Numbers are in favor of Glendale Community College football again
It appears the Glendale Community College football team is in prime position to snap another losing streak Saturday.
Coming into a game against a winless West Los Angeles College squad, the Vaqueros are poised to win their first American Division Pacific Conference contest in 12 games. Still, Glendale Coach John Rome knows his team is in no position to take anything for granted.
“[West LA] is 0-5, but they probably think if there’s a game they can win it’s going to be this week,” said Rome, whose team has lost its last two games and is 2-3, 0-1 in conference coming off a bye week.
After all, the Vaqueros appeared to be in the same position when they hosted a one-win West L.A. team coming off a bye last year. It didn’t go well for GCC, losing in a landslide, 41-6.
All year long, Rome has said this team is different from last year. Having already broken a 17-game home losing streak with consecutive victories at Sartoris Field to start 2013, Glendale has another chance to prove how far it has come in Culver City.
Rome and the rest of the Vaqueros’ primary focus during the bye was correcting the special teams mistakes that have plagued them in their losses this season.
“We used this last week to improve and I hope that it bears fruit this coming week,” Rome said.
West L.A. (0-5, 0-2) is averaging the second-least points per game (22) in its eight-team conference, while allowing 40.8 points and 476.2 yards per game (247.4 passing, 228.8 rushing) on defense, both conference highs.
“Their program has always been a spread offense, more of an option-run team out of the spread,” Rome said. “They haven’t done well so far this year.”
The Wildcats lean on one primary player in each offensive phase. Quarterback Derek Stewart has completed 68 percent of his passes (134 for 197) for 1,164 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. By far, LeRon Barnes is his favorite target, with 50 receptions for 428 yards and six scores.
West L.A.’s running game is spearheaded by Treviel Boone and his 390 yards and two touchdowns on 61 carries.
Defense has been the constant for GCC this season, as that unit has recorded 14 sacks, 12 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries. It may spell trouble for West L.A., which has turned the ball over 28 times (18 fumbles, 10 interceptions) this season.
Said Rome: “We’re kind of looking at numbers and we think this week we have a pretty good chance to be successful.”