JUNIOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : WESTERN STATE CONFERENCE

West L.A. 32, Valley 28--After his team lost, 62-21, to Valley last year, West L.A. Coach Rob Hager swore he would not let his players forget the drubbing.

Apparently, they remembered.

Valley came into the Southern Division game at West L.A. with the WSC’s best offense, top rusher, top passer and leading scorer and still came away a loser to an Oiler team that entered the game winless in division play.

West L.A. (3-6, 3-5 in conference play, 1-3 in division play), which had not scored more than 28 points in a game, used its physical defense and an opportunistic offense to pull off the victory and all but end any hopes Valley (4-4-1, 4-4, 1-3) had of playing in a postseason bowl game.

“We’ve been hearing all year about their great (offensive) scheme and their great players,” Hager said. “If we believed that, we wouldn’t have even shown up.”

Valley produced 351 yards against the Oilers, who had been allowing only 212 a game--second best in the WSC. Joe Mauldin, the WSC passing leader, completed 19 of 33 for 184 yards and ran for a touchdown, and Howard Blackwell, the WSC’s leading rusher, gained 134 yards in 26 carries and scored on runs of five and six yards.

But the Monarchs turned the ball over twice in the second half and West L.A. capitalized both times to erase Valley’s 17-8 halftime lead.

The Monarchs’ Hector Ortega fumbled the kickoff to open the third period, setting up James Henderson’s six-yard touchdown run and Damon Williams’ conversion run that cut Valley’s lead to 17-16.

A 28-yard field goal by Jamie Ballesteros gave Valley a four-point lead, but West L.A. took the lead for good, 24-20, on Williams’ six-yard touchdown run late in the third period.

A Mauldin interception gave the Oilers the ball at the Valley 23 and set up a seven-yard touchdown run by Henderson. Henderson ran for the conversion to put West L.A. ahead, 32-20.

Jomo Gordon, who attended Valley last season, led West L.A. with 94 yards in 26 carries and scored on a three-yard run in the first period.