COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL : When It Comes to Kicking Game, Fullerton Is a Shoo-In for Success

As usual, Fullerton College opens the season with plenty of questions about its offense and defense.

But when it comes to the kicking game, Coach Hal Sherbeck has all the answers.

Fullerton returns kicker Eric Lange and punter Kevin Leon, who earned impressive accolades last season. Both were all-Mission Conference picks, and Lange was a second-team all J.C. Grid-Wire selection as well.

But when Fullerton opens the season at 7 tonight by playing host to Cerritos, neither will be leaning on past successes.

“You can’t think about last season. We are worried about the game this week,” Leon said, and Lange agreed.

Leon and Lange’s path to football was similar. Both played soccer in grade school. Neither played football until high school because of their mothers’ fears about injuries.

Both decided to go out for football in high school when they heard their teams needed kickers. Leon went to Esperanza and Lange attended Los Alamitos.

Although both punted, kicked off and kicked field goals in high school, they have different approaches to the game.

Leon stands amid the team on the sideline, caught up in the game. He averaged 38.7 yards per punt last season and trapped opponents inside the 20-yard line 13 times in 44 punts. His season best was 55 yards.

“I get really pumped up watching the game,” Leon said. “I just like watching football. Plus, you always have to be ready as the punter.”

Lange’s approach to the game is the antithesis.

He can be found at the far end of the bench, alone. He spends his time stretching and looking at the field once in a while.

“My mom calls him (Lange) the rubber-band man, he stretches so much,” Leon said.

Lange admits he doesn’t like to watch the game, but he remains aware of the situation so he can be ready. When called upon, he sings to himself to relax. And not some Top-40 tune. Instead, his tastes run toward such ballads as “Feelings.”

“I don’t know why, but the cornier songs seem to stick with me,” Lange said.

One can’t argue with his methods, considering the results. Last season he made 13 of 16 field-goal attempts, including a school-record 55-yarder. He also set the school record with 27 consecutive points-after-touchdown and was 30 for 31 on PATs for the season.

Other games tonight, all at 7 o’clock:

Cerritos (1-0) at Fullerton (0-0)--Cerritos defeated Palomar, 38-21, last Saturday. Experience won’t be Fullerton’s strength this season; the Hornets return only three starters from last season for Coach Hal Sherbeck’s 30th season.

Golden West (0-0) at Long Beach (0-1)--Golden West Coach Ray Shackleford starts his 25th season with perhaps his best defense, but the Rustlers still are looking for an offense. Long Beach’s game was a 30-0 loss to Orange Coast in which the Vikings gained only 171 total yards, many of which came after the OCC starters were off the field.

Rancho Santiago (0-0) at San Diego Mesa (0-1)--Rancho Santiago tailback Estrus Crayton is a preseason J.C. Grid-Wire All-American. Crayton rushed for 1,340 yards last season and was the co-most valuable player of the Mission Conference Central Division. Mesa lost to Mt. San Antonio, 27-6, last week.

Saddleback (0-0) at Santa Monica (0-0)--Saddleback would like a victory to help erase memories of last year’s 1-9 record, the worst in the history of the college and the 28-year career of Coach Ken Swearingen. Saddleback has made several coaching switches. Swearingen has taken over the defense, and Bill Cunerty, quarterback coach, takes over the offense.