Small Colleges / Alan Drooz : Asuza Pacific, Oxy May Need Victories to Make Playoffs

Both the Azusa Pacific and Occidental football teams should be in the playoffs if they win Saturday in their final regular-season games. Occidental (7-1) has already clinched the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title but isn’t assured an NCAA Division III playoff berth. That’s why Coach Dale Widolff believes a win is essential.

Occidental will be going for its 21st straight SCIAC win against Claremont-Mudd, which is 1-7 but scored 40 points against Whittier last week. Occidental is led by running back Vance Mueller, who had three touchdowns Saturday against Redlands to give him 13 this season. On defense, Quay Richardson had three interceptions to give him eight. The only blot on Occidental’s record is a 31-14 loss to Azusa Pacific.

Division III playoff pairings will be announced Sunday.

The playoff picture is more confusing for Azusa Pacific (7-0-1), which is looking for its first undefeated record and playoff appearance. The NAIA pairings will be determined by the final poll Sunday, with the top eight teams qualifying. Azusa Pacific was rated third last week before tying San Francisco State, 38-38. Top-ranked Northwestern of Iowa also was tied.

Azusa Pacific closes the season at Cal Lutheran. Cal Lutheran is 4-5 and has lost several starters to injuries but still has a dangerous quarterback in Tom Bonds. Azusa Coach Jim Milhon said his team must remain undefeated to receive a playoff bid. Fullback Christian Okoye has already broken the team’s season-rushing record with 1,216 yards, and quarterback Dave Russell should break the passing accuracy mark of 58%. He has completed 62% of his passes, including 17 for 20 in the second half last week.

The NAIA selection board will determine the top eight and playoff pairings Sunday.

Playoff roundup: In an unusual pairing, the NCAA has matched Cal State Northridge and Chapman College in a Division II first-round soccer game Saturday. The winner will play Seattle Pacific, which received a bye and was placed in the Northwest-Midwest Region. The two California Collegiate Athletic Assn. teams are the only conference teams paired against each other in the first round. Northridge, which won the conference title by beating Chapman two weeks ago, will play host to the game. The Matadors are the top seed in the West. Chapman is 0-5-1 in its last six games at Northridge.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo won the women’s cross-country Western Regional while its men placed second to Cal Poly Pomona. No. 1 runner Lori Lopez placed second in the regional and was named CCAA Most Valuable Player. Coach Lance Harter was named conference and regional Coach of the Year. Men’s teams from Pomona, San Luis Obispo and UC Riverside and women’s teams from Cal Poly SLO, Northridge and Pomona advance to the Nov. 23 national meet at East Stroudsburg, Pa. The individual winners were Steve Perez from Pomona in the men’s race and Bente Moe from Seattle Pacific in the women’s race.

Occidental’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams will compete in the Western Regional meet Saturday at Cal State Stanislaus. The men are thought to have a good chance to win, with the top competition coming from Lewis and Clark College. The women face longer odds, but No. 1 runner Michele Trimble has a good chance to qualify individually. The winning team and top two individuals advance to the men’s national meet. The winning team and top five individuals go to the women’s meet.

Azusa Pacific’s women’s cross-country team will compete in the NAIA national meet at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. The women won the regional title but are longshots in the nationals.