Notebook : Glendale Ready for Everything Except Bus With No Cooling System

John Cicuto spent all of last week preparing his Glendale College football team for the adversity the Vaqueros were sure to face during their game at Bakersfield College.

Cicuto talked about the crowds, which often exceed 10,000, and the referees, who sometimes seem to bow to the wishes of the masses.

The one thing Cicuto couldn’t prepare his team for, however, was the bus.

The Vaqueros left Glendale at 3 p.m. for their 7:30 game in Bakersfield, but were slowed when the bus overheated in Burbank.

“We were preaching adversity all week and we had it five minutes after we got on the bus,” Cicuto said.

With no spare buses available, the Vaqueros stayed aboard and endured a slow ride, with the bus frequently pulling over to cool off.

Glendale arrived in Bakersfield at 7 and played the Renegades to a 19-19 tie.

“We obviously would have preferred a win,” Cicuto said. “But under the circumstances, I thought our players handled the situation very well.”

He’ll take it: Cicuto is hoping that he’ll be able to enjoy the festivities that surround Saturday night’s game between Glendale and Pierce at Glendale High.

Glendale is still searching for its first win after a season-opening loss to Pasadena and last week’s tie.

Glendale overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter at Bakersfield and escaped with a tie on David Bowen’s field goal with six seconds left.

“The way we came back makes me feel confident that we are getting better and that we will be a very fine football team by the end of the season,” Cicuto said.

Up and coming: Glendale faces a Pierce team that has responded to the presence of Bill Norton, a former assistant coach at Glendale who is now the offensive coordinator at Pierce.

The Brahmas, who finished 1-9 last season, have defeated East Los Angeles and lost to Santa Barbara. They are averaging 30 points a game.

Norton scouted for Glendale in 1987 and coached the Vaquero running backs in 1988 before joining Bob Enger’s staff at Pierce.

“I think he’s (Norton) the main reason their program has turned around,” Cicuto said.

Lost in the shuffle: While Occidental’s Gary Little and Pomona-Pitzer’s Chris Smith dueled Saturday to see which of the freshman tailbacks would end up with the most yardage, Occidental fullback Malek Doulat quietly stole the spotlight.

Little gained 215 yards in 24 carries to outdistance Smith--who rushed for 191 yards in 29 carries--as Occidental defeated Pomona, 24-14.

Meanwhile, the 5-foot-9, 193-pound Doulat had more workmanlike numbers--82 yards in 25 carries --but had several key third-down runs that resulted in first downs.

On the fast track: Patrick Pearson of Sunland was named Most Improved Driver in the LuK Clutch Challenge International Sedan Series sponsored by the International Motor Sports Assn.

Pearson, 38, drove a Nissan 200SX in the 10-race series contested at tracks throughout the United States. His best finish was eighth place in the series finale at Sears Point near Sonoma, Calif.

Horse sense: The Flintridge Riding Stables is playing host this week to the Flintridge Amateur Horse Show and $25,000 Samsung Grand Prix.

The event, which begins today and continues through Sunday, is expected to attract more than 400 competitors from throughout North America.

Competitions will be held in several equitation and jumping classifications.

The Grand Prix, a World Cup qualifying event, will be held Sunday.

Clinic: UCLA is sponsoring a clinic for high school basketball coaches Oct. 21 at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA head coach Jim Harrick, Pat Foster of Houston, Sonny Smith of Virginia Commonwealth and Steve Popovich of Marina High in Huntington Beach are the featured speakers.

Information: 213-206-6276

Paper chase: The Occidental football team has improved its record to 2-1 as the result of a clerical error by Azusa Pacific.

Occidental, which lost to Azusa Pacific, 14-0, two weeks ago, was awarded a 2-0 forfeit win this week because Azusa Pacific used a player who was ineligible due to a transcript discrepancy.

Cliff Hamlow, athletic director at Azusa Pacific, declined to identify the player who played in two series against Occidental.

At the time, the school was awaiting an official transcript from the player’s previous school.