College Sports with Michelle Gardner

The San Bernardino Valley College football team turned in what may be the biggest upset in Southern California this season when it stunned previously unbeaten L.A. Harbor 29-21 Saturday night.

That makes the Wolverines 5-5. While that typically isn't a record most coaches get excited about, you have to consider where this team came from.

It took a 15-game losing streak into this season, and lost the first four this season, making it 19. Then came signs of things to come. The Wolverines reeled off four in a row. They were the games that looked like the most winnable even before the season started.Those four teams SBVC beat finished a combined 7-33.

This win was special because it came over a quality foe, one that came in unbeaten and averaging 500 yards a game and 50 points a game on offense. It looked a little suspect on defense but the gaudy statistics it put up offensively more than compensated.

Kevin Emerson did a heck of a job with this team and he wasn't hired until late July. Imagine what he can do when he has a full year!

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It has been a long time since either San Bernardino Valley College or Cal State San Bernardino went into the end of a men's soccer season with much on the line. But the Wolverines and Coyotes are both having outstanding seasons.

With the quality of the area's youth soccer leagues there is really no reason the programs at both can't be successful. Their rosters are full of local products, with a few others complimenting that mix.

The Cal State men, coached by Noah Kooiman, have already clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament. They are 14-3-1 overall and 10-3-1 in conference play. It's the third-best record in the history of the program dating back to 1984-85 and surpasses the 1993 mark of 13 wins. The all-time mark is 16 set in 1987.

The Coyotes have two regular season matches left, both against local rival Cal Poly Pomona.

At SBVC, Coach Josh Brown's hard work is starting to pay off. The men are 10-5-3, 2-2-1 in the Foothill Conference with three matches to go. The Wolverines will be hard-pressed to finish ahead of Rio Hondo, which has won 100 titles in a row. So It's only nine. But you get the picture.

But the Wolverines could still make the playoffs and that would be huge, especially considering they won just three games last year. Winning at the junior college level is also hard because there is so much turnover. But Brown's team is made up of mostly freshmen, which bodes well for next year too!

Posted by Michelle Gardner at 2:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)