Rome reveling in first win
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 69th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the eighth meeting of the year.
SAY GOODBYE TO WINLESS SEASON
It took eight attempts, but Glendale Community College finally laid claim to its first victory. Glendale college avoided going winless Saturday with a 38-17 victory against host Santa Barbara City College in a Pacific Conference American Division contest.
“We went up there and played them well,” said Glendale college Coach John Rome, whose team improved to 1-7, 1-3 in the division and will meet division-leading Santa Monica City College at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sartoris Field. “We would have scored more, but we had four touchdowns called back because of penalties.
“It was a well-needed win. When we are at full strength, we believe we can compete.”
Glendale got another strong effort from running back Joe Wiggan, who rushed for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 22 carries. Quarterback Kevin Hunter made his first appearance since suffering a lacerated kidney Sept. 24 and completed 10 of 15 passes for 145 yards.
Now, Rome and Glendale are focused on Santa Monica (4-0 in the division).
“It’s going to be a statement game for us,” Rome said. “Our defense is getting better every week and we will show that we can play with anybody in our conference.”
FALCONS, NITROS SET TO MEET
Though Crescenta Valley and Glendale are going in opposite directions in the Pacific League, don’t tell Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling and Glendale Coach Alan Eberhart that Friday’s Pacific League game at Moyse Field doesn’t have any meaning.
The Falcons are 5-3, 3-2 in league and tied for fourth place with Muir. The Nitros are 1-7, 0-5 and tied for last with Hoover in league.
“It’s always a hard game to coach because you are going up against people you love,” said Eberhart, who previously coached Crescenta Valley for parts of 14 seasons. “It’s a game that’s emotional, fun and exciting and the goal is to give them a good game.”
Schilling, in his second season, said the Falcons will look to beat the Nitros and enhance their chances at moving a step closer to qualifying for the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division after a one-year absence.
“We are coming off our best effort, defensively and on special teams,” said Schilling, whose team recorded a 35-14 league win against Burbank on Thursday. “We know that we have to go out there and play our best game against Glendale.”
TIMES SPORTSWRITER VISITS CLUB
Veteran Los Angeles Times sportswriter Sam Farmer was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting. Farmer, a Wisconsin native and Montrose resident, spoke on an array of topics concerning the National Football League, a beat he’s covered at the Times since 2000.
Among the subjects he discussed ranged from football possibly returning to Los Angeles for the first time since 1994 and the maturation of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, projected to be the top pick in the 2012 draft.
“I have the unique job of covering the NFL in a city that doesn’t have a team,” said Farmer, a La Cañada High and Occidental College graduate. “I’m able to go around the country and work on the best stories without having to deal with an L.A. team.
“The NFL coming back to L.A. has been heating up. There have been plans started up and then gone away. The NFL has legitimate interest in returning to Los Angeles.”
Two proposals from separate parties have been weighed in bringing professional football back to Los Angeles, the second biggest market in the country behind New York.
The proposals have come from Edward P. Roski Jr., an American real estate businessman looking for a team to play on a 600-acre lot in the City of Industry. The other pitch has come from Anschutz Entertainment Group, which is planning to build a stadium in excess of $1 billion in downtown Los Angeles that’s adjacent to Staples Center.
Among the teams that have reportedly been linked to uprooting to Los Angeles are the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.
Farmer recently wrote an article that chronicled the rise of Luck, who will likely be a Heisman Award candidate and has thrown for more than 1,000 yards this season.
“I came away impressed with him,” Farmer said. “He’s poised and focused.
“[NFL] scouts say that he has very few flaws, if any.”
