Today’s Football Games : Teammates Profit From a Learning Experience

Three years ago, Mike Jepsen, George Rey and Derrick Watkins played together on the offensive line at Marina High School.

They were part of a team that started 0-5, then won five consecutive games and the Sunset League title in 1986.

As seniors, they all had enough size, skill and strength to pique the interest of some of the better Division I programs. But they lacked the grades to attend a Division I university. So it was off to Golden West College for all of them.

Now, thanks to the community college system, all three appear to have their academic lives in order, and could get another chance at a Division I scholarships.

“They are probably the best three recruits we have,” said Golden West Coach Ray Shackleford, whose team plays at El Camino at 7:30 tonight in a Mission Conference game.

“They all have really good size and strength, and can play on the next level.”

Jepsen, 6-foot-4 and 265, is the only one of the three who has remained on offense.

Rey (6-4, 255) and Watkins (6-5, 252) have switched to defense. Jepsen was a senior on the 1986 Marina team, Watkins and Rey were juniors.

Jepsen was a redshirt his first year at Golden West. He has started at tackle the past two. The added year has given him time to complete the required classes he needs to transfer.

Golden West had five sophomore starters during Jepsen’s first year at the college, so he spent his time lifting weights and learning the offense.

Now, Golden West coaches say, Jepsen has the talent to be one of the best linemen around.

“Some coaches tell me I need to get more aggressive,” Jepsen said. “It’s something I’m working on. My last game (a 32-9 victory over Southwestern) was a really good one for me in that regard.”

Rey almost quit football after high school because he was so depressed by his senior season, when Marina was 1-9.

“I didn’t have the grades in high school to go anywhere,” Rey said. “That’s why I wrote the whole year off. . . . I used to think about getting injured and how I wouldn’t have to play anymore. Now I’m thankful I didn’t.”

Thanks to summer-school classes and a new determination, Rey should be able to complete his general education classes and be ready to transfer at the end of the fall semester.

“Back in high school it sounded impossible to get a degree,” Rey said. “Now I’m about to do it. That’s amazing when I think about.”

Watkins came out of high school without ever getting a chance to play defense. He spent all his time playing on the offensive line. He wasn’t too sure if he was going to college, but when the Golden West coaches talked to him about moving to defense, his outlook improved.

“I always believed I had the defensive mentality,” he said. “It was just that I was playing offense. I guess you could say I was just a lackadaisical student in high school. Now I realize what the value of an education is.”

In today’s Mission Conference games:

Golden West (2-1, 2-0) at El Camino (3-0, 2-0), 7 p.m.--El Camino is ranked fourth in the J.C. Grid-Wire national poll and first in the Southland poll. The Warriors are averaging 275 passing yards a game, tops in the conference. Golden West has the best pass defense in the conference, allowing only 59 yards a game. Golden West also has seven interceptions, second-best in the conference.

Saddleback (0-3, 0-2) at Mt. San Antonio (2-1, 1-1), 1:30 p.m.--Saddleback is off to the worst start in the program’s history; now the goal is to stop the losing streak before it gets worse. This game will feature two strong running backs: Mt. SAC’s Leonard Russell, who leads the state with 547 yards, and Saddleback’s John Burns, who has 323 yards.

San Diego Mesa (2-1, 1-1) at Fullerton (1-2, 0-2), 7 p.m.--Fullerton has lost to two tough teams--Cerritos and El Camino--in the past two weeks. Things hardly get easier this week with Mesa, which appears to be the class of the San Diego County teams. Mesa defeated Cerritos, 22-19, last week.

Rancho Santiago (3-0), 2-0) at Southwestern (1-2, 1-1), 7 p.m.--Rancho Santiago is ranked seventh in the J.C. Grid-Wire poll and second in the Southland Poll. The Dons figure to have too much offense for Southwestern. Rancho Santiago is averaging a conference second-best 439 yards per game. Most of the yards belong to wide receiver Paul Peters and running back Estrus Crayton. Peters is averaging 149 yards in total offense a game and Crayton 148 yards. Crayton also leads the conference with six touchdowns.

Orange Coast (2-1, 1-1) at San Diego City (0-4, 0-3), 7 p.m.--OCC should have little trouble as City continues to struggle. The Knights have allowed 161 points in four losses.