COLLEGES : L.A. Southwest Lives Up to Coach’s Prediction

Before the season, L.A. Southwest College football Coach Henry Washington said he had the best team in school history.

It was a risky statement, considering that memories of the 1989 team that finished 7-3-1 overall and 7-2 in the Western State Conference were still vivid. Southwest’s success that year led to the school’s first-ever bowl invitation.

But Washington insisted that the 1991 Cougars were better, despite losing his starting quarterback, top wide receiver and most of his offensive linemen from a 1990 team that finished 4-6 and 3-6 in WSC play. The new starting quarterback, Jesse Wallace, was a tailback in 1990.

But the Cougars lived up to Washington’s billing, finishing 7-2-1 and 7-1-1 in the WSC. They earned a berth in the Dec. 7 Southern California Bowl at Antelope Valley, where they will play Antelope Valley College.

“For us to do as well as we’ve done this year is a plus for our community and it’s a tribute to the student-athletes we have here,” said Washington, who is also the school’s athletic director. “It just proves that if you’re consistent and firm in your beliefs, things will happen.”

Southwest opened with a 36-29 loss at Citrus College, but the Cougars bounced back with a four-game winning streak that included victories against cross-town rival Harbor, Glendale and Moorpark, which was undefeated and ranked third in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau.

Southwest’s win streak came to an end with a 7-7 tie against L.A. Pierce on Oct. 26. The Cougars then beat L.A. Valley and community college powerhouse Bakersfield on the road. Southwest lost, 21-14, to WSC Southern Division champion Santa Monica the following week, but shut out West L.A. College, 22-0, in the regular-season finale.

Wallace proved to be a solid quarterback, but Southwest’s fierce defense has played the biggest role in its success. The Cougar defense ranked among the league’s top two throughout the season.

“As the season progressed, we got a little stronger and a little more confident defensively,” Washington said. “We had a lot of young kids and it was their first time out against Citrus, and they panicked. A lot of it is me demanding so much discipline.”

A victory over Antelope Valley, the runner-up in the Foothill League, would be Southwest’s first bowl victory. In 1989 the Cougars lost, 17-3, to College of the Desert in the Southern California Bowl at Palm Desert.

For the first time in five years, the El Camino College football team will not play in a postseason bowl, and Coach John Featherstone is crying foul. He says El Camino, which finished 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the Mission Conference, is better than many of the teams that received bowl invitations.

The Warriors finished 3-1 in the Mission Conference Northern Division. Their only divisional loss was against Northern Division champion Cerritos.

“We’re very disappointed because we’re the only second-place team in the Southern Section that’s not going to a bowl,” Featherstone said. “Nobody wants to play us for obvious reasons. Five teams from the Western State Conference are going to a bowl and only four out of 16 teams in the Mission Conference are going to a bowl. The toughest conference in the state.

“There’s some heavy politics going on. I guess I just have to accept the fact that we’re not going to a bowl.”

Prior to this season, the Warriors were undefeated in Mission Conference Northern Division play (12-0) and played in four consecutive bowl games.

In 1987 the Warriors won the mythical national championship with an 11-0 record, including a Pony Bowl victory. In 1988, El Camino also won the Pony Bowl and finished 9-1-1. In 1989 the Warriors were Mission Conference champions and finished 10-1 after being upset by Riverside City College in the Orange County Bowl.

But El Camino struggled from the start this season, losing to College of the Sequoias, 54-27, in its home opener. The Warriors beat Ventura, 50-7, the following week, but lost their league opener to Saddleback, 36-8, on Sept. 28.

El Camino was inconsistent the rest of the season. It beat Rancho Santiago and Riverside in back-to-back conference games, then lost to Fullerton and Cerritos. But the Warriors finished strong by winning their final three, including a victory over highly ranked Pasadena City College on the road.

“I’m very proud of our football team,” Featherstone said. “Yeah, we’re disappointed that we didn’t have the kind of year we anticipated, but I’m proud of the way they finished. I always judge a football team by the way it finishes, and I’m proud at the way our guys finished.

“We have nothing to be ashamed of. We have a young team. We can’t win every year.”

It was a bittersweet ending to the collegiate volleyball career of Carolyn Hueth, a former West Torrance High standout. The Pepperdine senior setter was named West Coast Conference player of the year this week, but an injury will prevent her from participating in the NCAA playoffs with the WCC champion Waves (22-6).

On Nov. 9 Hueth broke two fingers in her right hand in what she calls a “freak accident.” Hueth says she was trying to stop a friend from getting out of a car when her hand got stuck in the friend’s leather jacket.

“It was an unfortunate accident,” Hueth said. “My fingers got stuck and they twisted.”

Hueth has a brace on the broken middle and ring finger and says doctors have practically ruled out releasing her to play in time for the playoffs. Hueth ended the season with a team-high 316 digs, 51 blocks and a .226 kill percentage.

“The hardest part was sitting on the sideline during our last home game,” Hueth said. “It was very emotional. Everyone wanted to know what happened. The match was on Prime Ticket and you could hear the announcers say ‘Carolyn Hueth is on the sidelines.’ It was hard.”

Notes

Two Loyola Marymount University volleyball players earned West Coast Conference honors. Outside hitter Deanna Doolittle made the All-WCC first team and setter Robin Ortgiesen (Mira Costa High) made the all-freshman team . . . Cal State Dominguez Hills forward Cheri Bullet and guard LaNell Ellison were named to the all-tournament team at last week’s Fresno Pacific tournament. Bullet averaged 13.5 points and 11 rebounds and she had 11 steals. Ellison averaged 11.5 points . . . Dominguez Hills junior setter Melissa Yeto was named to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. second team. Outside hitter Gale Derricott did not earn CCAA honors despite ranking among the nation’s top 10 in kills (451) and digs (465) . . . El Camino freshman Latario Rachal finished as the Mission Conference’s top all-purpose rusher with an average of 197.6 per game.