Community College Football : Golden West, Cerritos Vie for 1st Place Tonight

Ray Shackleford, Golden West College football coach, isn’t doing anything to downplay the importance of tonight’s South Coast Conference game against Cerritos in LeBard Stadium at 7:30.

“We’re focusing everything on this game,” Shackleford said. “This is our season.”

He may not be exaggerating.

The Rustlers (4-1, 7-1) and the Falcons (4-1, 5-2-1) are tied for the conference lead, and the winner will gain the inside track to the championship with one game to play in the regular season. Golden West plays El Camino next week; Cerritos plays Mt. San Antonio.

Cerritos has won three straight and five of its last six. Golden West had its seven-game winning streak snapped by Fullerton last week, 21-7.

With the loss, the Rustlers’ hopes of a national championship and an undefeated season vanished. Golden West had been ranked No. 4 in the country before the Fullerton game but dropped to No. 17 this week.

Both teams have powerful offensive lines and solid running games. Cerritos is second in the conference in team rushing with an average of 144.2 yards a game. Golden West is third with an average of 144.1 yards a game.

The Falcons’ Andre Wooten is the top rusher in the conference with 810 yards in 145 carries. Carl Satterfield leads the Rustlers with 604 yards in 178 carries.

Cerritos Coach Frank Mazzotta is looking forward to the game.

“We have played championship-caliber ball the last two weeks,” he said. “This is why we play the game, to be in a championship game.”

In other South Coast Conference games:

Fullerton (3-2, 4-4) at Compton (1-4, 1-7), 1:30--Fullerton quarterback Richard Williams will get a chance to exploit the worst pass defense in the conference. Williams has completed 146 of 257 passes for 1,679 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In the Mission Conference:

Rancho Santiago (4-3, 5-3) at Grossmont (2-5, 3-5), 7:30--The Dons will be seeking their fourth straight victory. Quarterback John Cook is ranked third in the conference. He has completed 141 of 237 passes for 1,777 yards and 11 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Chuck Zacour is Rancho Santiago’s leading receiver with 42 catches for 525 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sophomore free safety Kirk Anderson, playing in place of the injured Brian Leatherman, had two interceptions in the Dons’ 30-23 victory over Citrus last week. Grossmont, which was picked to finish third in a preseason poll, has lost five straight.

Orange Coast (4-3, 4-4) vs. Palomar (4-3, 5-3) at San Marcos High School, 1:30--Freshman safety Bart Recktenwald scored his fourth touchdown last week on a 38-yard interception return. The freshman from La Quinta High School had returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns in the previous three games. Recktenwald and the rest of the Pirate defense will be expected to make some interceptions against Palomar. Comet quarterback Jonathan Mitchell leads the conference in attempts with 322 and completions with 186, but also in interceptions with 16. Two weeks ago, Palomar was 5-1 and ranked 20th in the nation. Since then, the Comets have lost to Rancho Santiago and Saddleback.

Saddleback (3-4, 3-5) at Citrus (2-5, 2-6), 7:30--The Gauchos have relied on the running of Quincy Frank in recent weeks. Last week, playing in place of the injured John Jungkeit, Frank rushed for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns in 26 carries. Jungkeit is expected to play tonight, but Frank will start. Saddleback is the second-worst team in the conference against the pass, allowing an average of 219 yards a game. However, the Gauchos have given up only seven touchdowns passing, the second-lowest total in the conference behind Rancho Santiago and San Diego Mesa, which have allowed six each.