year. Coach Carl Beach hopes to have remedied that problem. Charles King will be over center. But the Panthers will be without receiver Alex Jeffries.
- Victor Valley at Mt. SAC, 1 p.m.
You have to feel sorry for the Rams. This just isn't a fair fight. Let's hope the powers that be have a little mercy on the Rams when picking nonconference foes next year. Hopefully Dave Hoover's team can keep their collective headds up and not get too down after the first game.
All Foothill-Conference honors have been handed out in men's and women's basketball. The biggest awards went to the most deserving. Some conferences and leagues water down the honors by naming a first and a second team as well as honorable mention. Some even name a third team.
But this conference does it right, just a first team, although the women have honorable mention. It's a tough, deep conference so being named is truly an honor.
Here's the complete list
MEN
Player of the Year - Keon Pledger, So., San Bernardino
Coach of the Year - Jeff Klein, Chaffey
All-Conference selections
Shelton Boykin,Fr., Antelope Valley
Deondre Brodie, So., Chaffey
Daquan Brown, So., Barstow
Dakota Downs, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Donte Godlock, So., Chaffey
Da'Shawn Gomez, So., Antelope Valley
Thair Heath, Fr., San Bernardino
Eric Lawton, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Aaron Moore, Fr., San Bernardino
Steffon Neal, So., Chaffey
LaVanne Pennington, So., Barstow
WOMEN
Player of the Year - Paige Haynes, So., 5-7, San Bernardino Valley
Coach of the Year - Sue Crebbin, San Bernardino Valley
All-Conference selections
Nisha Barrett, Fr., Barstow
Yvette Bennett, Fr., Antelope Valley
Darshae Burnside, Fr., San Bernardino
Amber Chavez, So., Victor Valley
Daniella Cooper, Fr., Mt. San Jacinto
Vanessa Gutierrez, So., Rio Hondo
Stephanie Hoskin, Fr., Cerro Coso
Brittani Jefferson, So., Antelope Valley
Tiana Jones, Fr., Chaffey
Janelle Junior, So., San Bernardino
Arione Nabors, So., Chaffey
Jasmine Ray, Fr., San Bernardino
Danielle Reed, So., Mt. San Jacinto
Missy Spoesltra, Fr., Desert
Honorable mention
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Rosalind Barnes, So., Chaffey
Malika Jackson, Fr., Antelope Valley
Mechel'La Logan, So., Barstow
Ebony Mease, Fr., Victor Valley
Ashley Milan, Fr., Desert
Jeanette Ramirez, So., Rio Hondo
Terri Todecheeene, So, Mt. San Jacinto
Latosha Trainor, Fr., Cerro Coso
Jennifer Young, So., San Bernardino
The San Bernardino Valley College men's cross country team coasted to its 15th consecutive Foothill Conference title on Wednesday at Guasti Park in Ontario. Coach Wes Ashford thought Antelope Valley might contend but it was ALL Wolverines.
SBVC placed seven runners in the top eight and 10 in the top 12. Ashford ran 17 athletes and they finished in the top 23 in the 66-man field. Sophomore Raymond Dominguez of SBVC took individual honors with a four-mile time of 20:09. Teammate Jonathan Lopez was second in 20:30.
Antelope Valley boasted the third place and ninth place runners but SBVC took fourth through eighth.
On the women's side Victor Valley repeated, turning back a challenge from Antelope Valley. Cheryl Eastwood, a first-year runner from Victor Valley, won the race in 18:25.
SBVC was fourth in the field with the best showing being a third-place from Yesenia Trujillo.
There are only four area college football games to choose from this week. They are . . .
University of Redlands (2-1) at Pomona-Pitzer (0-3), 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 24-22 loss to Cal Lutheran in which the difference was a blocked 40-yard field goal attempt with 25 seconds left. They are left to ponder the what ifs. Sometimes its hard to regroup after a game like that, especially against a foe whom you have handled easily. The Sagehens have a couple of offensive weapons but they don't have enough. And their defense won't contain the Bulldogs. Should be an easy win for Redlands.
Chapman (1-2) at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Stags have looked solid but their three wins are over teams with a collective record of 2-8. we may not know much this week either with Chapman only 1-2. CMS must avoid looking past this game to Redlands next week. I see them getting by here too though.
Occidental (2-1) at La Verne (0-3), 1 p.m.
The poor Leopards can't seem to get a break. They are coming off a 20-14 loss to CMS last week. CMS coach Steve Retzlaff said he was impressed with La Verne's progress but unfortunately for the Leopards that hasn't manifested itself in the win column in too long. La Verne nearly upset Oxy last year and the Tigers don't seem to have quite the firepower they had then. But it's hard to pick a team to win that hasn't proved that it can. Oxy will get by again.
The lone JuCo game on tap as both Chaffey an Victor Valley are idle.
San Bernardino Valley (2-2) at Southwestern (2-2), 6 p.m.
The Wolverines have some momentum with back-to-back wins over Santa Monica and Citrus, the latter coming on the heels of a record-breaking performance by Kristin James who is doing better at hanging on to the ball. SBVC has looked suspect on defense but has gotten bye on its offensive firepower. If James runs wild again, that will open it up for the passing game. Look for SBVC to get past the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Three of the seven area college football teams are off this week and one that is playing will be on the road. So there aren't many games to choose from.
Linfield, Ore. (0-1) at University of La Verne, 12:30 p.m.
Linfield has had two weeks to sit and stew about its 47-42 loss to Cal Lutheran. La Verne lost its opener to what looks like a very good Azusa Pacific team, also two weeks ago. La Verne's running game looked much improved and that's a good thing. It needs to do well there to have any chance at all of pulling a major upset and snapping its 12 game losing streak which dates back to the end of the 2008 season. Would love to call an upset here but it looks highly improbable.
In the community college ranks . . .
Chaffey (2-1) at Ventura (2-1), 6 p.m.
The Panthers are coming off a 17-13 loss to Saddleback which doesn't look as dominating as it has been in the past. Chaffey has some nagging injuries, one of those an elbow injury to talented back Erin Madden who will probably be out a minimum of three weeks according to coach Carl Beach. That will hurt big time. Chaffey's offense has not been firing on all cyclinders and it needs to here to get the win on the road.
Santa Monica (2-1) at San Bernardino Valley (0-2), 6 p.m.
A year ago this might have been an easy game but Santa Monica has improved, although its nonconference schedule has not been as challenging as some. The Wolverines had a lot of players banged up two weeks ago in the loss to Riverside. The key here may be how the secondary of SBVC holds up. It has been torched badly in the first two games. Coverages has to be better for the Wolverines to get the W!
Saddleback (2-1) at Victor Valley (0-3), 1 p.m.
The Rams continue their gauntlet of difficult nonconference games. This looks like the most winnable of the four with the trip to High Desert never an easy one for opponents. The Rams have had a revolving door at quarterback. Dave Hoover finally settled on one - Courtney Patton. But he injured an ankle last week and is questionable. Even if he does go the injury will probably take away some of his mobility which is his strong suit. So the Rams will probably be hard-pressed to pull this one off.
There aren't a lot of games to pick from if you want to take in a local college football game this weeekend.
The University of La Verne (0-1) and San Bernardino Valley College (0-2) are idle and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-0), Pomona-Pitzer (0-1) and Chaffey College (2-0) will all be on the road.
The University of Redlands (1-0) will host Whitworth, Wash. (1-1) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Ted Runner Stadium. The Bulldogs opened their season with a 21-10 win at East Texas Baptist last week. That looks like a good win given that team's big win the previous week.
This will be the second straight week the Bulldogs will be defending a star player. Not that you want to focus and entire game plan on one player, but Whitworth does rely on all-everything back Adam Anderson much the way East Texas revolved around its quarterback Sed Harris.
Redlands has the benefit of a solid quarterback and leader in Dan Selway, who is finally exhausting his eligibilty - foes in the SCIAC wil be happy to know. The Bulldogs do need to develop a running game, something coach Mike Maynard says has been a focal point in practice this week.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is going up to Pacific (Ore.) for a 1:30 p.m. game. That team is probably worse than the Lewis & Clark team it beat last week. Expect the Stags to move to 2-0. How good they are is still anybody's guess given the level of competition.
Pomona-Pitzer, which lost to Whitworth 35-7 last week, goes up to Lewis & Clark. So the Sagehens and quarterback Jacob Caron have a good shot at win No. 1.
In the junior college ranks Victor Valley (0-2) will be at Riverside (1-0) for a 6 p.m. showdown. The schedule makers did the Rams no favors. Don't get coach Dave Hoover started on that subject!
Chaffey (2-0) is off to an impressive start too but will face a tough task in marching down to Mission Viejo to square off against Saddleback, the No. 14 team in the state.
The Victor ValleyCollege football team opened its season with a resounding thud, losing to national power Mt. SAC 61-14 today in Victorville.
It's likely another case of a very young team not fully making the adjustment from high school football to college football. Too many players go into the JuCo game thinking it's just an extention of the high school game. Well it's not!
The Rams have a whopping 82 freshmen on their roster. So let's just hope this was a wakeup call.
Coach Dave Hoover used four quarterbacks without much success. Courtney Patton seemed to fair best. He can at least scramble a bit and did, running for his life on pretty much every play.
The bright spot was the play of freshman wide receiver T.J. Gretzner out of Serrano High school who can go up and get the football. He had four catches for 128 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception for the Rams second score.
Hoover will know a lot about his team in the next week by how it handles the thumping.
The Rams travel to Santa Ana next week.
Here are a few other scores fron the first week of play.
Citrus 36, West Los Angeles 25
Long Beach 20, Golden West 14 (OT)
Fullerton 41, Santa Ana 10
Grossmont 36, San Diego Mesa 7
Santa Monica 21, Compton 10
Allan Hancock 51, Santa Barbara 6
College of the Canyons 35, Antelope Valley 7
Bakersfield 52, L.A. Pierce 41
Pasadena 41, Glendale 20
Saddleback 37, Orange Coast 6
Venutra 44, Moorpark 21
Cerrtipos 29, LA Harbor 14
Mt. San Jacinto 24, College of the Desert 22
Palomar 23, Southwestern 13
LA Valley 28, East Los Angeles 21
El Camino 56, LA Southwest 7
Don't look now but it is already time for the area junior colleges to kick off their football seasons. All will be playing their season openers this Saturday. It will be Chaffey (4-6) heading to San Bernardino Valley College (5-5) for a 6 p.m. showdown and Mt. SAC (12-1) heading up the hill to square off against Victor Valley (6-4) in a 1 p.m. tussle.
It should be a very interesting season. At Chaffey, veteran coach Carl Beach has had his hands full. Not just because heading a football program is a time-consuming job. He has the added burden of serving as interim athletic director which gives one a handful of other headaches. Then there's the renovation of the old gym which had housed the football offices, meeting area and weight room. For now things are pretty spread out.
Beach is more confident in his quarterback situation than he has been the last few years. The struggles of the offense were the main reason for the subpar showing recently.
Meanwhile Kevin Emerson worked some magic at SBVC in his debut in 2009, turning a 0-10 team into a more than respectable 5-5 one. The Wolverines won four of their last five games, topped off by a huge upset of then-unbeaten LA Harbor in the regular season finale. That says it all about where this program could be headed if it gets the proper administrative support. And that's a big IF given what seems to be a lack of commitment to athletics in recent years.
Then there is Mr. intensity up at Victor Valley in Dave Hoover. The Rams are always going to play hard and be competitive. Numbers are up and Hoover said he has more depth and quality depth than he has had before in his 10-year tenure. He had problems with a lot of his out-of-state players last year but has weeded out the undesirables, That can only help.
More on all the local teams coming up this week with separate previews of each school.
The new gymnasium at Chaffey College will be unveiled on Wednesday as the Panthers host Victor Valley College in a men's and women's basketball doubleheader that will tip off at 5 p.m.
School officials had hoped to have the new facility available last month but it didn't quite happen. The old facility is being closed down for renovation but when it is open will give the school more flexability in scheduling, not just for its competing teams, but physical education classes as well.
Athletic director Carl Beach said formal dedication festivities will be held in conjunction with the Feb. 19 game against Mt. San Jacinto.
Several football players from Victor Valley College have made decisions on four-year colleges, according to Rams coach Dave Hoover.
Quarterback Travis Hunter (Barstow HS), wide receiver Pelton Smalls and offensive lineman Eric Wilkinson (Serrano HS) are headed to Kansas Wesleyan, continuing a pipeline of athletes from the High Desert to that school.
Noseguard Darnell Hicks is headed to Division II Texas A&M Kingsville while wide receiver Donald Fusilier will attend NAIA Lindenwood (Mo.)
Rounding out the group are linebacker Mike Matthews (Serrano HS) who will play at New Mexico State and offensive lineman Treven Medawar (Hesperia HS) who has chosen Benedictine (Kan.)
Fusilier was a first-team All-Mountain Conference selection while Hicks while Smalls and Hicks were second-team All-conference selections.
The Chaffey College and San Bernardino Valley men's basketball teams both look primed and ready for Foothill Conference play which starts Wednesday.
The local teams were both impressive in tournaments last week with the Panthers (9-4) winning the Cougar Classic at College of the Canyons and the Wolverines (11-2) besting the competition at Imperial Valley.
The Foothill Conference is esily the best conference in the state. Last year it qualified five teams for the playoffs and all five win at least a game, with SBVC advancing all the way to the Elite Eight where it lost in triple overtime
Competition should every bit as intense this year.
SBVC may have more depth than any other team in the state. It has interchangeable parts - multiple perimeter threats, multiple ball-handlers, multiple big men. And it has big game experience. Maybe it has TOO many players because some times individual agendas get in the way.
The Panthers are playing the same style they always play - always up-tempo, always entertaining. Sophomores Matthew Wallace and Anthony Cammon have been the stellar performers thus far.
Both begin conference play at home. Chaffey will host much--improved Barstow and SBVC will entertain Antelope Valley, a team it beat 71-70 in tournament play earlier. Both will tip off at 7 p.m., or immediately after women's games which get underway at 5 p.m.
"We're excited about adding Dwight and Jessee to our program," said Wooldridge. "We wanted to add a scoring perimeter player to next year's team, and Dwight is considered one of the better scoring guards in the state of California.
"We also set our sights on bringing in a young big man. Jessee has proven himself to be one of the more talented and versatile bigs in the high school ranks in the state, and comes out of a very successful program. We think both of these players have bright futures ahead of them at UC Riverside."
Gordon is a two-time All-Conference honoree who averaged 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a sophomore at Victor Valley. He also connected on 57 percent of his field goal attempts, 36 percent of his three-pointers and 72 percent from the free throw line in earning First-Team All-State honors
In the final game of the 2008-09 season, he poured in 41 points on 14 of 18 shooting including 5 of 6 from three point range. The former Los Osos HS standout also led the Foothills Conference in scoring (21.1), rebounding (8.5), made free throws (187) and free throw attempts (261).
Hazely was a First-Team All-CIF Division III-AA performer as a senior at Santa Margarita High School after averaging a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double and leading the Eagles to the CIF-SS Division III-AA championship game.
The McDonalds All-America nominee averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore at Irvine Northwood High School before transferring to Santa Margarita where he helped the Eagles to a state title his junior year.
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.
The San Bernardino Valley College men's cross country team is the state champion -- again.
The Wolverines captured their third straight community college state title Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. The Wolverines had three runners in the top 10 and five in the top 25.
SBVC had a total of 50 points, 27 more than runner-up San Diego Mesa. Rounding out the top five were Orange Coast (147), Rio Hondo (172) and Mt. SAC (210).
"It feels great," coach Wes Ashford said. "Every year is a new year so it's different. I'm just happy for the kids because they worked hard to get here."
Sophomore Carlos Perez led the effort, finishing third over the four-mile course in 20:19.05. He also placed third individually last year. It is his fourth straight state title, dating back to his CIF championship teams his last two years at Barstow High School.
Sophomore Matt Sartori, another holdover from last year's team, was fifth (20:23.85). Also scoring for the Wolverines were Jared Bain (10th in 20:36.58), Art Parra (18th 20:56.06) and Manuel Bueno (21st in 20:5926).
The non-scoring runners were Ankur Joshi (25th in 21:02.01) and Ronell El-Amin (35th in 21:09.72).
"We felt good warming up but you never know what the other teams are going to do so I told them just to focus on ourselves and running our own race," Ashford said.
The Wolverines, who won the Foothill Conference and Southern California Regionals earlier this season, both by wide margins, celebrated by racing go-karts and playing laser tag at a nearby gaming facility before heading home.
"I promised them if they won they could mess around and have a little fun," Ashford said.
Freshman A.J. Pulice of Victor Valley qualified as an individual. He placed 69th (21:34.87) out of 199 runners.
Orange Coast won the women's title with 84 points, just edging out second-place Glendale (86).
Victor Valley qualified two girls, as Melissa Hernandez was 64th (19:64.06) and Monique Hoover was 71st (20:07.64) out of 191 athletes.
Dave Hoover remembers a talk he had with a coach from a four-year school who had stopped by to watch his Victor Valley College football team practice several years ago. Hoover mentioned he was leaving early because his son had a baseball game.
"He just looked at me and said he couldn't remember the last time he saw his son play," the Rams coach said.
That comment hit home with Hoover, now in his ninth year directing the Rams.
Hoover has coached at the Division I level so he knows the grind and the lack of job security.
So he'll take the minor inconveniences in exchange for a more normal life away from the field.
That life away from the field includes sons Michael (18) and Zachary (20), fiancee Melissa Spillman and her two young sons, ages 7 and 10.
"If you're at that level and you're winning, you're moving on to something better. If you're losing, you're getting fired because you're not winning," he said. "There is no stability, no normalcy."
Hoover is noted for his fiery demeanor on the football field. But ask about his family and that hard-core exterior softens, especially when it comes to Michael, the one who shares his love for football.
Michael is in his senior year at Apple Valley High School. He has played multiple positions and is one of the team captains.
Despite a frenetic schedule that includes coaching and a full load of classes, Hoover hasn't missed an Apple Valley game, no matter where it is.
He makes the most of it.
"That's when I do a lot of my scouting," he said. "It gives me a chance to see a lot of players."
Despite his expertise, Hoover doesn't get in the way of the Sun Devil coaches who direct his son because he respects how head coach Frank Pulice runs his program.
"He has never said one word about anything we did," said Pulice, who also attends most Victor Valley games. "The only time he said anything was when I went to him and asked him about something. He has never been anything but supportive."
Michael excels at linebacker but has also seen time at fullback and even the offensive line where he was undersized at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. It wasn't the best move for him personally but it was what the team needed at the time.
Pulice said the two have the same intensity but it manifests itself in different ways.
"They're actually polar opposites. Dave is very intense, very demonstrative. His intensity is more external. Mike has the same intensity but it's more internal. He doesn't have to say anything. It shows more in what he does."
Both Hoover-led teams have fallen on hard times. The Rams are coming off a 39-14 win over Compton but they're just 3-6 overall and 3-3 in the newly formed American Division Mountain Conference. They finish the season with a winnable 1 p.m. game Saturday at 2-7 Mt. San Jacinto.
The Sun Devils are 4-5 heading into Friday's regular season finale against 9-0 Hesperia.
Next year things should be a lot easier for the family because Dave expects his son to play for him at Victor Valley. What will likely make it easier for both is that Michael plays on the defensive side of the ball so he'll deal more directly with defensive coordinator Dale Bunn.
It will be the first time Hoover has coached his son in football, although he has coached him in youth baseball.
"He's always been hard on me so I know what to expect," Michael said. "He always pushed me harder than the other kids. I'm used to it."
Having a coach for a father also comes in handy.
"There's always an aspect of the game that he can explain that I don't understand," Michael said. "He knows me best so I always have someone to go to for answers."
Victor Valley (2-4, 1-2) suffered a 40-30 loss Saturday at Los Angeles Harbor that makes next week's 1 p.m. home game against first-place Southwestern (4-2, 3-0) crucial.
Quarterback will be an issue as freshman O'Ryan Bradley, who ranks sixth in the state in passing, left the game with a hip flexor.
Coach Dave Hoover said Bradley got injured in the first quarter but played through it until it became unbearable and exited with 3:26 left in the third and the Rams trailing 33-10.
Freshman Elisah Filipili finished up, completing 12 of 18 throws for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Bradley's status for next week is up in the air. But Hoover has faith in Filipili, who gray-shirted at Pasadena City College last year.
"There is no quarterback controversy. Bradley is our guy," Hoover said. "At the same time we trust Eli just as much. He has been a trooper. Of course he wants to play but he has taken his role of backup seriously. He has worked hard and been here every day. Eli is a very charasmatic guy, the kind the kids will rally around."
The San Bernardino Valley College and Victor Valley College football teams were beat up and abused by foes from the stronger National Division for the last three weeks.
Now they get to take on opponents in the same boat. The two open American Division Mountain Conference play against each other at 1 p.m. in Victorville Saturday.
That means one team will stop the bleeding while the other will continue its freefall.
Both SBVC coach Pat Meech and Victor Valley coach Dave Hoover have been critical of the new scheduling and conference alignments that have the perceived weaker teams playing the power teams first in nonconference.
Overall the weaker teams went a cumulative of 6-42 against the big boys. The Rams are coming off a 73-13 shellacking by Mt. SAC while the Wolverines were thumped by Saddleback 69-14.
"It's like going out and playing USC every week when you're San Jose," Meech said. "You don't stand much of a chance."
"I don't see what good it does anyone," adds Hoover. "We didn't benefit by playing those teams and they certainly didn't get better by playing us."
Victor Valley started its season by playing Riverside, Palomar and Mt. SAC - teams ranked 25th, 11th and first in the state respectively.
SBVC also played Riverside but also faced No. 14 Desert and No. 17 Saddleback.
The Rams were more competitive, at least staying close for a half in their first two games.
SBVC has been manhandled by a cumulative score of 154-41 with most of its points coming at garbage time. It also has a losing streak of eight games that includes the last five games of 2007.
"We're definitely in need of something positive to build on," Meech said. "But I can't fault the effort. Our guys are showing up every single day and working hard. They just haven't had much to show for it."
The plight of the teams shows up in the statistics columns. In scoring offense Victor ranks 27th (14.7 ppg) while SBVC is 28th (13.7) of 37 teams. In scoring defense the Rams are 34th (47 ppg) while SBVC is 36th (51.3 ppg).
The Rams are a lofty sixth in passing offense (254.9 ypg) thanks to the effort of freshman quarterback O'Ryan Bradley but are just 29th in rushing (72.3 ypg).
SBVC is 27th in passing (158.7) and 35th in rushing (20.7).
The two teams are close defensively with the Rams 29th against the run (217.7) and 17th against the pass (195.3) while the Wolverines are 35th against the run (268.7) and 18th against the pass (198.3)
"In the past to win our conference you had to go undefeated so losing the first game really puts you behind the eight-ball," Hoover said. "It's a little different now. No one knows how this is going to play out but both of us really need a win."
It is a relatively light schedule for the local colleges. Chaffey (3-0) heads to Grossmont (1-2) for a 1 p.m. contest against the former Foothill Conference juggernaut.
But the University of Redlands, which is ranked in three national polls, is idle along with Pomona-Pitzer (1-1) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-1).
La Verne (0-1) will host Willamette (Ore.) at 1 p.m.
Staff Writer
RIVERSIDE - Last year the biggest problem for the Victor Valley
College football team was offense. That doesn't look to be the
problem this year.
Freshman quarterback O'Ryan Bradley threw for 236 yards and the
Rams amassed 441 yards total offense but fell to host Riverside
Community College Saturday at Wheelock Field in the 2008 debut for
both teams.
Victor Valley Coach Dave Hoover was not surprised with the numbers
since his team looked much the same in last week's scrimmage. While
they moved the ball successfully against a quality foe, they gave up
359 yards.
``We didn't play hard enough and we didn't play physical enough,''
Hoover said after addressing his team at midfield. ``It was the first
college game for a lot of these guys and I don't think they
understood the intensity you have to play it. I hope they know now.''
That doesn't mean the winning side was completely satisfied
either. Riverside's Bill Brown wasn't pleased with his defense or his
special teams as the Tigers missed four extra points.
``I wasn't happy that we gave up 51 points and we have to work on
our special teams,'' he said. ``We have some great athletes and we're
going to make some plays. If we can iron out a few things, we should
have a chance at winning the conference.''
Victor Valley stuck with RCC early. It spotted the host team a
7-0 lead with Redlands High graduate Coy Glass directing a 62-yard
drive on the team's first possession that ended with a 36-yard toss
to Travis Carter.
The Rams drew even on their ensuing possession, striking with the
big play as Bradley connected with Silverado product Deandre
Glasper on a 70-yard pass play with Glasper hauling in the pass at
the Tigers 30 and racing the rest of the way.
The Rams took a 10-7 lead on a 39-yard field goal by Andrew
Paredes but that lead was short lived as RCC retaliated soon after
with a drive of its own, this one ending with an 8-yard toss from
Glass to former high school teammate Corey Ham, giving the Tigers
back a 13-10 lead.
Victor Valley's second lead of the game came when O.C. Craig
returned a punt 36 yards for a touchdown to go up 17-13. But that
would be its last advantage. RCC scored twice more before the end of
the half, both times on scoring passes by Glass. His 4-yarder to
Winston Hutchinson gave the Tigers a 20-17 edge and was the fourth
lead change of the half.
A 29-yarder from Glass to Jacob Slouka with 2:45 left in the second
quarter made it 27-17 and the Rams were never within single digits
again.
O'Bradley spread the ball out to nine different receivers with his
favorite target being Glasper, who caught four passes for 74 yards.
He also rushed for 47 on 11 tries. The biggest weapon in the ground
game was Ryan Sampson who who only had four carries but managed
66yards.
``I am disappointed because I thought it was a winnable game,''
Hoover said. ``And it only gets tougher from here.''
Meanwhile Glass threw for 184 yards, evenly split among seven
receivers. He threw five touchdowns without an interception.
The Tigers rushed for 175 yards, 156 of that by Cedric Foster.
Next week the Rams will host Palomar at 1 p.m. while the Tigers
will head to the neighboring county to renew their rivalry with San
Bernardino Valley College at 6 p.m.
Victor Valley 10 7 7 7 - 31
Riverside 13 21 6 6 - 52
R - Travis Carter 36 pass from Coy Glass (Albert Jiminez kick)
VV - DeAndre Glasper 30 pass from O'Ryan Bradley (Andrew Paredes
kick)
VV - Parades 39 FG
R - Corey Ham 8 pass from Glass (kick failed)
VV - O.C. Craig 36 punt return (Paredes kick)
R - Winston Hutchenson 4 pass from Glass (Jiminez kick)
R - Jacob Slouka 29 pass from Glass (Jiminez kick)
R - Cedric Foster 7 run (Jiminez kick)
VV- Glasper 3 run (Paredes kick)
R- Foster 3 run (kick failed)
R - Hutchenson 9 pass from Glass (kick failed)
VV - Mel Carmichael 1 run (Paredes kick)
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
The Victor Valley College women's soccer team is the first fall sports team to begin its season. The Rams, defending champion in the Foothill Conference, will play a 4 p.m. match at San Diego Miramar Tuesday.
Then comes a three-game set at Yuba against Northern California foes. Coach Mike Bradbury's team makes its home debut Sept. 6-7 in its six-team tournament, including defending state champion Cerritos and Grossmont.
Victor Valley graduated its three leading scorers so it will rely more heavily on defense.
"We're definitely big and strong in the middle," said Bradbury, who will also be coaching the school's men's team. "It will be a little bit different look than we have had in the past but that's junior college. You're always going to have a lot of turnover."
Two baseball standouts from Victor Valley College have decided their next move.
Sophomore shortstop and pitcher Blane Lloyd (Granite Hills HS) is headed to Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills while freshman outfielder Derek Richie (Silverado HS) is headed to La Sierra.
Both were second-team All-Foothill Conference selections the past season.
Rams coach Bob Smith said Richie is also considering playing basketball.
The duo helped the Rams improve over the past season, going from three wins in 2007 to 10 this season.
Victor Valley College has named former Hesperia High School coach Michael Stewart its women's basketball coach. He replaces Lana Tomlin, who headed the program for two years.
"I am going to make a commitment of being here at least five years," said Stewart, 41. "My expectations are always going to be high. My priority right now is going out to the schools here because there is talent here."
The Rams were just 5-50 overall and 1-29 in Foothill Conference play under Tomlin, who resigned for job and family reasons.
The program was already struggling when she took over, going 8-20 overall and 2-12 in conference play under previous coach Stacia Rustad in 2005-06.
Stewart also previously coached the boys varsity team at Victor Valley High School and says his roots in the community have already made a difference.
"I've been here since 1972. My dad umpired in the Pac-10 and has done a lot of clinics and I have worked with him. So I think word has gotten out," he said. "They have only carried eight or nine players in the past but we're going to have a full squad and I have been pleased with how I have been received so far."
Stewart has been employed with the Hesperia Unified School District but that will end later this month. He and his family are in the process of opening a sports memorabilia shop in Victorville not far from the college.
But bringing back a competitive team is his main goal.
"We're going to do what it takes to get back on track," he said.
Also, Rams Athletic Director Jaye Tashima said the school is suspending the track program. The coach had resigned and she was going to have to look for another one anyway.
"The budget is really tight," she said. "We have to do it to save some of the other programs."
Fresno City College topped all other junior college athletic programs and has been named winner of the National Alliance of Two-Year Colleges Athletic Administrator's Cup for the 2007-2008 school year.
Fresno totaled 164 points as the top four schools were within seven points. It was followed by Cerritos (160), Sierra (159) and Mt. SAC (157).
Riverside Community College was sixth (139.5).
Other local schools finished in the middle portion of the 103 school rankings.
Chaffey was 41st with 40 points, getting all its points in the pool. The Panthers got 15.5 points in women's water polo, 14.5 in men's swimming and 10 in women's swimming.
San Bernardino Valley College was 47th (28.5), with 20 coming for its state championship in men's cross country and the other 8.5 coming in women's soccer which finished as the Foothill Conference runner-up.
A Foothill Conference title is fine. But the Chaffey College baseball team has loftier goals. It is looking to make some noise in the playoffs instead of being sent home after the first round.
The Panthers (22-8, 13-2) finished off a three-game sweep of Victor Valley with convincing 14-6 and 16-6 wins Saturday at Lowder Field. They outscored the Rams 59-13 in the three games.
Even though the host team was comfortably in front most of the way, Chaffey focused on the little things it needs to do to get better - whether it’s putting down a bunt or moving a runner over. Coach Jeff Harlow used the big lead to his advantage, also working in some of his younger players.
The Panthers slipped up last weekend against Cerro Coso but still have a two-game lead with nine games left.
“Every inning we play we’re out there, working on something, no matter what the score is,” he said. “You can’t take anyone lightly because the minute you do bad things happen.”
In the past three years, the Panthers have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with Orange Empire Conference contender Cypress sending them home last year. The Panthers lost two straight games in the best-of-three set to the Chargers, blowing late leads in each game.
The playoff draw hasn’t been much help as the Foothill teams traditionally first draw a foe from the Orange Empire Conference which has the most depth of any in the state.
All say they are looking to change that trend last year. The Panthers have 15 sophomores on their roster so 2007 has not been forgotten.
“It was like that in high school too,” said shortstop James Koerner, who went 7-for-7 with three doubles and six RBI in the twinbill. “It was very disappointing because we know we’re better than what we showed and we want to make up for it this year.”
This Chaffey team has different strengths. Last year it relied on a solid pitching staff but this season it features a more powerful offense.
The Panthers pounded out 53 hits in the series against the Rams. Saturday third baseman Ryan Delgado had five - three doubles and two home runs. Koerner, designated hitter Willie Holmes, center fielder Jonathan Costantino and twins Chris and David Gwin have led the charge.
Harlow is looking to solidify some roles among his pitchers. Right-hander Andrew Schile and left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer, both sophomores, have been solid starters but the Panthers have not settled on a No. 3 hurler.
The Panthers are also looking for someone to pick up the slack for closer Steven Raburn, who is out with an arm injury. Freshman right-hander Erik Bastio is one candidate.
“I like the way we have been hitting the ball and it has been everyone contributing,” Harlow said. “That’s really what we’re going to need.”
The opposing team walked away impressed.
“I like what they have put together,” Victor Valley coach Bob Smith said. “They can play the short game, they can hit the long ball. It looks like they’ll win the conference and will be a strong representative.”
The Victor Valley College baseball team will play an exhibition game at 7:05 Tuesday at Stater Bros. Stadium against the High Desert Mavericks, the Seattle Mariners High-A affiliate of the California League.
Part of the proceeds will go toward the school’s baseball program. About $4,000 was raised last year.
“It's really a lot of fun,” Rams coach Bob Smith said. “Our guys enjoy playing against the pros and the kids come and have a great time. They don't know the difference. They're just having fun.”
Smith said freshman Louis Martus (Sultana HS) would probably start but he plans to use a handful of pitchers.
The Rams are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Mt. San Jacinto on Saturday. They are eld by sophomores Blane Lloyd and Luke Mullinax.
Foothill Conference men’s standings
Mt. San Jacinto 9-4 25-6
Antelope Valley 9-4 23-10
Desert 9-4 20-9
San Bernardino VC 9-4 13-14
Chaffey 7-6 17-12
Rio Hondo 5-8 9-20
Victor Valley 3-10 11-20
Barstow 1-12 3-25
Today’s games
San Bernardino at Desert, 3 p.m.
Barstow at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Rio Hondo at Mt. San Jacinto, 3 p.m.
Chaffey at Victor Valley, 3 p.m.
Two Victor Valley College football players will be continuing their collegiate careers together. Running back Isaac Newton and wide receiver Anthony Berry are headed to University of South Dakota.
Berry (Silverado HS) has finished his academic work at Victor Valley and has already headed to Vermillion, S.D. Newton, a native of New Orleans, will follow after this semester ends.
Newton, a first-team all-conference selection, was sixth in the state in rushing the past season with 1,145 yards, an average of 114.5 yards per game.
South Dakota will join the Great West Conference next season.
About Michelle
Michelle Gardner has been a staff writer for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2002 and has covered the local college sports scene since 2004. She ventured West after working at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale for eight years and is a graduate of the University of Florida.
E-mail Michelle here.
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