Redlands Appears Ready to Become Top Dog Again

It doesn’t matter that Redlands’ football team finished tied for third last season.

It doesn’t matter that more than half the coaching staff left to coach elsewhere.

It wouldn’t matter if they played without pads because the rest of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Assn. would still pick the Bulldogs to finish first.

Until last season, Redlands was so dominating that people were calling the SCIAC “Snow White and the Six Dwarfs.”

But Redlands finished 3-3 in conference play last season, 6-3 overall, and La Verne won the SCIAC title. So one might think that the other schools would be licking their chops.

Instead, they’re minding their manners.

There were whispers that Redlands became complacent last year. Sure, the rash of injuries that hit the Bulldogs was real, but in the past they simply plugged in new players. If only modestly, opponents enjoyed last season.

Now they’re afraid the monster is awake again.

“Although I didn’t see it, complacency may have been a part of it last year,” Redlands Coach Mike Maynard said. “I don’t want to make excuses, but we did have a lot of injuries and our (reserves) were not ready. That may have been my fault. This year I am confident our kids will play hard and really care.”

They cared on Saturday, and it showed.

Redlands opened by beating Azusa Pacific, 31-14. The Bulldogs showed they plan to run more this year. Fullback Matt Figueroa scored three times and tailback Anthony Jones rushed for 115 yards in 26 carries.

“Figueroa looks like he’s the other part of the one-two punch with Jones,” Maynard said. “He’s the key to the inside running game, but if you’re going to stop Redlands--you have to stop Jones.”

That didn’t happen often last season. Jones rushed for 1,042 yards in nine games, scored 11 touchdowns and averaged more than six yards a carry.

The defense is led by middle linebacker Brett Wixom, who was the SCIAC player of the year as a sophomore before injuries kept him out of most of the last two seasons. Along with free safety Gary Giannoni, Wixom leads a very physical defense.

Still, Maynard doesn’t want to be the favorite.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “We’re not with La Verne and Occidental yet.”

No, they might be a shade above.

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Even if Redlands comes back strong, no one will be stunned if La Verne repeats as SCIAC champion.

Certainly the Leopards (7-2 overall, 6-0 in the SCIAC last year) have the offense to keep them in a lot of games--they beat Menlo last Saturday, 42-38. But Coach Rex Huigens is concerned.

“Even with all those points, the offense has a lot of things to work on,” he said. “We got a lot of big plays but didn’t put together very many long drives.”

That is bound to happen in La Verne’s double-slot offense--a spread-out version of the run-and-shoot. Sophomore receiver Anthony Rice, a big-play man, scored on 65- and 79-yard pass plays. Junior quarterback Ryan Campuzano, in his second season as a starter, can run the offense as planned.

Occidental (8-1, 5-1) presents a different set of problems with its triple-option running game. After scoring twice in last season’s opener, the Tigers increased their scoring total for six consecutive weeks--culminating in a 68-point effort against Claremont Mudd.

Most of the players return, foremost among them quarterback Davin Lundquist. Lundquist led the team in rushing with 880 yards and 11 touchdowns and passed for six more scores.

Cal Lutheran (5-4, 3-3) and Whittier (4-5, 3-3) are enigmas.

Most SCIAC coaches believe that Cal Lutheran will be a big factor in the race with its strong defense.

But replacing quarterback Adam Hacker will be difficult. How well Ryan Huisenga, his replacement, develops will be a main factor in Cal Lutheran’s success.

Whittier is a young team--35 freshmen and 10 junior college transfers--that will probably surprise some teams.

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Azusa Pacific and Chapman will play independent schedules.

Chapman, which will field a team for the first time in 62 years, already has people worried.

More than one SCIAC coach referred to Chapman as loaded with talent. Huigens said, “The (SCIAC) is very fortunate they’re not in it, otherwise it would be a lot tougher.”

Former Whittier coach Ken Visser recruited well from both high schools and junior colleges. His first test will be at Whittier on Saturday at 7 p.m.

This will be the final season for Azusa Pacific Coach Jim Milhon, who has coached the Cougars since 1978. He will retire after the season. He has 29 players back from last year’s 3-6 team.

College Division Notes

Cal State Los Angeles is off to a great start in fall sports. The women’s volleyball team, ranked 10th, is 9-0 after two tournaments. That ties a school record for consecutive victories. The men’s soccer team, ranked 17th, is 4-0 after one tournament. The second-ranked women’s cross-country team won the Whittier Invitational Saturday. . . . Azusa Pacific was named by the NAIA as the winner of the men’s all-sports trophy.