NOTEBOOK : Third Part of Quest Begins for Glendale

The Glendale High football team had three goals at the start of the season: finish its preleague schedule unbeaten; win the Pacific League and win a Southern Section championship.

As the Dynamiters open play in the Southern Section Division II playoffs tomorrow night at home against Camarillo, they are two thirds of the way to reaching their goals.

Glendale (10-0) concluded its first unbeaten season since 1962 and won its first Pacific League title last Friday with a 35-6 victory over Hoover in the 62nd meeting between the rivals.

Glendale was led by Hector Maya, who ran for three touchdowns and returned an interception for a touchdown--all in the second quarter.

Running back Pathon Rucker gained 209 yards in 18 carries. Rucker, a junior who has rushed for 1,767 yards, eclipsed the Glendale single-season record set by Shawn Hardy in 1979.

Hardy, who was on the Glendale sidelines during the game, held the previous record of 1,715 yards.

Camarillo (7-3), which gained the at-large berth after finishing fourth in the Marmonte League, features a wishbone attack led by quarterback Corey Tucker, who has rushed for 806 yards.

Trading places: Glendale was on the visitors’ sidelines in the double Homecoming game against Hoover even though that the game was played at Glendale High. Hoover, which plays its home games at Glendale, was the host team.

Playoff bound: St. Francis High opens play in the Division VII playoffs tonight at Glenn.

The Golden Knights, under second-year Coach Bill Garrison, finished 7-3 and in second place in the league. Glenn (8-2) was the runner-up in the Suburban League.

Season ender: Flintridge Prep, defending champion of the 8-man Division, lost to Faith Baptist, 76-30, in the first round of the playoffs Friday at Faith Baptist.

Flintridge Prep finished 4-5.

Big win: In what has to rate as one of its biggest victories in recent years, Glendale College clinched at least a tie for the Western State Conference Northern Division title with a 45-21 victory over Moorpark last weekend.

Glendale (7-2 overall, 7-1 in the WSC and 4-0 in the division) has won seven consecutive games since season-opening losses to Pasadena and Bakersfield. The Vaqueros can win the title outright and assure themselves of a bowl with a victory over Santa Barbara on Saturday.

“Our guys just put it all together,” Glendale Coach John Cicuto said of his team’s performance against the previously fourth-ranked Raiders. “We had close to a perfect game as far as execution was concerned.”

If Glendale beats Santa Barbara, which routed Compton, 52-20, last week, the Vaqueros will be eligible for the WSC Bowl and will also be a candidate for other bowls throughout California.

“The Moorpark game is moot if we don’t beat Santa Barbara,” Cicuto said. “Our players know that 7-3 is a good year. But 8-2 is a great year.”

Maybe next year: The Occidental football team concluded its season with a 42-10 victory over Pomona-Pitzer that gave the Tigers 6-3 record and hope for the future.

Quarterback Scott Thompson, a junior, passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns and finished the season as with a passing-efficiency rating of 183.4--highest in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In six games, Thompson completed 40 of 64 passes for 772 yards and five touchdowns. He had two passes intercepted.

Junior defensive back Jason Minami tied for the SCIAC lead with four interceptions.

Honor roll: As expected, Occidental forward Jos Bergmann was selected SCIAC Player of the Year in women’s soccer.

Bergmann, a senior, had a school record 30 goals and seven assists in 14 matches for the Tigers.

Halfback Marti Andeson was also named to the all-conference first team.

In men’s soccer, defender Glen Olsen, midfielder Carl Burmeister and forward Eric Strong, all seniors, were selected to the All-SCIAC first team.

Cathy Clarke, a senior outside hitter, was selected first team All-SCIAC in women’s volleyball.

End of an era: Glendale, Hoover, Flintridge Sacred Heart and Flintridge Prep began play in the girl’s Southern Section volleyball playoffs this week, but La Canada missed the playoffs for the first time since 1974.

The Spartans finished 6-8, 5-5 in the Rio Hondo League.

Full feet ahead: The Occidental men’s and women’s cross-country teams will compete in the NCAA Division III championships in Grinnel, Iowa, Saturday while the Glendale College men will run in the state junior college championships at Mt. San Antonio College.

Marcial Beltran led a 1-2-3 Occidental sweep in the men’s five-mile race at the Far West Regionals at Bonelli Park in San Dimas last Saturday.

Beltran, undefeated against Division III competition this season, won in a course record 26 minutes 4 seconds--his fourth of the season. Emmet Hogan and Jose Garcia placed second and third in identical times of 26:29.

The Tigers won the team competition with 23 points and UC San Diego was second with 86.

Laurie Schuster won the women’s 5,000-meter race to lift Occidental past UC San Diego, 39-51.

Glendale’s Hugo Allan Garcia (19:16) and Obed Aguirre (20:01) placed first and fourth in the four-mile race at the Southern California junior college regional meet at Irvine Park on Friday to guide the Vaqueros to a fourth-place finish with 107 points, two points behind third-place El Camino. Mt. San Antonio College won with 58 points and Long Beach was second with 72.

Glendale’s Nicole Jimenez qualified as an individual for the state meet for the second year in a row.

Staff writer Kirby Lee contributed to this notebook.