Community College Football : Revived Fullerton to Take On Tough Taft

In this sophisticated age of football, when plays are graphed, charted, analyzed and sometimes even conceived by computers, Taft College is an anachronism.

The Cougars haven’t found any of that high-tech stuff to be user-friendly. Their game plan, which is employed on sandlots across America, is ridiculously simple: Run right at the other team, and dare them to stop you. Not many teams do. Taft’s offense may be a throwback to another era (to the Stone Age, as Coach Al Baldock jokes), but over the years it’s been highly successful. The Cougars have won the national championship two out of the last three years, and have the talent, speed and size to win it again this season.

To do so, though, they’ll have to beat Fullerton today when the perennial powers meet in a key Pac-9 Conference game in Taft’s Martin Memorial Stadium at 1:30. It should be one of the hardest-hitting games of the year.

Not many teams are physical enough to match up with the Cougars and stop their awesome running game, but if any team can, it’s the Hornets, who have a penchant for playing old-fashioned, smash-mouth defense.

“Taft is no different than it has been in recent years,” said Hal Sherbeck, Fullerton coach. “They have the same kind of people, and they play the same kind of intimidating, power football. But we’ve been known to play that kind of football, too.”

And, as usual, a lot will be at stake. In 1983, the Hornets beat Taft, 28-7, in the Shrine Potato Bowl to win the national title. Last year, Taft got revenge with a 23-13 Pac-9 victory that earned it a conference co-championship with Fullerton and a berth in the 1984 Potato Bowl, where the Cougars routed Los Angeles Pierce to win the national title.

This year, the winner will be in postion to win the Pac-9 title outright and likely will get an invitation to a top bowl game.

Taft (3-0-1, 4-0-1), which is coming off a 24-24 tie with Cerritos, is ranked seventh in the nation and second in the Southland. The Hornets have an overall unbeaten streak of 13 games dating back to last season and have won their last 26 home games dating back to 1980.

Fullerton (2-1, 3-2), which has won two straight, is unranked nationally but is ranked ninth in the Southland.

A few weeks ago, Fullerton would have been a decided underdog going into today’s game. But, after getting off to a 1-2 start, their worst since 1963, the Hornets have defeated El Camino, 35-28, and Bakersfield, 16-0.

Freshman Richard Williams, who replaced Mike Zorn at quarterback, has been the key in Fullerton’s return to form. Williams threw for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns against El Camino, and threw for 289 against Bakersfield.

One thing prevents Sherbeck from being optimistic about his team: turnovers. The Hornets had seven, five fumbles and two interceptions, against Bakersfield, and that was the reason they could score only 15 points despite accumulating a season-high 521 yards against a good Renegade team.

“We have got to stop the mistakes,” Sherbeck said. “Because of them, we’re not a good team yet. And we won’t be one until we stop giving the ball away.”

Fullerton’s best weapon remains tailback John Green, who has 517 yards and 5 touchdowns on 74 carries.

Fullerton’s defense has been consistent, despite being weakened by injuries. Linebacker Pete Carter will be sidelined the rest of the season after it was learned that his back pains were due to a stress fracture of a vertebra. Terry Page will start in his place.

Taft’s explosive offense is a challenge to even the most healthy team. The Cougars, who throw only 11 times per game, are averaging nearly 400 yards per game rushing. Baldock likes to rotate all his players, especially running backs, of which he has used as many as 16 in one game.

Taft’s top ground gainers are Bruce Williams (38 carries, 364 yards, 9.5 yards-per-carry average, 2 touchdowns) and Ken Thomas (29, 294, 10.1, 3). But even with all that speed in the backfield, Baldock says his team will have to complete at least a few passes to win.

In Saturday’s other community college football games:

Pac-9 Conference

Long Beach City (1-3, 1-5) vs. Golden West (2-1, 2-2-1), LeBard Stadium, 7:30-The resurgent Rustlers will be looking for their third consecutive win--and revenge--against the Vikings. Last year, Golden West rallied from a 29-7 third-quarter deficit and took a 30-29 lead only to lose to Long Beach, 35-30, in one of the most exciting games of the year. Golden West had only 207 yards total offense last week against Mt. San Antonio but managed a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 1:36 to get the win. The Vikings, who are seventh in the conference in total offense, are coming off their first win of the season, a 42-31 victory over Pasadena City.

Mission Conference

San Diego City (0-3, 0-5) vs. Saddleback (4-0, 6-0), Saddleback Field, 7:30--Against a team like San Diego City, the Gauchos, ranked second in the nation and first in the Southland, are virtually guaranteed to win their 47th straight home game. The Knights, who have only 35 players left on their roster, are last in the conference in defense and offense. Saddleback leads the conference in offense and is third in defense. The Gauchos are coming off big wins over Riverside City, San Diego Mesa and Southwestern that have put them in good position to win their ninth consecutive Mission championship. Quarterback Jason Schmid had the biggest night of his career in Saddleback’s 31-17 win over Southwestern as he completed 24 of 44 attempts for a school-record 354 yards.

Southwestern (3-1, 5-1) vs. Orange Coast (1-2, 1-3-1), LeBard Stadium, 1:30--Southwestern needs a win if it is to remain in contention for the conference title. The Apaches will face an Orange Coast team that is coming off its first win of the year, a 19-16 come-from-behind upset of San Diego Mesa. Kicker Tom Cortez and punter Gordon Moss played major roles in the win. Cortez made field goals of 39 and 38 yards, the latter coming with five seconds left to break a 16-16 tie and win the game. Moss punted seven times for a 46.6-yard average and kept the Olympians in poor field position. The Pirates stopped San Diego Mesa’s passing game and will have to do the same to beat Southwestern. The Apaches are led by quarterback Brad Platt, who completed 17 of 33 passes for 185 yards against Saddleback before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter. Platt is expected to play against Orange Coast.

Palomar (1-2, 3-2) vs. Rancho Santiago (1-3, 3-3), Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30--Rancho Santiago, which rolled up 504 yards in total offense last week in a 59-14 rout of San Diego City, will face an opponent desperate for a victory in Palomar. The Comets have lost two straight, a one-point loss to Southwestern and last week’s 36-33 defeat to Citrus. Palomar is 0-5 lifetime against the Dons. Rancho Santiago is led by quarterback Silvio Delligatta, who has passed for 1,193 yards, and running back Sean Sawyer, who has rushed for 332.