Struggling Southwest Is Latest Victim of Glendale, 35-6

The Glendale College football players are rapidly becoming the Freddy Kruegers of the Western State Conference.

While WSC schools such as Moorpark and Bakersfield have been stealing the limelight and the rankings this season, the Vaqueros quietly have been waiting in the shadows each week, only to jump out on Saturdays and carve up another opponent like a Halloween pumpkin.

The victim Saturday was Southwest, which was left to pick up the pieces after a 35-6 beating at the hands of the Vaqueros in a WSC game at Glendale High.

Glendale, which buried highly regarded Bakersfield, 41-16, a week ago, has won three in a row. The Vaqueros (4-1) will open WSC North Division play against Santa Barbara on Saturday, and Coach John Cicuto realizes it is only a matter of time until opponents begin to take the Vaqueros seriously.

“I really think a lot of teams look at us and think we’re not a very good football team,” Cicuto said. “But with each victory, teams are going to have to give us some respect.

“I don’t care about the ratings. To be rated is like the kiss of death.”

The Glendale defense, which came into the game limiting opponents to 12.8 points a contest, manhandled the Cougars, holding them to 100 yards and only four first downs.

The Vaqueros limited 250-pound Takim Brown, the WSC’s fifth-best rusher, to 13 yards in six carries and held Bobby Savannah, the conference’s No. 2 passer, to 53 yards on eight completions in 17 attempts. They also sacked Savannah three times.

Southwest’s Katia Ransom, the second-leading scorer in the WSC coming in, never saw the end zone and had only three receptions for 18 yards.

“Our defense is smaller than last year,” Glendale linebacker Pat Kennelly said, “but we’re a lot quicker--and a lot meaner.”

Glendale started slowly on the other side of the ball. In fact, the Vaquero offense contributed to a Southwest touchdown before scoring any points of its own as Darl Cash scooped up a Pathon Rucker fumble and went 94 yards for a touchdown early in the first period.

By game’s end, however, three Vaquero running backs--Rucker (111 yards in 24 carries), Leon Gable (89 yards, 11 carries) and Andy Cleland (70 yards, 15 carries--had rushed for a combined 270 yards.

Rucker scored on runs of one and eight yards and Gable added a dazzling 31-yard touchdown run in the third period, catching his balance with one hand on the ground before cutting back to the end zone.

“We don’t have any second-string running backs--they’re all first string,” Glendale running backs coach Keith Johnson said. “If one guy goes down, another steps up and takes his place.”

Vaquero quarterback Eric Kiesau completed eight of his first 10 passes and finished 12 of 18 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Kiesau threw a 47-yard scoring pass to Keith West late in the first period to put Glendale ahead for good, then added a 13-yard touchdown toss to tight end Troy Aldrich in the third quarter.

Aldrich finished with five catches for 45 yards and wide receiver Angel Martinez had two receptions for 55 yards.

All told, Glendale rolled up 480 yards in offense against a Southwest team that had been giving up 293 per game--the fifth-lowest average in the conference.

Harbor 27, Santa Monica 14--Sophomore Damon Moore scored two touchdowns as the visiting Seahawks started the season 5-0 for the first time since 1965.

Moore scored on runs of two and one yard and Jon Williams made field goals of 29 and 35 yards for Harbor (4-0 in Western State Conference play).

T.J. Palaita gained 108 yards in 12 carries for the Seahawks, who beat the Corsairs (1-4, 1-3) for the first time since 1974.