The Colleges : Pierce Makes Sporting Gesture

After losing, 49-0, to Glendale on Saturday, the Pierce football team skipped the usual postgame handshake between teams, bringing cries of bad sportsmanship from the Vaqueros.

Pierce Coach Bob Enger said that the decision had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. Indeed, before the game even started he explained his hands-off policy--one he adopted as an assistant at East Los Angeles College in the early 1960s--to the Glendale coaches.

“Back then, one of our kids got decked and lost some teeth,” Enger said. “Everyone was a little paranoid.”

Enger concedes that abstaining can be a bit embarrassing, however.

“It’s not so bad when you win,” he said. “But it looks terrible when you lose.”

And after many of the Pierce players complained Saturday, Enger has reconsidered.

From now on, the Brahmas will comply with traditional etiquette.

“I wanted to make sure we didn’t have any psychos on the team,” he said. “We don’t need an ugly incident--the scores get ugly enough.”

Pierce is 0-3 and has been outscored, 90-20.

A stake in the outcome: Fortunately for its coaches, the Moorpark College football team has not been shutting out opponents as often as it did last season.

Every time the Raiders blank an opponent, Moorpark coaches reward defensive players by buying steak dinners. After the Raiders posted back-to-back shutouts at the start of last season, the coaches--out of their own pockets--bought 75 pounds of tri-tip steak to feed the hungry players.

This season’s order of beef is still on hold, however. Moorpark (3-0) has yet to post a shutout, which is OK with Coach Jim Bittner.

“Last year, it got to be where you wished the other team would score because it was getting so expensive,” Bittner said.

QB or not QB: Tim Zeddies learned that he was starting at quarterback for Cal Lutheran 10 minutes before the Kingsmen took the field against UC Santa Barbara last week.

However, Coach Bob Shoup does not plan to wait until the last minute again before picking a quarterback to face Cal State Northridge on Saturday.

“You can’t be playing musical chairs with the quarterback when you get into the Northridge game,” Shoup said.

Zeddies and junior Jim Bees have both been unable to move the Cal Lutheran offense, and Shoup says he still does not know who the starter will be against the Matadors. In fact, he is convinced it really does not matter.

Said Shoup: “I don’t think I would feel real comfortable having Joe Montana as quarterback against Northridge.”

Cal Lutheran (2-2) has been outscored, 57-26, in the past 2 games and failed to score a touchdown last week. And the Kingsmen must face Northridge (3-1) in their Western Football Conference opener.

“Our offense has not matured to the point that we’re really ready for the WFC,” Shoup said.

Key kicker: Cal Lutheran’s game program and media guide include a section on opponents that lists the competition’s “key returning player.”

The entry for Northridge is a rather curious choice: Trent Morgan, the punter.

Morgan was statistically among the best punters in the Division II last season and is averaging 42.5 yards a kick this season.

Still, considering the numbers put up by tailback Albert Fann, it was a curious choice.

Last year, Fann gained 822 yards rushing and was the top Division II kickoff returner.

Good catch: John Bankhead, Cal Lutheran’s senior wide receiver, is the WFC’s top receiver in number of receptions and yardage. Bankhead has 25 catches for 922 yards--a 36.9-yard average--and 2 touchdowns.

Injury update: Lance Harper, who alternated with Fann as Northridge’s tailback for the first 3 games, is still limping noticeably on an injured right knee.

Harper sustained a bruised knee in the second half of CSUN’s game at Idaho State 2 weeks ago. It originally was thought that he might miss the rest of the season. Then the prognosis was for about 2 weeks. Now, it looks as if it might be 3 or 4 weeks.

Harper said Tuesday that he definitely will miss Saturday’s game at Cal Lutheran and probably will miss CSUN’s Oct. 15 game at home against defending WFC champion Portland State.

Top players: Glendale running back Sean Hampton and Valley defensive lineman Mike Davis were selected Western State Conference offensive and defensive players of the week for their performances last week.

Hampton, a transfer from Hawaii, carried 18 times for 142 yards and a touchdown in the Vaqueros’ 49-0 victory over Pierce. Hampton is third in the conference in rushing with 303 yards. Moorpark’s Larry Roberts (383 yards) leads the WSC and Valley’s Roman Carter (324) is second.

Davis (5-11, 245 pounds) had 4 tackles, 3 assists and 2 sacks in the Monarchs’ 35-7 win over L. A. Southwest. Valley held L. A. Southwest to 39 yards rushing.

Statwatch: A significant reason the Glendale football team has won 3 games in a row is that opponents have lost 14 fumbles. In all, opponents have fumbled 22 times, an average of 7.3 times a game.

Bum knee: Carole Fetro’s return as a volleyball player will have to wait. The Pierce freshman, 21, tore knee ligaments during a match Friday against Bakersfield and likely will miss the rest of the season.

Fetro, a starting setter, was instrumental in Pierce winning its first three Western State Conference matches.

Roadrunner roll: The Cal State Bakersfield soccer team, which had not won a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game in 6 seasons, ended its streak Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Chapman. The Roadrunners were 0-87-2 from 1982-87.

Bakersfield was 8-0-1 during the preseason, but there was some doubt if the Roadrunners--who have no seniors in the starting lineup--were for real because the majority of victories were over NAIA schools.

The win over Chapman, however, helped solidify Bakersfield’s position as a potential contender for the CCAA title, which CSUN has won 4 consecutive years.

Bakersfield plays host to Northridge on Wednesday.

“I think it will take another year or so before we’re really up there. But we’re confident we can beat anybody in the conference,” Bakersfield Coach Simon Tobin said.

Harboring hopes: Valley College, which trounced L. A. Southwest, 35-7, last week, travels to Harbor on Saturday night for a WSC game against the Seahawks.

Valley’s offense looks like it is beginning to roll, but the Monarchs are still likely to be somewhat of a break for Harbor (1-3, 1-1 in conference play), which has suffered defeats to powerful El Camino, Taft and Bakersfield.

“We’ve played three of the top teams in the country, so we’ve had our taste of good football,” said Harbor Coach Chris Ferragamo, whose team beat Pierce for its only win. “My kids are holding up great.”

Hobbling Duck: Dondre Bausley grew up in South-Central Los Angeles, a few miles from the Coliseum. On Saturday, the former all-state tailback from Valley College returns to his old stomping grounds when Oregon visits USC.

Bausley, who rushed for 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns for the Monarchs last season, is a reserve behind starting tailback Derek Loville, who has rushed for 510 yards for the unbeaten Ducks (4-0). Bausley has been hampered by a groin injury since fall practice began and has played in just 1 game. He gained 18 yards in 4 carries during Oregon’s 49-0 season-opening win over Cal State Long Beach.

“I’m really excited about coming to play in the Coliseum,” said Bausley, who played at L. A. Baptist High. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to do all my life.”

Sam Farmer and staff writers Ralph Nichols, Mike Hiserman and Gary Klein contributed to this notebook.