TODAY’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL : It’s Still Good News When Cunningham Gets the Ball

Doug Cunningham was considered one of the best running backs in Orange County when he was a senior at Huntington Beach High School in 1989.

When he went to Golden West College last season, Rustler Coach Ray Shackleford said one of his team’s primary goals was to get the ball to Cunningham.

He rushed for 294 yards, caught five passes for 35 yards and scored four touchdowns despite missing three games and parts of others because of a leg injury in 1990.

Now, a year later, Shackleford still wants the ball in Cunningham’s hands, but the coach is even more pleased when it happens, because it means a change of possession in Golden West’s favor.

During the summer, Shackleford approached Cunningham about moving from running back to strong safety because the Rustlers had several freshmen running backs and a hole to fill in the defensive backfield.

“I thought about it,” Cunningham said, “and decided that it would be best for me in the future because I don’t have 4.1 speed. I like hitting people, too.”

It took Cunningham about a month of practice to adjust to the position. He has two interceptions and is a force against the run for Golden West, which plays Saddleback in a Mission Conference Central Division game at 7 tonight at Orange Coast College.

Cunningham returned one of his interceptions 43 yards for a touchdown, against San Diego Mesa Oct. 5.

Cunningham also scored on a 51-yard punt return against Southwestern Oct. 12. And he is averaging 15.6 yards on punt returns, second-best in the conference.

“It’s a challenge,” Cunningham said about returning punts. “Most of the time I’ve got 10 guys running at me, because we normally rush the punter pretty hard.”

Cunningham was talented enough to earn a four-year college scholarship out of high school in football and perhaps volleyball, in which he was an All-Southern Section selection, but didn’t meet academic requirements.

Last year at Golden West, he started preparing himself academically and should be able to transfer after the spring semester, when he plans to play volleyball. Last year, Cunningham skipped volleyball so he could to concentrate on his studies.

“Volleyball is fun, especially on the beach,” Cunningham said. “But my future is in football, and I’m having a lot of fun playing right now.”

In tonight’s Mission Conference games:

Fullerton (6-2, 2-1) vs. Rancho Santiago (2-6, 1-2) at Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.--This is the 68th meeting of the teams and the oldest rivalry in Southern California. Fullerton holds a 32-31 advantage, and the teams have played to four ties.

The game has added meaning for Fullerton, which needs to finish with two victories to stay in the race for the Central Division title and a possible bowl bid.

Rancho Santiago has struggled this season and is coming off a frustrating 24-21 loss to Golden West. The Dons led, 14-0, after the first quarter, and were also stopped deep in Golden West territory on fourth down with about two minutes to play.

Orange Coast (5-3, 0-3) at Riverside (3-5, 2-1), 7 p.m.--This game matches teams that could have much better records. OCC started with five victories then lost its next two games by a total of four points. OCC lost to Fullerton, 38-30, last Saturday.

Three of Riverside’s five losses were by a combined total of four points.

Riverside will be without option quarterback Jack Manu, who suffered a mild concussion in a 28-14 loss to Saddleback last Saturday. The Tigers will go with left-hander Toby McFarland instead.

Saddleback (7-1, 3-0) vs. Golden West (5-3, 1-2) at Orange Coast, 7 p.m.--Saddleback is ranked seventh in the nation by J.C. Grid-Wire and fourth in the state poll. The Gauchos’ defense--led by tackle Damon Psaros--continues to perform well. Psaros, a sophomore, has 71 tackles, including 10 sacks. Both are team highs. Linebacker Penn Bushong is next on the list with 65 tackles, Sean Mallett has 53 and Todd Norman 50.

Golden West, traditionally a running team, has turned to the passing game more in recent weeks with quarterback John Shipp. He has completed 57 of 106 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns.