COLLEGE DIVISION : Azusa Proves Pleasant Surprise

The Azusa Pacific University football team has not been a stranger to the Division II rankings in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics in the last 10 years.

In fact, the Cougars were listed in the top 20 six times during that span.

But Coach Jim Milhon acknowledges that at the start of the season, the idea of a top-20 ranking was a longshot.

“We thought it was a possibility, but it was certainly a distant possibility,” he says. “It was something we weren’t really thinking about.”

With a team that had finished 4-5 in 1989 and a difficult schedule that included two NCAA Division II opponents, Milhon’s first goal at the start of the season was finishing with a winning record.

The Cougars assured themselves of that when they improved to 5-1 with a 27-0 victory over Menlo, a highly regarded NCAA Division III team from Menlo Park, Calif., on Oct. 20.

But with the team’s 24-7 victory over La Verne last weekend, the Cougars might have exceeded their expectations.

Not only has the victory lifted Azusa into the NAIA’s top 25 for the first time in two seasons at No. 20, it has also strengthened the school’s hopes for its first berth in the Division II playoffs. The Cougars need to finish among the top 16 teams to be considered.

For the Cougars to clear their final and most difficult hurdle, they will have to win their final two games of the regular season, against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday and the University of San Diego Nov. 10. Santa Barbara is 4-3 and has defeated the Cougars in three of their four previous meetings. San Diego is 6-2.

“UC Santa Barbara plays a very strong schedule and they will be very hard for us to get a win against,” Milhon said. “I was also impressed by San Diego’s victory over Menlo (28-14) last week. We know it won’t be easy, but we’ve risen to the occasion before and we just hope they can rise a little more.”

Azusa, which has been regarded more for its rushing attack in recent years, has won on the passing of senior quarterback Brian Hunt this season. Hunt has completed 157 of 302 passes for 1,908 yards and 13 touchdowns and is only 10 yards away from the school’s single-season record of 1,918 yards set by Greg Gano in 1978. He is also approaching Gano’s mark of 2,003 total yards.

“Brian has matured as a quarterback and our line has really protected him,” Milhon said. “Brian also has the ability to scramble and he has the ability to go out of the backfield with short passes.”

The Cougars have also flourished with a defense that ranks in the Division II top 10 in total defense and rushing defense. Azusa has given up an average of 78 yards rushing and 242.6 yards overall.

For the last two seasons, Redlands has played Occidental for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title only to fall short.

Coach Mike Maynard is hoping for a different result when the teams play for the conference title again Saturday night at Redlands.

“Hopefully, the third time will be the charm,” Maynard said.

Redlands, ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division III West Region last week, is 6-1 overall and Occidental, which has won six of the last seven conference titles, is 5-2. Both teams are 3 1/2-0 in the SCIAC, which uses a complicated method in figuring standings.

The Bulldogs are off to their best start since the 1970s, but Maynard is not surprised by their success.

“We been working very hard to build our program the last two years,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of these players since they were freshmen and now they’re juniors and hopefully they’re ready.”

Redlands has been led on offense by running backs Curt Landreth and Sean Trejo, quarterback Brian Harmon and wide receiver Kurt Bruich. Landreth leads the conference in rushing with 772 yards and Harmon leads in passing efficiency. The Bulldogs also lead the conference in rushing defense.

Occidental is led by freshman running back Brian Madlangbayan, who is second in the conference in rushing, and freshman quarterback Derrick Williams.

Cal State Northridge will be seeking a pair of firsts when it plays host to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for the Western Football Conference championship Saturday night.

Northridge, 7-1 and ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Division II, will be trying for its first outright conference title. The Matadors shared a title with Santa Clara in 1983.

A victory probably would result in the team’s first berth in the Division II playoffs. Northridge has a school-record seven-game winning streak.

But San Luis Obispo is also off to a 7-1 start and hoping for a playoff berth. The Mustangs have a 23-6 lead in the series, but Northridge won last year, 13-10.

College Division Notes

For the first time since 1987, the Cal State San Bernardino men’s soccer team has advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Coyotes, 14-5 and ranked No. 4 in the West Region, will play at UC San Diego, the region’s top-ranked team, at 1 p.m. Thursday. San Bernardino is led by forwards Todd Mapes with 14 goals and Rolando Uribe with 11. San Diego, rated No. 4 in Division III, has a 14-2-1 record and defeated host San Bernardino on Oct. 7, 2-1.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo men’s soccer coach, Wolfgang Gartner, got his 100th coaching victory with his team’s 4-0 triumph over Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. Gartner, who has coached the Mustangs for 11 years, has a 100-80-30 record. . . . It was a good day for SLO at the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. cross-country meet last Saturday at Bonelli Park in San Dimas. The Mustangs won an unprecedented 10th consecutive women’s title and their third men’s championship in a row. The women have also won eight consecutive NCAA Division II national titles. . . . Occidental won both the men’s and women’s titles at the SCIAC cross-country meet Saturday at La Mirada Park.