Keysaw in Position to Tighten Moorpark’s Grip on WSC

During his five seasons as an assistant with the Bakersfield College wrestling team, Paul Keysaw watched as Moorpark beat the Renegades four times in dual matches and tied once.

Keysaw hopes the trend continues.

That’s because Keysaw is has become the Moorpark coach, replacing John Keever, who gave up coaching after last season to concentrate on his job as athletic director.

Keever’s teams won two state titles and 17 Western State Conference championships in 27 seasons and Keysaw is trying to keep Moorpark’s rich wrestling tradition alive.

“I don’t think I could have asked for a better situation to be in,” said Keysaw, a former NCAA champion at Cal State Bakersfield. “I feel real lucky to have [Keever] here to guide me around for these first couple of years.”

So far, Keysaw is doing just fine. The Raiders are 5-1 in dual matches and last week placed second in a tournament at Sacramento.

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Valley football Coach Jim Fenwick says his staff has a friendly relationship with their Bakersfield counterparts, but all of that was lost on Monarch assistant Rob Phenicie last Friday night.

After Valley upset host Bakersfield, 24-14, Phenicie banged his hands on a wall in the coaches’ booth in the Memorial Stadium press box and several times screamed, “This is our house.”

The Bakersfield coaches, in a closed booth at the other end of the box, apparently didn’t hear Phenicie but everyone else did.

Score 10 for a tremendous victory for Valley and 0 for lack of class by one of its representatives.

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The Monarchs were paid an undisclosed amount to switch the game to Bakersfield, with the permission of the WSC, but they might not get another offer soon.

Valley has defeated the Renegades twice in a row at Memorial Stadium and handed second-year Coach Dallas Grider his only two losses at Bakersfield.

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Valley pulled off two fake punts and an onside kick, meeting its trick quota for one month, but none led to scores.

One of the plays, however, put an extra twinkle in Fenwick’s eyes.

On fourth and seven from the Bakersfield 48 in the first quarter, wide receiver Eric Carpenter took the snap in punt formation and connected with Tyler Fenwick on a 25-yard pass play.

Tyler Fenwick, a receiver from Chaminade High, is in his first season playing for his father.

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After planning to start a women’s water polo program, Pierce was forced to abandon the idea.

“There weren’t enough women who knew how to swim well enough for us to teach them how to play,” said Mike Garibaldi, the men’s coach who would have been an assistant on the women’s team.

This is the first season of sanctioned women’s water polo for California junior colleges. Schools competed as clubs last year.

There are 20 schools participating, none from the Valley area.

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Garibaldi is happy with the showing made by the men’s team despite a 2-11 record going into a WSC game with powerful Cuesta on Wednesday. The Brahmas won only one game last season.

“We are playing a lot better, but we haven’t been able to turn the corner to win more games,” Garibaldi said. “We’ve been in close games. Last year, we just got blown away.”

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The Pierce water polo and swimming teams have struggled the past few years but at least they have a pool to call their own, thanks largely to Fred Shaw’s fund-raising efforts.

Shaw, swimming coach since 1992, held a swim-a-thon Sunday at the pool that attracted about 150 people and pledges of about $7,000 to $8,000.

It’s the fourth time Shaw has organized the event, which raised $13,000 the first year.

“That’s the only community pool in the West Valley,” Shaw said. “We need to keep it open.”

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Sophomores Ramone Archie and Rahsaan Harrison could become the most prolific single-season running back tandem in Glendale history.

The two have combined for 708 yards this season, an average of 236.0 yards.

Bobby Webster and Wes Bender had 2,502 yards rushing (227.4 average) in 1990 and Sean Hampton and Doug Dragomer had 2,103 yards (175.2) in 1988.

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For Claudius Shropshire, the West L.A. sideline on the Pierce football stadium proved a bad place to be last Saturday.

Shropshire, the West L.A. cross-country and track coach, suffered bone-deep facial cuts from the cleats of a player who crashed into him.

The gash required cosmetic surgery and 100 stitches.

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Marcus Harvey is third on Valley’s all-time rushing list with 1,325 yards. He is 811 yards short of Dondre Bausley’s school record. . . . Junior Jeff Shea is up to his old kicks at Cal Lutheran, averaging 45.3 yards per punt. The former Santa Paula High quarterback set a Division III record last year with a 44.95-yard average. . . . Andy Bruininga is one of only two junior college transfers on the Pepperdine water polo team. Bruininga, a 6-foot driver who has scored four goals, was an All-American at Ventura College and at Royal High.