Evans On Sports - EvansOnSports's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Another beauty between BC and Hancock

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:22:10 PST

These guys always seem to have great games.

BC's 24-21 Golden Empire Bowl win on Saturday had more twists than a Magic Mountain roller coaster (OK, that's a pretty sorry cliche).

BC beat Hancock for the second time this season, and both games came down to the end. On Oct. 10, BC stopped the Bulldogs on a fourth-and-goal from the 2 with two seconds left. On Saturday, it was Josh Gallington's 22-yard field goal on the game's final play.

These teams always seem to pound each other senseless. The one thing I've noticed over the years that when the teams are evenly matched, BC seems to find a way to win. Hancock won last year (when BC had its weakest team in years).

BC had only 39 net rushing yards with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. But with the game on the line, BC ran for 101 yards the rest of the way. Ben Estill had 90 of his game-high 116 during that stretch.

BC could have scored more. The Gades failed to convert twice on fourth downs inside the Hancock 10-yard line. Estill was stopped for no gain at the 1 and a wide open Gareth Brown dropped a play-action pass when he was all alone at the 2-yard line. Brown's play was offset when Hancock didn't move the ball, punted and Rishard Matthews returned it to the 3, where Estill scored on the next play.

Montreal Harris, who had a great one-handed catch for 35 yards in the first half, dropped a sure TD pass early in the third quarter, and BC had to settle for a field goal.

But the most important element is the Gades found a way to win. Next up is a Mount SAC team ranked No. 1 in the state and coming off a 69-31 win over L.A. Pierce in another playoff game. The upset was No. 6 seed Palomar stunning No. 3 Cerritos 31-17. No. 2 Fullerton won as expected, 49-19 over L.A. Harbor.

So it's BC at Mount SAC and Palomar at Fullerton in the SoCal semis next week. The SoCal champ will be crowned one week after that, with that winner facing College of San Mateo, No. 2-ranked in the state behind Mount SAC that beat Reedley 31-20 on Saturday.

My guess is that the SoCal winner, whoever it winds up being, will beat San Mateo, which is 10-1 but couldn't put away Reedley (7-4) until late in their game Saturday.

As expected, it's BC vs. Hancock again

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:36:25 PST

The Southern California JC football playoffs went as expected when announced Sunday. BC is the No. 4 seed and gets a Golden Empire Bowl showdown with Allan Hancock, a battle of two 9-1 teams.

BC beat Hancock 31-24 when Hancock's fourth-and-goal pass from the 2-yard line was knocked down in the end zone by Eddie Coronado with two seconds left in the game when these teams met last time.

Other matchups: the same as Sunday's early-morning blog: No. 1 Mount San Antonio vs. No. 8 Pierce, No. 2 Fullerton vs. No. 7 Harbor and No. 3 Cerritos vs. No. 6 Palomar.

What this means is BC will get only one playoff game if the Gades win. Mount SAC isn't going to lose to Pierce unless there's a swine flu outbreak on the Mount SAC team or some other natural catastrophe hits.

BC and Hancock are two physical teams. That's the way they play every year and it's the way they played in the first game this season. The biggest question is the health of some key BC players who were injured in Saturday night's 24-9 win over Canyons. It will be very difficult beating Hancock if DL Tyrone Crawford (ankle) is out, or starting CB Chika Madu (ankle), or RB Ben Estill (knee).

Hancock's only loss this season was that wild one to BC, but BC led 24-3 in the third quarter that night.

Look for an entertaining, hard-hitting game on Saturday.

Expect BC-Hancock rematch in Golden Empire Bowl

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:10:00 PST

BC wrapped up the outright National Northern Conference title Saturday night with a 24-9 win over Canyons and assured itself of a home game, Saturday's Golden Empire Bowl.

The eight-team Southern California playoff matchups will be announced later today (this is being written Sunday, Nov. 15, at 12:45 a.m.). I expect to see BC the No. 4 seed and most likely playing a rematch vs. Allan Hancock, with the only other possible opponent being Palomar.

El Camino, which handed BC its only loss on Sept. 26 (40-24) was knocked out of the playoffs when it lost on Saturday to Cerritos, 42-28. Likely top seed Mount San Antonio (9-1 after winning Saturday) and Cerritos (9-1) are the National Central Conference playoff qualifiers. Cerritos will probably be the No. 3 seed, although there's an outside chance the committee might reward BC because it is a conference champ while Cerritos took second place in its conference. But I don't expect that since Cerritos beat an El Camino team that has a win over BC and was higher ranked than BC heading into this weekend.

Fullerton, also 9-1 after winning Saturday, won the National Southern Conference and will probably be seeded No. 2 (it was No. 2 behind Mount SAC in last week's poll).

BC, 5th in the poll last week, will move up with El Camino (No. 4 last week) out of the playoffs. Hancock was No. 6 last week and is 9-1 (the loss was to BC, 31-24 on Oct. 10), so logic says the Bulldogs will move up a spot to No. 5; if that happens, it'll be BC vs. Hancock.

Palomar, No. 7 last week, got into the playoffs as the National Southern Conference runner-up after holding the tie-breaker over Saddleback, which beat Grossmont 44-27 Saturday. If Grossmont (No. 10 last week) would have won, it would have gotten into the playoffs instead of Palomar because it held the tie-breaker over Palomar.

The seventh and eighth seeds will be the two representatives from the weaker American Conference. L.A. Harbor, which entered Saturday as the state's only unbeaten team, fell to 9-1 when it was upset 29-21 by San Bernardino Valley. Harbor is in the playoffs, however, because it won the American Mountain Conference.

L.A. Pierce is the final playoff team because it won the American Pacific Conference. Pierce also lost Saturday, 49-41 to Santa Monica, which puts the Brahmas at 7-3.

Since Harbor and Pierce are from the weaker American Conference, and both lost Saturday, I can't see them moving past any of the other six playoff teams when the seeding is announced.

The matchups will be official around midday today (Sunday, Nov. 15). If my guessing is right, here's the way it will shape up:

No. 1 Mount SAC (9-1) vs. No. 8 Pierce (7-3)

No. 2 Fullerton (9-1) vs. No. 7 Harbor (9-1)

No. 3 Cerritos (9-1) vs. No. 6 Palomar (8-2)

No. 4 BC (9-1) vs. No. 5 Hancock (9-1), which will be the Golden Empire Bowl.

I'll have another blog later today after the playoffs are announced.

Another romp and a well-deserved break for BC

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:57:48 PDT

So far the Renegades have responded to every challenge (at least since the loss at El Camino). The latest was Saturday (Halloween night), when the Gades blasted Ventura 44-14 to clinch at least a tie for the Northern National Conference title.

Now the Gades have a bye week, which will, as coach Jeff Chudy said after the game, allow the players (and coaches) to "re-charge their batteries."

A win at Canyons in two weeks gives BC an outright NNC title and ensures a home game in the Golden Empire Bowl as a first-round SoCal playoff game.

BC was fourth in the rankings prior to the win over Ventura and will likely remain there. Top-ranked El Camino was beaten 42-26 by No. 3 Mount SAC. I expect El Camino to remain ahead of BC since it has beaten the Gades head-to-head. Mount SAC was third, and will probably move up to No. 2. Cerritos entered the weekend undefeated and improved to 8-0 (and probably No. 1) by beating Desert 27-17. Cerritos and El Camino still must play each other before the regular season ends.

Should the unthinkable happen and BC lose to Canyons, then who knows what will happen? It could mean the Gades would have a first-round playoff game on the road, and the Golden Empire Bowl would have two out-of-town teams. But I expect the Gades to take care of business and beat Canyons.

BC has certainly routed opponents in the NNC. The scores were 34-13 over Pasadena, 31-24 over Hancock (a game BC led 24-3 in the third quarter), 52-14 over Moorpark and 49-3 over Glendale before Saturday's 44-14 win over Ventura (it was 41-0 at one point).

A blog comment mentioned BC has benefitted from playing in a sub-par conference. The Gades have no control over that. All they can do is take care of business against whoever they play. And except for the El Camino loss (40-24 on Sept. 26), they've done that.

A BC romp sets up a real showdown

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:58:29 PDT

BC crushed Glendale 49-3 on Saturday night, setting the stage for a Northern National Conference title game next Saturday.

Ventura improved to 3-0 in the NNC with a 23-6 win over Canyons. BC went to 4-0 with its win tonight (Oct. 24).

So whoever wins next Saturday's game at BC between the Renegades and Ventura will undoubtedly be the outright champion. The loser will make the SoCal playoffs but might not be in the top 4 for seeding purposes, which would mean a road game to open the playoffs.

It looks like BC will go into next week's showdown without its most dominant defensive player, defensive lineman Maurice Hayes, who suffered a right knee injury in the third quarter against Glendale.

Hayes was helped off the field. By the end of the game, his right leg was immobilized in a knee brace and he was on crutches. I'd say it's highly likely his season is over; in the very least, he'll be out awhile.

The injury occurred when his right foot was planted and didn't give way as a mass of humanity converged on a ball carrier. Glendale has that special artificial turf that is becoming more common. The attraction: a big cash outlay, but then little maintenance for several years.

I remember how the old astroturf would create severe knee injuries, but I haven't heard about injury history with this new turf. Hayes' loss will be felt big-time, not only because of his talent, but because of his leadership and on-field fiery attitude that rubs off on his BC teammates.

Is anyone surprised BC demolished Moorpark?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:31 PDT

About the only surprise I can see from Saturday's (Oct. 17) 52-14 BC win over Moorpark was how truly bad Moorpark was. Moorpark is usually a middle-of-the-pack type of team, and in a good year among the top-third in ability in the Western State Conference.

But not this year. BC is now 6-1 and could have scored in the 60-point range if not for some call by the officials (more on that later).

Other Northern National Conference scores from Saturday: Canyons over Glendale (BC's opponent next week), 14-6; and Allan Hancock beating Pasadena 38-23. Ventura had a bye.

BC had (unofficially) 398 net rushing yards. Both Moorpark TDs were aided by some officials calls, mostly defensive pass interference and defensive holding calls that are automatic first downs and kept drives alive.

One avid BC fan I spoke to after the game said it was the worst officiated game he'd ever seen. My two cents? It was bad, but it really didn't matter. When a team wins 52-14 and the officiating is poor, at least it didn't impact the outcome of the game.

On one pass interference call, these guys must have talked for almost two minutes before play resumed. The flag was thrown and there was no question what the call would be. But they took what seemed like forever.

One call I still can't explain was on a punt return by BC's Rishard Matthews, who caught the ball on the BC 17 and returned it past the 40-yard line. A flag was thrown at the 38 and the signal was holding.

OK. When that happens, the foul occurred where the flag was thrown (the 38 in this case) and the penalty yards are marked off from that spot. But not this time. The refs went back to the 17, where Matthews caught the ball, and marched off the yardage from that spot, half the distance to the goal.

There was no foul in that part of the field. The blockers were all at least 15 yards upfield from where Matthews caught the punt. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.

As for things like clipping, chop blocks, pass interference: who knows? Judgment calls. Some I agreed with; others I wasn't sure, but on some I didn't have a great view, so I didn't have as much of a problem with the. And the game was lopsided, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

BC travels to Glendale next Saturday, then hosts Ventura on Halloween night.

BC-Hancock: the game matched the pregame hype

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:13:40 PDT

One of the joys of my job is seeing games like Saturday night's (Oct. 10) 31-24 Bakersfield College win over previously undefeated Allan Hancock.

The game wasn't decided until Hancock's fourth-down pass from the BC 2-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone.

Along the way were some great calls. Like the bomb to William Randle on BC's first play of the second half -- which went for a 61-yard TD. Or the third-and-6 pass in the fourth quarter to Rishard Matthews, which also went for 61 yards and a TD.

Hancock had some great calls also. Like a fourth-and-4 draw play to running back Thomas Sua that went for a 23-yard TD in the middle of the fourth quarter. Or the play-action pass to running back Mario Jones early in the fourth quarter that went for a 5-yard TD when everyone in the stadium looked for a run.

This game was crucial to BC for another reason. Hancock beat Canyons last week in overtime. Since 2000, either BC or Canyons has won the conference championship. If Hancock had beaten BC, the Renegades would have no longer controlled their own destiny in a bid to win the conference title. BC would have needed to run the table and hope Hancock would lose to someone else for a co-championship, and Hancock would have held the tie-breaker because of the head-to-head win.

But now, two weeks into the conference season, BC and Ventura (a 26-20 winner over Pasadena Saturday) are the only 2-0 teams in conference play. Canyons has to be a contender despite its loss last week to Hancock. Canyons rolled past winless Moorpark 31-7. Moorpark comes to BC this Saturday.

BC should have no trouble the next two weeks, with Moorpark winless and Glendale (the opponent on Oct. 24) not at BC's level. Ventura follows (on Halloween night, at BC), then the regular-season finale on Nov. 14 at Canyons (Nov. 7 in is a bye).

I think the Gades are shoo-ins for the eight-team SoCal playoffs; winning the conference title would ensure a first-round home game (which is the Golden Empire Bowl). If BC stumbles, it would be in danger of opening the playoffs on the road, and the Golden Empire Bowl would subsequently attract two out-of-town teams, probably with a miniscule crowd.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. There's a lot of football left before that all shakes out. But the thriller vs. Hancock keeps BC on pace to win the conference title, and more importantly, BC has its destiny in its own hands.

BC bounces back nicely, but....

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:03:35 PDT

Bakersfield College bounced back nicely from its first loss of the season on Sept. 26 against El Camino by rolling past Pasadena in Memorial Stadium tonight (Oct. 3), 34-13.

In the days leading up to the game, BC coach Jeff Chudy said Pasadena quarterback Nick Ponce was a better passer than El Camino's Matt Simms, who carved up the BC defense with more than 400 passing yards in the 40-24 win over the Gades.

The Gades definitely played much better against Pasadena. Ponce, who hadn't had an interception all season, threw five. One was returned for a TD and another almost was -- a penalty nullified a 62-yard TD return. The backup QB also threw a pick.

BC sacked Pasadena's two QBs eight times -- four by defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford who seemed to be in the Lancers' backfield the entire night.

Ponce, as it turns out, is not in Matt Simms' league.

Sure, BC played much better and with much more intensity, four turnovers and nearly 100 yards in penalties notwithstanding. But this game was similar to the other BC victories: The Renegades simply overpowered Pasadena because of the Gades' physical prowess.

El Camino, which improved to 5-0 on Saturday by slaughering Riverside 41-16, is a very physical team. It matched BC's physical play. BC's other opponents (Fresno, L.A. Valley, Santa Monica, Pasadena) weren't in the same ballpark.

Next Saturday, BC travels to 5-0 Allan Hancock, a game which will be played at Santa Maria's Righetti High School. Hancock is always very physical, and I expect an interesting matchup because of that. Hancock beat College of the Canyons 19-16 on Saturday. Canyons now has two losses this season.

In the other Northern Natlional Conference game tonight: Ventura beat Glendale 20-13.

How BC matches up physically with Hancock (or a better question: can Hancock match the physical play of BC?) could decide the outcome of this game. We'll see.

A humbling game at El Camino for BC

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:52:20 PDT

Bakersfield College cruised to three victories to open the season, obviously against inferior talent. But the Renegades ran into a buzz saw against their first potent opponent on Saturday.

The 40-24 loss at El Camino demonstrated the value of having a top-line quarterback. It was 3-3 after the first quarter but after that it got away from the Gades. El Camino built a 30-10 lead at one point.

The BC defense dominated its first three opponents, but El Camino QB Matt Simms (son of ex-NFL great Phil Simms) picked apart the BC secondary with crisp, short passes, with an occasional long toss thrown in. He had 403 passing yards by the end of the third quarter and 431 in the game.

Simms passed quickly -- often using a two-step drop and throwing. That left little time for the BC rush to put much pressure on him. BC sacked him only twice, and he was hit after throwing only a handful of times.

There were two long pass plays -- a 50-yarder to El Camino's top receiver Kenbrell Thompkins who ran a fly pattern, got behind the BC defenders and received a perfectly thrown pass from Simms. The other long one was 51 yards to Tony Sekona, but that was a short pass that turned into a long gain when BC defender Deonata Nard missed a tackle that would have ended the play after about 12 yards.

El Camino, on the other hand, got constant pressure on BC QB Logan Kilgore. Kilgore had some chances but overthrew a few balls. The best pass play of the night was a great throw and subsequent catch by Vince Van Horne at the 1-yard line as he somehow kept his feet in bounds along the sideline for a fingertip catch.

It's hard to imagine BC facing a QB like Simms or a group of receivers like El Camino has. El Camino had 10 different players with receptions, and the majority of them ran sharp routes, had good hands and found seams in the BC secondary.

Aside from the first drive of the night, BC never got its ground game going. Unofficially 31 net rushing yards illustrates how tough it was to run against an El Camino team that consistently had eight players close to the line of scrimmage.

Next up for BC is Pasadena in the Northern National Conference opener for both teams, which both have 3-1 records. Pasadena routed Riverside 38-7 on Saturday.

A week from next Saturday BC is in Santa Maria to face Allen Hancock, which improved to 4-0 Saturday by rolling past Citrus 48-23.

So these next two games loom large. The challenge is seeing how the Renegades bounce back after Saturday.

Now BC gets tested

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:12:44 PDT

The Renegades won another laugher Saturday, 43-0 over a winless Santa Monica, which gives BC a 3-0 record.

But the next game will illustrate how good the Renegades are. On Saturday, BC travels to 3-0 El Camino, a team that year in and year out ranks among the best in the state.

El Camino won 57-0 vs. Compton today (Sept. 19). Compton is another hideous team, so El Camino is in the same boat at BC: facing its best opponent when it lines up vs. BC.

It would help the Renegades if their banged-up running backs return next week, but one would surmise that could be a longshot. Neither Andre Smith (severe ankle sprain) nor Eric Jones (ankle sprain, less severe than Smith but still unable to cut on it) may be available.

Logan Kilgore had by far his best game as BC's quarterback, completing 14-of-15 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Great performance, and he'll need to be very sharp and keep mistakes to a minimum against El Camino next week to give the Gades a chance.

It's too bad this game will be played in Torrance, given a matchup like this would generate a good crowd in Memorial Stadium. But El Camino has played so many games in Memorial Stadium in recent seasons it's only fair for one of these traditional big game is played down south.

An even more dominant BC outing

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:54:18 PDT

BC's 55-7 slaughter of L.A. Valley on Saturday night demonstrated that the Renegades ought to rank among the top SoCal teams, but the enthusiasm needs to be tempered somewhat because Valley was simply overpowered by BC's physical play.

But it's obvious the offensive line is big and physical, and the defensive line is quick, big and physical. I figure only the top-level JC teams in the state will match up with that physical play up front. El Camino, who plays host to BC a week from next Saturday, is one of those types of teams. That will be the first real test for the Renegades.

The running back depth took a bit of a hit. Andre Smith is already out (ankle), and Eric Jones, who looked sensational (78 yards, nine carries) hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter. Ben Estill (147 yards), Keldon Hampton (28 yards) and Julian Dean-Johnson (51 yards) looked good, as did backup QB Lyle Negron (57 yards).

It will be interesting to see how BC does in its first road game, next Saturday at Santa Monica. The so-so BC team from last year did score 60 points vs. Santa Monica a year ago, so one would think this could be another blowout. We'll see.

BC opener: impressive showing

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:17:40 PDT

BC opened its season Saturday by beating Fresno City College 33-14. The story in Sunday's Californian focused on the defensive performance, although the running attack led by Andre Smith (two TDs, runs of 79 and 17) and Ben Estill impressed.

Some other thoughts:

The first play from scrimmage saw QB Logan Kilgore throw a sideline pass to first-year receiver Rishard Matthews, who made a leaping catch. No one on last season's squad could have pulled that off.

Other passing highlights: Vince Van Horne's 1-hand grab for 25 yards down to the FCC 17-yard line in the third quarter, one play before Smith's 17-yard TD run. Also, the TD pass to TE Vince Misa-Amituanai (I know that's a mouthful) in the first quarter. BC has rarely thrown to TEs in recent seasons. This guy is a bonafide receiver with good moves and size (6-4, 248).

Kilgore threw for only 59 yards as a high school quarterback, going 5-for-11 in two seasons. He threw for two TDs and 140 yards on Saturday.

QB coach Carl Dean had second-string QB Lyle Negron in for a series, immediately after Kilgore had thrown an interception. QB coach Carl Dean said he wanted Negron to play and promised Negron he'd get into the game, adding that Negron's playing time had nothing to do with the Kilgore interception. Kilgore returned to the field on the subsequent BC possession.

Other defensive highlights:

Four sacks by BC.

Limiting FCC to 43 net rushing yards.

BC safety Tanner Webb out of Wasco had a nice game. His most notable play: picking off a fumble in mid-air and racing 39 yards to the 3-yard line. That set up a Josh Gallington field goal.

FCC had a solid game from freshman linebacker Alek Taliulu -- who graduated from Tehachapi High. Shawn Pimentel, another Tehachapi grad, caught a TD pass for FCC.

Also on FCC's roster: Taft High products Tony (DL) and Ben (OL) Savaii, BHS grad Kenny Wallace (DL) and Stockdale grad Chris Bowie (TE).

And a stadium note: fans in attendance probably noticed the 25-second play clock, which is on both ends of the stadium. FCC was called for two delay penalties and had to burn a second-half timeout to prevent another one.

An area to watch: BC's kicking game. Punter Dalton Botts has towering kicks, but not great distance. On the plus side, the hang time does prevent big returns. BC kickoffs were fairly short most of the time, which usually gives the opponent good field position, and Gallington had a field goal attempt blocked.

A-Rod: Tipping pitches worse than 'roids

Fri, 08 May 2009 19:52:11 PDT

A-Rod got back into the Yankee lineup tonight (Friday, May 8), hit a 3-run HR in the first inning of a 4-0 win at Baltimore.

Why hasn't there been more flak from the report in Salena Roberts' book that he was tipping pitches to opposing batters in blowout games?

Telling a batter what pitch is coming ranks right up there with point shaving, throwing games and gambling. I think it's much worse than the steroid scandal that is grabbing all the headlines.

The source who told Roberts about the tipping of pitches was unnamed. Maybe it didn't happen. But if I'm the commissioner, I'd surely be aggressively looking into it.

Say you tip a pitch and the batter homers, or gets a hit that starts a big inning. That could devastate that pitcher's ERA and could lead to a demotion to the minor leagues. And A-Rod supposedly did this so he would benefit from tipping pitches himself, sort of a reciprocal type of deal.

You can't help the opponent, under any circumstances in professional sports.

If it happen and it's proven, I'd ban A-Rod permanently from the game. It's right up there with Pete Rose gambling on his own team when he was manager of the Reds (you don't think that could have had an impact on who he played and how he used his pitching staff?) and the "Eight Men Out" from the Chicago White Sox (known as the Black Sox) who threw the 1919 World Series.

Manny: the L.A. love will still be there

Thu, 07 May 2009 16:03:36 PDT

Manny Ramirez, the man-child hero to so many Dodger fans, starts his 50-game suspension today after a blood test showed a banned substance.

Here's a prediction: When Manny plays his first game in Dodger Stadium after his 50-game suspension (on July 16, vs. Houston), the Dodger faithful will shower him with a standing ovation.

I've believed this from the start of baseball's steroids era: If the "offender" is on a team you hate, you want to ban him for life; if he's on a team you don't care about, ban him for life or give him a long suspension.

If he plays for YOUR team, it's OK, because HE'S HELPING US WIN.

The Giants fans were criticized for their love of Barry Bonds, and much of that criticism came from L.A. media and Dodger fans. But watch: the Dodger fans will do the same with Manny. Recently, Jason Giambi, now with Oakland, had a hero's welcome to new Yankee Stadium when the A's visited there.

A friend of mine who is a Yankee fan told me years ago that all drug test failures should lead to permanent bans from baseball. Giambi was then a Yankee having a poor year.

One year later, Giambi was on his way to a 30-plus home run season with New York. I asked that same fan about what should be done with Giambi. "He's having a pretty good year, isn't he?" was the response.

A longtime Cubs fan I knew thought that Bonds should have been banned for life. This was years ago, when Sammy Sosa was in the midst of three straight 60-plus home run seasons. "If Bonds goes, what about Sosa?" I asked.

"Oh, Sammy's clean," was the response. And he was serious.

I say again: If a failed drug test happens to a player on your team, the vast majority will look the other way.

Bank on it. And look for the reaction when Manny takes the field on July 16.

CSUB growing pains continue

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:43:31 PST

As we start the new year, the growing pains continue for CSUB's men's basketball team. The talent is fairly equal with most of the Big West Conference teams I've seen (CS Fullerton was the only one that appeared to have a significant talent advantage). Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, picked to be at the bottom of the West Coast Conference, are teams that I see as having inferior talent to CSUB, even with LMU's 72-69 win over CSUB last weekend.

The biggest challenge -- I've heard this from others and I agree -- is CSUB learning how to win, learning how to hold onto leads late; learning how to put teams away. The team was 8-21 last season and is currently 4-12. I've seen some progress this year, most notably the improved play by juniors Trent Blakley and Santwon Latunde and sophomore Alex Johnson. They must continue to improve, and CSUB needs to get some stepped-up play by some others if they are going to reach double-digits in wins.

BC must shore up offense in 2009

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:10:04 PST

The Bakersfield College football season has ended, a 22-8 loss to College of the Canyons on Saturday (Nov. 15).

It was the best defensive effort of the season for the Renegades, who sacked Canyons quarterback Joey Frias eight times and limited Fred Winborn, one of the top rushers in the state, to 53 yards on 20 carries.

But it was also evident that the Renegades are going to need to revamp their offense if they hope to turn around things next season. BC finished 4-6, matching the 2002 season and only the second time since 1986 the Renegades had a losing season.

The Renegades will return running back Andre Smith next season, but they'll lose Bruce Frieson, who is the No. 3 all-time rusher in BC's history. That's a big hole to fill.

The passing game needs to be upgraded. In this modern era of high-octane offenses, the Renegades did not have the talent of recent seasons at quarterback and wide receiver. That meant basically a one-dimensional offense.

Running the ball has been a BC way of life like, forever, but nowadays you've got to have above-average passing if you're going to contend for a conference title with the likes of a team like Canyons, or if you want to have a chance at the state championship.

BC had strong all-around offensive attacks in recent seasons. With QBs like Thomas Peregrin, Cody Stone and Jacob Bower, and recent receivers like Brandon Banks, Taj Smith, T.J. Lee, Jonathan Nunez and Attrail Snipes, defenses are stretched which makes the running game more effective.

The receivers mentioned above had seasons with no fewer than 33 receptions. The BC leaders this season, Chika Madu and William Randle, wound up with 17 catches apiece. No BC quarterback had more than 600 passing yards.

I suspect coach Jeff Chudy and his staff will be focused on bringing in talented skill people. The one thing a 4-6 season does is make a coaching staff more motivated for the future. Especially when you're a BC team that's used to winning.

Latest BC loss likely KOs postseason hopes

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:45:48 PDT

A three-game winning streak gave Bakersfield College momentum and a turnaround to its football season, but the 31-17 loss to Ventura Saturday night likely ended any chance of a bowl berth. It certainly killed any hope of a Southern California playoff spot.

Even coach Jeff Chudy acknowledged the playoff scenario. BC won't get a chance to match up with the state's best. The past two seasons, BC reached the Southern California title game, losing two close ones to narrowly miss out on a spot in the state title game.

With a 4-5 record and with 8-0 College of the Canyons set for the regular-season finale on Nov. 15, BC must win that game and hope Canyons also loses to Pasadena next Saturday (BC has a bye next week). That would mean a three-way tie for first place in the Northern National Conference. If Canyons beats Pasadena, Canyons clinches the outright conference championship and eliminates BC from sharing the title.

Southern California Football Association Commissioner Jim Sartoris told The Californian that bowl berths outside the four-team playoffs go to teams above .500 unless a team finishes at .500 and is a conference champion or co-champion.

Against Ventura, BC was plagued by the problems that were common during the Gades' 1-4 start: Failure to prevent third-down conversions by the opponent and inconsistent offense. Ventura quarterback Lee Mondol expertly found receivers open in the BC zone defense. The Gades had only two quarterback sacks, and simply failed to put enough pressure on Mondol to affect the plays. Mondol, to his credit, was not fazed the few times BC put on a big rush.

The Gades have two weeks to prepare for Canyons and get healthy. Should BC upset Canyons, it would salvage a .500 season and end the year on a positive note, since this Canyons team is as good as any squad BC has faced in recent years.

BC now playing as well as anyone

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:29:43 PDT

Bakersfield College won its third straight football game Saturday, 45-21 over Glendale in a game that wasn't that close.

BC led 28-0 and 38-7 before a couple of third-quarter touchdowns by Glendale made the score a bit more respectable.

It's a shame it took the Renegades half the season to find themselves. Starting out 1-4 has not killed postseason or bowl hopes, but it certainly has put a challenge on earning a postseason berth.

Now 4-4, the Renegades must beat Ventura next Saturday in Ventura, and then use their bye week to prepare for the goliath of SoCal JC football, College of the Canyons. Canyons improved to 8-0 on Saturday with a 52-29 win over Ventura.

The way BC is playing these days, I feel they'd beat those four teams they lost to if then faced them now. But you can't replay history.

Bruce Frieson continues to amaze. Another 189 rushing yards on Saturday, giving him back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (joining David Turner, 1974, 1975, as only the second BC player to accomplish that feat. And passing J.R. Rogers, who was a hell of a back here.

David Turner (3,026 yards), Michael Gray (2,670 in 1994-95) and George Jones (2,324 in 1993-94) are the only ones above Frieson (now with 2,190). That means Frieson needs 135 yards vs. Ventura next week to move into the No. 3 spot.

Now the Ventura game is crucial. For BC to have any chance of the postseason, it must win next week. An upset loss to Ventura and the Gades are guaranteed of a .500 regular season IF they beat Canyons and a 4-6 year if they don't.

A couple of injuries of note against Glendale: Center Oscar Cuevas was knocked out of hte game early, and linebacker Michael Smith went out later. But BC should get a lift by the anticipated return of defensive back Brandon Miller, who has been sidelined for several games. He could return for Ventura; if not, he's definitely expected back for Canyons.

It's down to the final two regular-season games. Let's see if BC is up to the challenge.

BC has turned things around

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:07:18 PDT

Bakersfield College coach Jeff Chudy said he thought the Renegades would be a pretty good team by the time the season ended.

And after winning two straight games impressively, it looks like he's right.

The 30-0 win over Moorpark on Saturday was BC's second straight solid effort, following up on the 34-17 win over Allan Hancock a week earlier. These have been BC's best two games of the season.

So why the turnaround? The biggest reason is reducing mistakes. BC has settled into running the ball about 80-90 percent of the time, and when the 'Gades are posting nearly 400 rushing yards a game (like they have the last two weeks), that's a good strategy.

What will happen when the running game is contained? Well, that's the question, isn't it?

Quarterback Joe Maldonado, the former South High standout, had his first collegiate start against Moorpark and his only pass completion was a perfectly-thrown 42-yard bomb to William Randle to the goal line for a touchdown. He had one other long pass attempt to Randle, but it bounced off Randle's hands (also perfectly thrown) who was distracted by a tight-covering defensive back.

Maldonado is only listed at 5-10 and 180 pounds, but it seems like he's closer to 5-8 and 165. But he showed the quickness as a runner that he demonstrated at South several seasons ago and has that knack of making big plays when needed. Again, time will tell if he can do that against powerhouse teams (like College of the Canyons in BC's regular season finale in mid-November).

BC is 3-4 and now has to be considered the favorite in its next two games, the home contest next Saturday vs. Glendale and the road game at Ventura a week from Saturday.

To make the playoffs (which seemed so unlikely just two weeks ago), BC must finish no lower than second place in the National Northern Conference. Canyons remained unbeaten Saturday with its latest demolition of an opponent, 43-23 over Glendale.

BC got some help when Pasadena, which beat BC earlier this season and was undefeated in the conference, was beaten 45-42 by Hancock.

But now there's some optimism and momentum for BC heading into these next couple of games. BC also has a bye week after Ventura before powerful Canyons comes to town to close out the regular season. Canyons is still the biggest hurdle. You'd have to rank Canyons, Mount SAC and Saddleback as the top teams in the South, with El Camino probably behind those three but ahead of everyone else. All 4 are undefeated.

That's all for now.

BC-Hancock: Best showing yet for Gades

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:32:39 PDT

Saturday night's 34-17 BC win over Hancock was the most impressive game of the season for the Renegades.

Sure, they beat Santa Monica 60-14 on Sept. 20, but Santa Monica is awful. Hancock is OK, not great, but a lot of little things made this BC's best game.

-- Only one fumble, and it was at the end of the game with the backups playing.

-- Sure-tackling from the get-go. Missed or failed tackles have plagued BC all season before the Hancock game.

-- Effective kicking game from the scoring perspective. Arturo Villa 2-for-2 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs. Numerous blocked kicks have been almost a weekly happening before Saturday, but Hancock never got close to Villa. BC still needs to improve its kickoff play, but that is mainly because the kickoffs aren't going deep enough.

-- Avoidance of those 12- or 10-men on the field situations. Didn't happen once on Saturday.

Some other highlights:

-- A great punt block by Yul Hawkins, a defensive back from Centennial. Hawkins later suffered an ankle injury and was on crutches at the end of the game. But he got the block in the first quarter, which gave BC possession on the Hancock 37, which set up an eventual field goal.

--Tyrone Crawford, a defensive lineman, seemed to be all over the field. He got the game's only sack and made numerous tackles, many for losses, that helped thwart Hancock's running game.

Next up is Moorpark, a road game in Simi Valley next Saturday. Moorpark got smoked by Canyons on Saturday, 48-3.

Canyons, which plays at BC to close the regular season in mid-November, looks like a contender for the state championship. El Camino, which beat BC in Week 3 and is undefeated, doesn't seem like as strong a team as what we've seen play BC the last couple of years. El Camino did beat Chaffey 30-15 on Saturday,

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