Coaches Throw Hands in the Air

The junior college football season kicks off Saturday for five of the region’s seven teams. But quarterback scrambling already is underway--by coaches.

On at least three practice fields, dogfights continue between players for the right to bark signals on Saturday night.

Valley, traditionally among the top passing teams in the state, has four quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Canyons and Moorpark each have three.

A clear starter has yet to emerge at Antelope Valley, Glendale or Ventura. Only Coach Bill Norton of Pierce, with Moorpark transfer Calvin Zinck in place, has chosen a starter for opening night.

“This is as deep a battle as we’ve had here,” Valley Coach Gary Barlow said. “Normally, there is a clear-cut guy during the summer.”

The Monarchs open Sept. 19 at Pierce. Barlow welcomes an additional week of practice because the race between sophomore left-hander Todd McLean and freshmen Eric Holtfreter, Mike Adams and Travis Winn is close.

“We film every practice and evaluate them daily,” Barlow said. “They get feedback. It is a very tight situation. It’s in their hands more than it is in mine.”

Chuck Lyon, first-year coach at Canyons, is sorting out sophomores Chris Kobe and Kevin Carrasco, and freshman Peter Dirksen from L.A. Baptist High.

They completed 20 of 29 passes with no interceptions last week in a scrimmage against San Diego Mesa.

“They were all over 70%,” Lyon said. “What am I supposed to do?”

Lyon, a former Canyons quarterback, grudgingly acknowledges he will begin the season with a rotation and hopes a front-runner will emerge.

“I don’t like doing it, but the situation warrants it,” Lyon said. “I know when I was a freshman I rotated and I didn’t like it. I wanted to be the guy. Who didn’t?”

Not every quarterback, it seems.

Coach Jim Bittner of Moorpark said he might platoon Farhaad Azimi, Brian Spencer and Scott Ange all season.

Bittner, in his 20th season at Moorpark, said he has worked the system to his advantage in seasons past.

“One year it was close, the two quarterbacks came to me and asked me to [platoon] them,” Bittner said. “We’ve had some unusual situations here where we’ve used two or three quarterbacks. You get your guys who are very equal in talent.”

Azimi, a 1997 Rio Mesa graduate, transferred from Brigham Young. Ange is a freshman from Thousand Oaks High. Spencer was the Raiders’ backup last season.

Moorpark has a bye this weekend and opens the season Sept. 19 at Ventura.

“We’ll evaluate them right through the first weekend,” Bittner said. “We won’t name a starter until game time.”

*

Pierce plays host to San Diego Mesa on Saturday at 4, a new kickoff time for Brahma home games.

Valley plays a late-afternoon game at Pierce the following week in the 31st meeting between the rivals.

Pierce, mired in a 28-game losing streak, might benefit from the change, Norton said.

“Playing at 7, we got out of here too late,” Norton said. “If we play at home, our players can drive home by 8:30.”

*

Too bad Moorpark can’t fill its open date this weekend by playing Santa Barbara in the Western State Bowl.

It won’t happen, of course. But players and coaches from both teams recall the disappointment they felt last December when the game was washed away by El Nino.

The bowl game was canceled because the field at Santa Barbara City College was submerged by heavy rains.

Passing thought was given to rescheduling the game before the idea was dropped.

The incident prompted a change in conference bylaws that require the annual game to be rescheduled, if needed.

*

Moorpark opens defense of its state wrestling championship Sept. 19 at the San Bernardino Valley dual meet tournament.

Moorpark plays host to perennial power Fresno on Oct. 1, the team’s first home meet.

Moorpark will host the state finals Dec. 4-5.