Vaqs look to topple Corsairs
GLENDALE — At some point, the Glendale Community College football team figures it will eventually win a game and at least one close finish will go its way.
While four consecutive close losses have tugged at Vaquero third-year Coach John Rome’s heartstring, more than anything, he would just like for a victory to come sooner than later.
Glendale will once again try for its first win of the season when it battles host Santa Monica City College in a Pacific Conference American Division contest at 6 p.m. today.
The Vaqueros come in at 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the division, while Santa Monica is 3-5, 1-3. The Vaqueros have lost four games in a row by six points or less, including a 27-21 setback against visiting Santa Barbara on Saturday at Sartoris Field.
“Again, it’s like another nightmare for me,” Rome said. “We played extremely hard and just couldn’t close the door.
“Maybe it’s just bad karma. The first couple of times it happens, you must be snake bit. Now, it’s four games in a row where we’ve been close. I appreciate that our players are still competing and fighting. We will just go out there and continue to fight.”
The Vaqueros dug themselves quite a whole against Santa Barbara, falling behind, 27-7, at halftime before putting together a rally that fell short in the final minute of the contest.
Rome suggested the Vaqueros might be in line for a victory if they could play consistently for 60 minutes.
“We just seem to be in some sort of a fog, especially in the second quarter,” said Rome, whose team will conclude its season Nov. 12 with a division road game against L.A. Southwest College. “We play our second halves extremely well, but we need to be much better across the board throughout our games.”
Against Santa Barbara, Glendale’s last drive culminated in quarterback Steve Batista being intercepted at the Santa Barbara 27-yard line with 42 seconds remaining. Batista, who Rome said might start today, tossed a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver Patrick Donahue. Batista completed 15 of 31 passes for 219 yards and one interception.
Santa Monica has lost five of its last six games, including a 24-11 division defeat against host L.A. Valley on Saturday.
“Santa Monica is going through its struggles, too,” Rome said. “For us to get a victory, we are going to have to play great defense for four quarters and get more improvement offensively.”
The Vaqueros are averaging 23.6 points per game, good for fifth in conference. Santa Monica is averaging 19.4 points per game for last in conference.
On defense, Glendale is yielding 34.9 points per game (sixth in conference), while Santa Monica is surrendering 28.1 (second best in conference).
