Rams
Football Ranked #1 in Coaches Poll
By
Todd Levinson
Guardsman Sports Editor
The
Rams were rated number one in a California Commission on Athletics
poll last week.
The
weekly regional poll which will determine what two top ranked Northern
California teams play a post-season bowl game to go to the Championships
against the top ranked, bowl-winning Southern California team.
Photo
by Lana Citowsky
Tight
end Jamir Davis, who scored a touchdown against West Valley,
waits for the pass.
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The
commission regulates community college athletics for over 25,000
student athletes in California.
In
1999 and 2000 a power rating calculation based on wins and the rankings
of defeated opponents was used to determine which teams from northern
and southern California would play each other in the championships.
The
power rating system was abandoned after the 2000 season when an
appeal was filed because Bakersfield Community College had such
a high rating they would have gone to the championships even if
they lost their bowl game.
That
year, COA Commissioner Dr. Joanne A Fortunato ruled that a team
had to win their bowl game to play in the championships. The Rams
wound up beating Bakersfield 31-13 winning the state title for a
second consecutive year.
In
the third quarter alone the Rams threw touchdowns to receivers Mobley,
Love and Kevin Swanigan.
Afterwords,
the Rams focus shifted to running down the clock. Enter freshman
running back Dallas Bernstine.
With
the game pretty much decided, the young tailback took the oppurtunity
for leftovers. In the third and fourth quarter, Bernstine ran 66
yards on seven carries and shoved the final dagger into West Valley
with a 17 yard touchdown run.
The
Beavers stifled offense would finally respond by driving all the
way to the Rams 10 yard line. With 2:19 remaining , the Beavers
kicked a field goal avoiding the shut out and making the score 51-3.
"We
scored a lot of points and we didn't give up many points," said
Ayoob, "we played well as a team."
CCCFA
Football Poll Week #3
Northern
California
1.
City College San Francisco 3-0
2.
Fresno 3-0
3.
Santa Rosa 3-0
4.
San Joaqin Delta 3-0
5.
San Mateo 3-0
6.
Shasta 3-0
7.
Sierra 3-0
8.
Butte 2-1
9.
Laney 3-0
10.
Reedley 2-1
Southern
California
1.
Canyons 3-0
2.
Saddleback 3-0
3.
Grossmont 3-0
4.
Mt. San Antonio 3-0
5.
ElCamino 3-0
6.
Palomar 2-1
7.
Citrus 3-0
8.
Chaffey 2-1
9.
Santa Ana 3-0
10.
Bakersfield 2-1.
The
weekly poll, which is the official state ranking for community college
football in California, will determine what top two teams in each
region play eac h other to go to the state championships.
Cross
Country Team Warms Up in Fresno
By
Tracy Held
Guardsman Staff Writer
City College Cross Country finished with an unimpressive tenth place
out of sixteen for men, and only three out of four women finished,
at the Fresno Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 13, and the team isn't
worried a bit.
With several runners recovering from injuries or dealing with scheduling
conflicts, Cross Country Coach Tony Kauke says the team is just
getting warmed up for the Coast Conference and the Northern California
Championships in November.
"We don't emphasize the early meets," reports Kauke.
Last
year, City College men placed 15 out of 24 at the Fresno Invitational
and the top ranking female placed 66, but the team recovered by
November when the men placed second and the women placed third in
the Coast Conference Championship at the end of the 2002 season.
Jeffrey Gehringer, City College's top runner from last year, explains
that "tough conditions," particularly the 98 degree heat affected
his performance in Fresno.
Kauke agrees, "City College students aren't trained for that kind
of weather" the way Fresno and other warmer schools are. By November,
the weather will cool down, giving City College a home-weather advantage
that will help "close the gap."
The team's fastest female runner, Ivy Truong, had a different experience,
"It was hot, but fun because it was nice to get going and do something."
She liked the change of weather and even said the Fresno Invitational
was her favorite meet of the season.
"It's exciting because there are lots of people watching, and I
like Fresno because I used to run the course in high school," says
Truong.
The team will start playing all of its cards at the Lou Vasquez
Invitational, City College's first home meet, in Golden Gate Park
on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Kauke believes the men are even better than last year and he's shooting
for a top three spot in the Northern California Championship this
year.
The women's side, however, is hard to predict because none of the
teams competing in Fresno appear to have competed with full force,
he says.
"We lost three of the top five women from graduation this year,
so our cover's a little more bare," he adds. Still, Kauke is hopeful
about the women's team. "We have similar talent this year ... we
can go a long way from now until [the championships]."
"We're increasing our mileage, getting out of the condition phase,
and just training harder," says Truong.
Gehringer feels that training has been going well and "we have a
good shot at contending with the other top schools in the Northern
California conference. We just need to have everyone train consistently
and stay healthy."
The
men came in fourth at the Sierra Invitational in Rocklin on September
27. Vladimir Parrales led the team placing 26 with a time of 22:54.
On
the women's team, Ivy Truong (22:15) placed 21 and Monica Soto (22:16)
placed 22.
Bike
Race Attracts Fans, Elite Racers
By
Ian Leibert
Guardsman Staff writer
An
estimated 500,000 fans from as far away as Italy and France came
to see 300 elite racers, including five-time Tour De France winner
Lance Armstrong, race through hilly San Francisco in the T-Mobile
International on September 14.
Photo
by Eric Raible
Fans
arrived early to get a good spot on Taylor St., the last hill
before the homestretch. |
Fans
lined the 10-mile circuit that started at the Embarcadero and twisted
through Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach. The course's steepest
stretch ran from Fillmore up to Chestnut Street. The circuit continued
through Russian Hill before making a monster climb up Taylor Street,
and then descending to North Beach and winding its way to the Ferry
Building at the Embarcadero.
Native
Californian Chris Horner won the men's race, 108 miles of pure sweat
and tears, with a time of 4 hours 24 minutes and 33 seconds. World
Cup winner Nicole Cooke, a cycling prodigy that has been winning
championships since high school, won the women's 49.6 mile race
in 2 hours 11 minutes and 18 seconds.
Armstrong,
who was suffering from a 102-degree fever, made his first and likely
last U.S appearance in competition this season. Despite looking
strong pedaling up hills on Fillmore and Taylor streets, Armstrong
climbed off his bike at the halfway mark, citing fatigue.
Women's
Athletic Director Dan Hayes said there has never been a cycling
team at City College. "There hasn't been enough interest shown to
the department chair."
Marsha
Shelton of Student Development and Activities said there is a very
supportive process to start a club.
Soccer
Team Beats Cabrillo at Home
By
Todd Levinson
Guardsman Sports Editor
For
a team that's been having trouble winning at home, the men's soccer
team had no problem dismantling the visiting Cabrillo Seahawks 6-3
at Balboa Park Boxer Stadium last week.
After
getting shut out 4-0 at Fresno, the Rams came home and played patient
and effective team soccer which Cabrillo could do nothing to stop.
"After
Friday's game (against Fresno) it's a big boost that we needed,"
said forward and captain Theo Divanis who didn't start because he
was feeling "under the weather."
The
Rams offense took advantage of fast breaks and good passing.
Cabrillo
scored early in the first half when a corner kick bounced into a
crowd in front of the goal and went in.
Minutes
later, forward Mario Huz, starting for Divanis, scored on a breakaway
with an assist from Arturo Garcia.
Next,
Garcia scored when Cabrillo's goalie came out of the goal making
the score 2-1.
Cabrillo
got some good shots on goal but Rams goalie Chris Sandoval was making
it difficult for them to score.
Divanis
came in late in the first half and early in the second, after a
long pass left him one on one with a Cabrillo defender, he kicked
a goal high into the left corner.
After
Divanis got a yellow card for sliding into the goalie, Cabrillo
scored on a penalty shot making the score 3-2.
Garcia,
who had a bandaged hand, would wind up scoring another goal on a
penalty with two more goals coming from Oliver Guzman and Beto Cendajas.
Rams
Abuse Beavers
By
Zuri Berry
The
City College Rams, without starting quarterback Jason Swanson and
star tailback Tim Brown, still managed to thrash the American River
Beavers in a 51-3 thumping last Saturday.
|  Photo
by Lana Citowsky
Sophomore
running back Antwon Guidry gets tackled by the Beavers defense.
|
The Rams,
whose star quarterback was sidelined due to a shoulder injury, started
Freshman Joseph Ayoob.
Ayoob
has had substantial minutes this season and wasted no time in his
first start throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another.
With
star tailback Tim Brown leaving the game because of a high ankle
sprain, the Rams turned to sophomore runner Antwon Guidry who piled
on 81 yards with a touchdown before coming out in the third quarter.
The
Rams struck quickly in the game on their first possession with a
24 yard run by Tim Brown to the Beaver 16.
Two
plays later, Antwon Guidry plunged into the end zone.
The
Rams would not score again until midway through the second when
Ayoob hit receiver Deqawn Mobley with a 43 yard pass to the Beaver
six.
After
a Guidry run to the one yard line, Ayoob ran in the ball for a touchdown
and the rout was on.
On American
River's next possession, the Rams defense caused a fumble which
was recovered by defensiveback Jermaine Hargraves.
Afterword,
Ayoob danced his way out of the pocket for a first down then connected
with tight end Jamir Davis for an 11 yard touchdown strike across
the middle.
At the
end of the first half, the Rams led the Beavers 24-0.
"We
started off slow with little mental mistakes," said Sophomore receiver
Marcel Love, "but as the game goes on, we got better."
In the
third quarter alone the Ayoob threw touchdowns to receivers Mobley,
Love and Kevin Swanigan.
Afterwords,
the Rams focus shifted to running down the clock. Enter freshman
running back Dallas Bernstine.
With
the game pretty much decided, the young tailback took the oppurtunity
for leftovers. In the third and fourth quarter, Bernstine ran 66
yards on seven carries and shoved the final dagger into West Valley
with a 17 yard touchdown run.
The
Beavers stifled offense would finally respond by driving all the
way to the Rams 10 yard line. With 2:19 remaining in the game, the
Beavers kicked a field goal avoiding the shut out and making the
score 51-3.
"We
scored a lot of points and we didn't give up many points," said
Ayoob, "we played well as a team."
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