County Schools Fare Well at State

As weekends go, the past one was about as successful as Orange County community colleges can expect.

Consider these accomplishments in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball and football:

--Orange Coast won the men’s soccer title Saturday at El Camino College, defeating neighbor and fellow Orange Empire Conference member Irvine Valley, 3-1, in the championship game. Lance Barker, Ali Mossadeghi and Brian Slayback scored in a 23-minute span in the middle of the first half. Darin Courter had an assist on each goal for OCC.

It was the second State title in three years for the Pirates and Co-Coaches Laird Hayes and Mauricio Claure.

--Golden West won its second consecutive women’s volleyball title with a three-game sweep of Cerritos in the championship match. It was the third title in four years for Golden West and Coach Albert Gasparian. Golden West finished 27-0.

“I know I’m living in a fantasy world,” Gasparian said about winning two State titles in a row. “It’s unreal.”

Golden West’s State volleyball title was the fourth of a possible six State championships that an Orange County school has won this fall.

Irvine Valley shared the women’s State cross-county title with Mt. San Antonio and the Golden West water polo team won the State title, both last month.

--Saddleback and Fullerton demolished highly-regarded opponents in football bowl games Saturday.

Saddleback ran over Cerritos, 42-18, in the Simple Green Orange County Bowl at OCC. The Gauchos’ Marcellus Chrishon set the bowl game’s rushing record with 207 yards. He also scored four touchdowns.

“These kids really worked hard and played well tonight, especially the offense,” Saddleback Coach Ken Swearingen said after the game. “It was their best game of the season by far.”

Saddleback finished 10-1 and improved Swearingen’s all-time record to 230-68-6 in 30 seasons. In the past 16 years at Saddleback, he is 132-37-1.

Swearingen is the second-winningest coach in the history of community colleges. The winningest--Fullerton’s Hal Sherbeck--also had a big day Saturday.

His Hornets blew past Santa Barbara, 45-13, in the 40th Shrine Potato Bowl in Bakersfield. Fullerton finished 8-3 and Santa Barbara ended 9-2.

Fullerton amassed 439 yards in offense, 299 rushing. Brian Williams led the way with 132 yards in 18 carries, including a nifty 85-yarder for a touchdown near the end of the first half to give Fullerton a 28-7 lead.

Running back Mike Carter rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns and had a team-high six receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns.

Pierson completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 38 yards in six tries, including a 32-yard scramble that set up Fullerton’s first touchdown.

Sherbeck is 241-71-8 after 31 years. After the game, he was asked about the possibility of retirement.

Sherbeck said he was evaluating things. “I don’t have a job. I just have a place where I go each day and I love it,” he said.

Community College Notes

Tony Siragusa, a fullback from Fullerton, suffered a lacerated spleen Saturday in the Potato Bowl. Siragusa passed out on the bus and was rushed to Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield where he had emergency surgery. Siragusa, from New Jersey, is recovering well and is expected to be released Thursday.