Spring-Heeled Norton Expects Pierce Revival

Spring is in the air, as the old saying goes, and Bill Norton is pretty upbeat.

Which hasn’t been the case recently.

For the first time in months, perhaps years, Norton is excited about his Pierce College football program.

“I’m very optimistic,” Norton said. “I asked myself, ‘How can we help our program?’ I decided we [coaches] could work harder at different things that require time and effort.

“I’ve hired a couple of position coaches with strong backgrounds and they are doing a great job talking with kids and recruiting players.”

Norton and the Brahmas, like other programs, are going through spring practice. In the past few seasons, they have been going through hell.

The Brahmas, once a national force, finished 0-10 last season and have lost 18 consecutive games. They won one game in 1995 and two games in 1994.

Norton said his program never received proper funding, that he was battling the likes of neighboring Valley, Moorpark and even Glendale with inadequate ammunition.

That hasn’t altogether changed, but Norton said he has decided to worry less about things he can’t control and focus more on fund-raising, recruiting and rebuilding the program.

And on winning again.

With powerful Valley entering next season with a yet-to-be-named coach to replace Jim Fenwick, who resigned in January to take over the Cal State Northridge program, Pierce could compete for the region’s high school players on a more level playing field.

Norton said he already has landed a few, improving his outlook after nearly leaving the program.

“If we had gone 1-9, I would have quit,” Norton said. “There’s no way I’m leaving after going 0-10.”

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To comply with gender-equity guidelines, Valley plans to field a women’s water polo team in the fall.

First, however, the team must find a coach.

Bill Krauss, Valley’s longtime swimming and men’s water polo coach, plans to help with the women’s squad but can’t take charge because of potential schedule conflicts with the men’s team.

“I’ve been doing a lot of recruiting,” said Krauss, in his 26th season at Valley. “We’ll have a good team.”

Krauss, chairman of Valley’s biology department, said women’s water polo is becoming more popular because colleges can put together teams inexpensively.

“Schools already have the pools and the equipment,” Krauss said. “Lots of the state colleges are getting women’s teams because of Title IX, but none of them have men’s water polo.”

Krauss and Valley’s swimmers will play host to cross-town rival Pierce in a Western State Conference meet Friday at 2:30 p.m.

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Good to see Canyons (22-10) ranked No. 9 in the state baseball poll. But no Glendale (21-11)?

The teams are tied for first place in the WSC Southern Division with 10-5 records.

Moreover, Glendale is 2-0 against Canyons this season.

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After starting the season with six losses, the Antelope Valley softball team, normally one of the state’s strongest, has pulled together.

The Marauders were 20-14-1 and led the Foothill Conference at 5-0 entering Wednesday’s home game against Chaffey.

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Apparently, Trisha Palmquist’s fractured leg has healed.

Palmquist, a Moorpark sophomore, scored 3,344 points and finished 10th in the Southern California Heptathlon Championships last week.

A guard on the Raider women’s basketball team that reached the state championships in March, Palmquist sat out several games because of the injury.