Reyna Is Key as La Verne Spreads Out

They knew it was coming.

But Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coaches were hoping that it might not be so strong so soon.

They were hoping that the La Verne offense wouldn’t get warmed up before conference play. Two SCIAC games and 82 points later, those hopes are gone.

And it was quarterback Willie Reyna back there, dashing them.

Reyna is no secret weapon. Last season, he set single-season Division III records for average gain per play, 11.97 yards, and completion percentage, 63.7%. He led the nation in total offense.

Teams have come up with defensive schemes to stop La Verne’s passing, but only cosmetic changes seem likely for the Leopards.

“Everyone knows we’re going to throw the ball,” Coach Rex Huigens said. “We threw it (last year) and we’ll do some other things throwing the ball that we didn’t do last year. But we would still like to run the ball.”

But if there has been a weakness in the Leopards’ offense, its has been the ground game. When the running backs are not effective, opponents simply line up and rush Reyna, as occurred in La Verne’s first two games.

In those games, Reyna threw only two touchdown passes as La Verne won and tied. SCIAC coaches had their hopes up.

But since then Reyna has thrown for seven touchdowns and nearly 500 yards. He is averaging 253 total yards.

Reyna is successful for various reasons, but one clearly is La Verne’s spread offense.

“I think it’s the offense of the ‘90s,” Huigens said. “Defenses haven’t found a way to stop the spread offense yet. We haven’t, and we do it every day and we haven’t really found a good way to (stop) it yet. . . . (But) I think it’s cyclical. I think in eight years, people are going to go back to the (wishbone). When people find out how to stop the spread offense, people will do something different.”

Said Huigens of Reyna: “His strength is that he’s a winner, but also he understands the game. If we have five guys in a pass route, he knows what we’re trying to accomplish. It isn’t just five guys running down there. He knows who he’s going to be checking to after he comes up to the line because he’s smart enough to analyze the coverage. Willie is just so good at finding (holes in the defense) and making the right reads and hitting the guys who are open.”

Reyna has also shown mobility in escaping heavy rushes and gaining ground when the run is available.

“I don’t feel like I have to (run), but if it’s there, I will.” Reyna said. “I don’t feel pressure to run or pass. If the opening is there, I’ll take it.”

Nor does he feel he has to lead by any way other than his work ethic.

“I’m usually a quiet guy and I just let the team play,” Reyna said. “I might get on them every once in a while, but they know what to do.”

At 3-0-1, they have been doing it.

*

In the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi, Occidental defeated Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, 34-20. It was the 94th meeting of the teams since the rivalry started in 1895. Occidental has a 50-41-3 lead in the series and has won the last 13 games.

Gary Little took his turn as the leader of the Occidental option offense by rushing for 90 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Before the game, 13 runners had carried the ball for the Tigers, none having gained more than 150 yards nor fewer than 140 for the season.

The victory gave Occidental another rivalry trophy that might have been found by rummaging through the attic.

Occidental won “the Shoes” from Whittier two weeks ago and this week added the “the Drum.”

Each year the score is painted to the side of the Indian style tom-tom.

After 94 years, though, they are running out of room for the scores. Perhaps they will switch to a bass drum.

*

Cal Lutheran’s women’s soccer team scored a huge victory last Friday, defeating UC San Diego at San Diego, 2-0.

UCSD was the top-ranked team in the Far West Region and had not lost in Division III in 53 games. The victory moved Cal Lutheran to No. 1 and dropped UC San Diego to No. 2 in the Far West poll.

It was a small measure of revenge for Cal Lutheran, which had lost to UCSD in the regional final last season.

Rachel Wackerman, Division III All-American and SCIAC player of the year last season, scored her ninth goal and freshman Jill Gallegos scored her first for the Kingsmen, who have won eight consecutive games, the last seven on shutouts.

In SCIAC play, Cal Lutheran has won 19 consecutive games, dating to last season. In SCIAC play this season, the Kingsmen have outscored opponents, 51-2.

*

Claremont-Mudd and Cal Lutheran will meet Saturday in a matchup of the SCIAC men’s soccer powers.

Those teams tied for the title last season and are undefeated in conference play so far this season. The rivalry is shaping up as to be one of the best in the Southland. A year ago, Cal Lutheran was awarded a berth in the playoffs largely because of a late-season victory over the Stags. Claremont-Mudd had won the earlier meeting.

Senior sweeper Jon Byers, a first team Division III All-American last season, leads the Stags. Claremont-Mudd also has one of the better goalies in Division III play in Tyler Snow.

Cal Lutheran is hardly short of firepower. All-SCIAC and All-Far West sweeper Dai Nguyen, a junior, leads the Kingsmen and five players have each scored 15 points this season, among them Willie Ruiz, who last year broke the school’s season scoring record with 21 goals and five assists.