COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Lajcik Gets a Big Lift Out of Helping Davis to Win Over CSUN

While the rest of his UC Davis teammates milled about the field following Saturday’s 28-0 shutout of Cal State Northridge, Aggie defensive lineman Tim Lajcik explained to a friend that he wouldn’t be available for any post-game celebrations. Lajcik said he already had a date for the evening. With the weight room.

“I have to lift,” said Lajcik, a three-year starter who played at Thousand Oaks High. “Especially with a big game next week. I have nothing to save myself for.”

Lajcik, a 6-1, 225-pound senior who is also a All-American wrestler in the heavyweight division, has recovered from a knee injury he suffered last season. He had four tackles and two sacks against CSUN and spearheaded an Aggie defense that limited the Matadors to just 87 yards in total offense.

Lajcik was sheepish when a reporter asked him if the victory over Northridge held extra significance for a Valley-area product.

“Well, I got recruited by Northridge out of high school,” he said. “I don’t know if it was intended on their part, but when I told them I had decided to go to Davis, they told me ‘Good luck even playing on the special teams up there.’ ”

Fool’s polled: There isn’t an undefeated football team left in Division II. And, apparently, there aren’t many teams worth voting into the Top 20, either.

Cal State Northridge, which had not been ranked all season, broke into the poll a week ago after a 7-6 victory over Santa Clara in which they were outgained, 266-69. The Matadors, ranked 17th, then lost to unranked UC Davis, 28-0, Saturday. But they didn’t fall from the rankings.

Northridge, which plays third-ranked Portland State on Saturday, is ranked No. 19 this week; Davis moved all the way up to No. 14.

“By leaving us in there, that gives us a chance,” CSUN Coach Bob Burt said. “If we beat No. 3, then zappo, we’re back up there. I think 8-3 and a championship might get us in the playoffs, depending on what other people do.”

Should the Matadors defeat Portland State and Cal State Sacramento in their last two Western Football Conference games, they would share the WFC title with Portland State.

Fann returns: Tailback Albert Fann, held out of Northridge’s game against UC Davis last Saturday because of a deep thigh bruise, will play Saturday when the Matadors take on third-ranked Portland State.

Fann injured his thigh in the second half of Northridge’s game against Santa Clara two weeks ago. Without him in the lineup at Davis last week, the Matadors were held to 31 rushing yards on 41 carries. That total included eight quarterback sacks for minus-59 yards.

Fann’s inactivity has cost him the WFC rushing lead. Curtis Delgardo of Portland State is the new leader. He is averaging 92.2 yards a game. Fann, a freshman, averages 90.8 yards a game. He is still among national leaders in kickoff returns, however, with 16 returns for 468 yards and a touchdown. That’s an average of 29.3.

Azusa blues: Saturday’s game marks the 15th football meeting between Cal Lutheran and Azusa Pacific. The Kingsmen lead the series, 12-2, but the teams have split the last four meetings. CLU quarterback Tom Bonds has excelled against Azusa. In three games, the senior has completed 66 of 115 for 974 yards and 8 touchdowns. In the past two games, Bonds completed 46 of 76 passes for 776 yards and 8 touchdowns. He threw for five touchdowns last year.

Azusa Pacific (2-7) lost running back Christian Okoye--now a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs--to graduation and has suffered since. Azusa was beaten by Menlo College, 51-17, last Saturday.

Hurtin’ time: CLU running back Tracy Downs is questionable for the game because of a knee injury. Linebacker Terry Rowe, who sprained both ankles in the Kingsmen’s 16-15 loss to UC Santa Barbara, is listed as doubtful. During the last-minute drive by UC Santa Barbara that ended on a Gaucho field goal with five seconds left, three Kingsmen starting defenders were forced to watch from the sideline. Rowe and defensive lineman Russell Patterson were out with injuries and linebacker Torii Lehr had been ejected earlier in the fourth quarter.

Air Force: The Santa Barbara combination of quarterback Paul Wright and wide receiver Sean Russell did its share of damage against the Kingsmen. Wright completed 22 passes for 261 yards, 8 of which went to Russell for 115 yards and a touchdown. In that final UCSB drive, Russell caught two passes for 32 yards. Said CLU defensive back Mark Taggatz: “The ball was always thrown to the outside of the receiver and I never had a chance to get it.”

Hold Me Now: Two holding penalties all but killed the Kingsmen against the Gauchos. At the end of the first half, Bonds threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to John Bankhead that was negated, and with just less than seven minutes left in the game--and CLU trailing by one--Downs appeared to pick up a first down on fourth and two at the Santa Barbara 22. A holding penalty moved the line of scrimmage back to the 32. Cal Lutheran kicker Bill Hawk then booted a 47-yard field goal, putting the Kingsmen ahead by two points, but UCSB came back with the game-winning field goal.

The candidates: Quarterbacks Chris Crawford of Portland State and Greg Calcagno of Santa Clara are among 29 players nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy, Division II football’s equivalent to the Heisman.

The trophy, named for former University of North Alabama and Chicago Bears receiver Harlon Hill, was created last year.

The players were nominated by the sports information directors at their respective schools. The winner will be determined in balloting of 108 sports information directors at football-playing Division II schools.

Nine players were nominated from the South Region, along with eight from the Midwest, six from the East and six from the West.

The field will be reduced to eight after the regular season is completed Nov. 21. The two players receiving the most votes on the regional ballots will be placed on the national ballot, with the top three finishers overall being flown to Florence, Ala. for presentation of the award on Dec. 11.

Crawford leads the WFC in total offense and passing efficiency. He has completed 174 of 263 passes (66.2%) for 2,177 yards and 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Calcagno, who has passed for 1,541 yards this season, is Santa Clara’s all-time passing leader.

Passing fancy: Crawford passes for an average of 217.7 yards a game and he has a trio of outstanding receivers. Tight end Barry Naone is second in the Western Football Conference in receptions with 47 for 481 yards and a touchdown. Running back Curtis Delgardo is third with 41 catches for 455 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tim Corrigan is fourth with 38 catches for 694 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Highly offensive: Moorpark may not have the best won-loss record in the Western State Conference, but the Raiders have compiled some impressive statistics.

They have allowed one touchdown in the first quarter this season while scoring 82 points. Moorpark has outscored opponents in every quarter and 224-117 overall. Moorpark is 6-2, 3-2 in WSC play, going into Saturday’s season finale at Hancock (4-4, 3-2).

Rank and file: Valley (7-2, 6-2), which lost to Chaffey, 23-14, dropped from 12th to 16th in the state and from sixth to ninth in Southern California in JC Athletic Bureau rankings. Moorpark, which beat Santa Monica, 21-14, is ranked 19th in the state and 12th in Southern California.

Bye-bye Bowl bid: Valley lost more than a game against Chaffey. The Monarchs also lost an opportunity to move back into a first-place tie with Antelope Valley in the Southern California Conference and gain a bid in the Southern California Bowl. Antelope Valley (7-2, 7-1), which dealt Valley its first loss last week, was upset, 34-28 by College of the Desert.

“I think our guys just thought it was going to be a blow out, another walk in the park,” Valley Coach Chuck Ferrero said.

While the Monarchs watched their bowl chances slip away, Chaffey celebrated as if it had just won the national championship.

“Put it this way,” Chaffey Coach Orest Stetkevich said. “It was our bowl game.”

The Chaffey win avenged last season’s 77-14 drubbing by Valley. The Panthers, who finished 2-8 last season, are 5-4 under Stetkevich in his second year with the program.

“There were some sophomores who talked to me about the pain of having to live with the 77 points,” Stetkevich said. “I think the biggest thing about the Valley game is that we got them into pressure situations and they haven’t been in many this season because they’ve been blowing people out. They got some jitterbugs and the heart was pounding.”

Dust off Rusty: Rusty Wilson, a freshman quarterback, will start in place of sophomore Barry Hanks for Valley Saturday against Victor Valley.

“He’s worked hard all year and deserves a chance to start,” Ferrero said. “This is a chance for him to get a taste of what it’s like to play under the gun.”

Thanks, but no thanks: Carey Snyder, who has coached volleyball at Cal Lutheran for three years and softball for six years, will leave the school to become associate athletic director at East Stroudsburg (Penn.) State. Snyder led the Regals to a 31-7 record in volleyball this past season and compiled an overall record of 65-38. Over the past two years, the softball team has had a 62-26 record.

Jim Buchheim, CLU sports information director, said Snyder wanted to stay at Cal Lutheran, but held a position that did not lead to tenured status. Snyder, who has a doctorate degree in athletic administration, had stayed the maximum of six years under the non-tenure plan and had been granted a one-year extension. But after the recently completed volleyball season, she was being forced to leave because, Buchheim said, “They like to keep people fresh.”

Longshots at Long Beach: Valley will be an underdog in the Southern California Community College water polo playoffs which begin Friday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Valley, which rallied to win the Southern California Conference championship last week, plays Long Beach City College (21-1), the top-ranked team in the state, in the first round.

The Monarchs (13-10) are the lowest seed in the eight-team, single-elimination tournament.

“The odds against beating them are really great,” Valley Coach Bill Krauss said. “I just have to get our guys to play above their potential.”

Teams under Coach Monte Nitzkowski, finishing his 35th year at Long Beach, have won or tied for the conference championship 31 of the past 32 years. Nitzkowski has coached four U. S. Olympic water polo teams including the 1984 team which won a silver medal.

Cross-country: Moorpark finished third in the WSC women’s cross-country standings and will compete in the Southern California Community College championships Friday at Irvine Park.

Ramon Perez is the only runner from the Moorpark men’s team to qualify. He placed seventh in the conference meet, finishing the four-mile course in 21 minutes, 11 seconds. Sophomore Debbie Ball will lead the Moorpark women, who finished 8-2 in conference.

Slim chance: Just when it appeared the season had finally ended for The Master’s College soccer team, the Mustangs can still earn a berth to the National Christian College Athletic Assn. championships. Biola knocked Master’s out of the NAIA District III tournament with a 4-1 victory last week.

But if Biola defeats Westmont on Saturday and wins an area playoff game, it will advance to the NAIA national championships and Master’s (16-5) will earn a berth to the NCCAA tournament.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Gary Klein, Gordon Monson and Ralph Nichols contributed to this notebook.