TODAY’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Julian Has Finally Picked His Spot

Now that Trent Julian has settled on a position, it has proved very unsettling for opponents of Rancho Santiago College’s football team.

Julian, a sophomore, is playing wide receiver for the Dons, who play Golden West at 1:30 p.m. today at Orange Coast College in a Mission Conference Central Division game.

At La Quinta High School, Julian played quarterback, tailback, defensive back and wide receiver, depending upon where he was needed during a game.

“It’s nice just to have one thing to concentrate on now,” he said.

Julian is far and away the leading receiver in the Central Division this season with 43 catches.

Golden West’s Jacob Kulikoff is second with 25. Julian is averaging 13 yards a catch and has scored six touchdowns, including a 60-yarder in a 22-12 loss to Long Beach.

“We think of him as our big-play guy in the offense along with (quarterback) Richard Fanti,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said. “He can do so many things well.”

Julian needs 16 catches in Rancho Santiago’s final three games to break the school’s single-season mark of 58, set by Mike Herrington in 1981.

But for Julian, getting the record is of little importance because Rancho Santiago has struggled to a 2-5 record.

“I see the stats in the paper, or people point them out,” Julian said. “But I don’t care much about it unless we win.”

After Julian’s junior year at La Quinta, some four-year colleges showed interest in him, among them Colorado and Arizona State. But he hurt his knee in practice just before the start of school and was no longer the coveted player he once was.

Julian spent his senior year mostly at tailback, but that wasn’t really an option at Rancho Santiago last season because Estrus Crayton, a J.C. Grid-Wire All American was there. Crayton is now at USC.

Julian spent the first few days of his freshman season playing defensive back before switching to offense. He went on to catch 26 passes, averaging 15 yards a reception, and scoring five touchdowns as a freshman.

“I liked the hitting,” Julian said about playing on defense. “But in the end, I switched because of the chance to score touchdowns. There is nothing like that thrill.”

In today’s Mission Conference Central Division games:

Fullerton (5-2, 1-1) at Orange Coast (5-0, 0-2), 7 p.m.--OCC hopes to break a two-game losing streak that resulted in the Pirates dropping from No. 2 in the nation and out of the top 20. OCC running back Adrain Steen, despite being slowed by an ankle injury, has rushed for 524 yards this season. With 1,500 career yards, he is second on OCC’s all-time list behind Tony Accomando (1,873 yards).

Fullerton has lost fullback John Mountain, who has a pinched nerve in his neck, for the rest of the season, and tailback Brian Williams is slowed by an ankle injury.

Last Saturday, Hornet quarterback David Pierson completed 10 of 13 passes for 197 yards and rushed for 38 more as Fullerton beat Golden West, 24-14.

Rancho Santiago (2-5, 1-1) vs. Golden West (4-3, 0-2), Orange Coast, 1:30 p.m.--Golden West opened the season by winning four games, but has lost three in a row. The Rustlers are struggling on offense, averaging 22 points and 234 yards a game.

Rancho Santiago’s struggles have been mostly on defense, where injuries have been a factor. The injured players have now returned.

Quarterback Rich Fanti (96 of 168, 1,197 yards and 11 touchdowns) set Rancho Santiago’s career touchdown passing record (25) last Saturday.

Riverside (3-4, 2-0) at Saddleback (6-1, 2-0), 7 p.m.--The winner takes command in the race for the Central Division crown and a berth in the Simple Green Orange County Bowl. Saddleback, which rallied to beat OCC, 22-21, last Saturday, is sixth in the J.C. Grid-Wire rankings.

The Gauchos’ defense will have to play well to stop Riverside’s rushing attack, which averages 273 yards a game. The defense, led by lineman Damon Psaros, has allowed 114 yards a game. Saddleback also has run the ball well at times this season, averaging 193 yards a game.