Southwest College Will Play in First Bowl Game Saturday

L.A. Southwest College will make its first bowl appearance on Saturday at 7 p.m. The 15th-ranked Cougars (7-2-1) will meet College of the Desert in the Southern California Bowl at Palm Desert.

The Roadrunners, ranked 13th in the state, are the Foothill Conference champs with an 8-2 record under first-year Coach Steve Dostal. Desert is young, but balanced and often consistent. Its defense, which allows an average of 190 total yards a game, ranks third in the state.

“They have a solid football team,” said Southwest Coach Henry Washington. “They really play hard and they get after you. It should be a good game because we’re pretty evenly matched.”

Desert’s offense can also be productive. Freshman quarterback Joe Palomares ranks among the state’s top 25 with 125 of 251 attempts for 1,457 yards and 9 touchdowns.

He won’t find scoring easy against Southwest’s fierce defense, which is ranked 10th in the state and allows 249 yards a game, but in a much tougher conference than Desert.

Offensively the Cougars are in good shape with quarterback Craig Manigo in the driver’s seat. The freshman finished second in the Western State Conference with 136 passes for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“We chose to play them because they’re a young, up-and-coming football program,” said Desert assistant Coach Richard Davis. “We’re not on the same caliber as they are. They have a lot of athletic talent compared to us.”