Community College Football : Miscione’s Wait Is Over, Rancho Santiago Debuts

Mike Miscione is an easy guy to find an hour or so before a Rancho Santiago football practice. He’s the one dressed in pads and ready long before many of his teammates are done eating lunch.

But he’s not doing a lot of running or stretching. Instead, he’s just sitting by the practice field with his helmet on, thinking, and waiting eagerly for practice to start.

“I like to get out there early,” Miscione said. “I guess you could say I’m not very patient. I just sit there and mentally go over things and think about what I have to do for that day or in the upcoming game.”

Miscione will be the starting tailback tonight (7:30) when Rancho Santiago opens its season at Citrus. Citrus (0-1) lost to Riverside, 15-12, last Saturday.

“That’s just part of his makeup,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said about Miscione’s routine. “He’s sort of hyper I guess. He uses the time before practice to get ready. We always see him sitting out there under a tree waiting for us.”

Miscione learned to wait a little last season backing up Glen Campbell. But he still rushed for 331 yards in 61 carries and scored 4 touchdowns.

His best game came against Grossmont when he rushed for 116 yards in 12 carries.

Miscione came to Rancho Santiago from Esperanza High School, where he led Orange County prep running backs in 1985. He rushed for 1,665 yards in 241 carries and scored 18 touchdowns.

He was recruited by several four-year colleges, including Rice and Cal Poly Pomona.

Rice assistants made four trips to watch Miscione play but when it came time to offer him a scholarship, Rice didn’t have any left, Miscione said.

This season, Miscione has set his goals high. He would like the team to win the conference and he would like to gain 1,000 yards. And perhaps another chance at a four-year school.

In other nonconference games:

Orange Coast at Rio Hondo, 1 p.m.--Bill Workman starts his third season at OCC with perhaps his best team. OCC was 5-5 in Workman’s first season and 8-2 last year. OCC was upset by Citrus in the final game to lose a share of the conference title to Saddleback. OCC goes with Mike Angelovic at quarterback. He played at Edison for Workman in 1985 and was a redshirt at Weber State in 1986. He backed up all-conference quarterback Keith Jarrett last season.

Saddleback at San Diego Mesa, 7 p.m.--Lance Stewart returns at quarterback for Saddleback. Stewart, 25, led Saddleback to an 11-0 record in 1981. Stewart then went to California on a scholarship but didn’t play again, so he still has a year of eligibility.