Brahmas

Darrell Durham scored on a five-yard run in overtime to give Glendale College a 28-21 victory over Pierce in a Western State Conference football game Saturday night in Woodland Hills. The Brahmas (0-9, 0-4 in conference play), who have lost 27 consecutive games, had a chance to tie it on their overtime possession, but quarterback Dan McMullen was tackled for a loss on fourth-and-inches at the Glendale four-yard line.

Dhiraj Coats has felt the thrill of victory and the agony of . . . victory? Two years ago, Coats played outside hitter on the Pierce College men's volleyball team that lost in the state championship match. Last season, the former Royal High standout was academically ineligible and forced to watch the final from the sidelines when the Brahmas won the title. "I was happy for the guys, but it was pretty rough to see it and not be able to be on the roster," Coats said.

It was a shame that all but the most dedicated Pierce College fans knew who was doing what on the Shepard Stadium playing field Saturday night. Without programs, Pierce's 28-26 victory over Antelope Valley was played out in virtual anonymity--not exactly the best way to open the season. But, programs or no programs, it was an exciting way to open. Up 28-7 with 14:27 left in the game, Pierce suddenly found itself overrun by the Marauders.

If Coach Bob Lofrano of Pierce has another pitcher with the initials J.K., he might want to give him a start. Last week, right-hander Jesse Kozlowski and left-hander Joel Kirsten threw consecutive shutouts, keeping the Brahmas in the chase for first place in the Western State Conference Southern Division. Pierce (17-10, 9-5 in conference play) is three games behind first-place Glendale (23-3, 12-2).

After Diamond Bar High School won the Southern Section 2-A Division baseball title last year, it did not take long to learn what life as a defending champion is like. "We were playing in a summer league game last year and we lost to this team and they acted as if they had just won the World Series," Coach Denis Paul recalled. "That was something we had never seen before. We didn't expect that kind of reaction." Considering Diamond Bar's success, it is not an unusual reaction.

If Coach Bob Lofrano of Pierce has another pitcher with the initials J.K., he might want to give him a start. Last week, right-hander Jesse Kozlowski and left-hander Joel Kirsten threw consecutive shutouts, keeping the Brahmas in the chase for first place in the Western State Conference Southern Division. Pierce (17-10, 9-5 in conference play) is three games behind first-place Glendale (23-3, 12-2).

Coach Lou Ferrar remembers well the last time that Covina Charter Oak High School qualified for a Southern Section football playoff berth. The year was 1962, and Ferrar was a sophomore starter on a team that was to be the school's last playoff team for the next 23 years. So it wasn't that surprising when Ferrar broke into tears Friday night after directing the Chargers to a surprisingly easy 36-5 victory over Diamond Bar High at Mt.

Pierce and East Los Angeles colleges returned Saturday night to the site where, four years earlier, both had jump-started football programs that had been forced on a two-year hiatus because of budget cuts. It wasn't difficult to determine which program has come further in the past four years. The Brahmas, playing efficient, error-free football, rolled to a 38-24 victory in a nonconference opener at Pierce, offsetting a fine performance by East L.A. quarterback Juan Gomez.

Five solo home runs plus a strong pitching performance by Chris Pollack helped College of the Canyons to an 11-2 Mountain Valley Conference win over Mission College in a game Tuesday in Valencia. Canyons (4-1-1, 12-6-1) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first on with the aid of a two-run single by designated hitter Frank Halcovich, a sacrifice fly by third baseman Bill Bluhm, and a solo homer by first baseman Mike Neighbors.

Glendale College Coach Jim Sartoris insists that football games are won or lost on the line of scrimmage. His team's opening-day performance Saturday afternoon at Glendale High School did nothing to change his mind. The Vaqueros outsized, out-muscled and, finally, outscored Pierce, 38-14. The victory snapped Pierce's 14-game regular-season winning streak. "I thought we dominated them up front on the line of scrimmage," Sartoris said.

Jamaal Washington sits on a swivel chair, his feet tapping the ground rhythmically, in unison. A habit, he says, not a nervous twitch. No one would blame Washington for being a little edgy, if that were the case. After all, he's the quarterback at Pierce College, where happy feet came with the survival kit for quarterbacks the last few years. But Washington said those days are over.

The way Grossmont College ran over Pierce in the first game of the men's volleyball state semifinal Friday night, anyone could have predicted the outcome. But they probably would have been wrong. The Brahmas did a complete turnaround after a quick wake-up call, and defeated Grossmont, 4-15, 15-11, 15-2, 15-7, at Irvine Valley College and advanced to the state title match tonight against Golden West.

If there were any doubts two weeks ago, there aren't many now. The Diamond Bar High football team looks ready to defend its Southern Section championship. A week after avenging its only loss of 1998, the Brahmas manhandled Carson, 42-6, Friday night at Diamond Bar High. The 36-point victory comes on the heels of Diamond Bar's 30-0 whitewashing of Monrovia, the only team to defeat Diamond Bar (4-0) on its way to the Division II title last year.

Moorpark 55, Pierce 22--After snapping a seven-game losing streak last week, the Brahmas received a harsh reality lesson in a WSC Northern Division game at Pierce. The Raiders (1-2, 0-1) scored on a 22-yard run by quarterback Farhaad Azimi less than two minutes into the game and opened a 27-0 lead by the end of the quarter. Moorpark, which had gained only 136 yards rushing in its first two games, rolled up 118 in the first quarter and 317 total.

Paper or plastic. That should have been the offer made the last few years to Pierce College football fans entering the stadium. As in what to throw over their heads. For most of the 1990s, the Brahmas have been a laughingstock. They have a 4-46 record the last five seasons and in October snapped a 31-game losing streak, the longest in the state. Then they promptly started a six-game skid and wrapped up a 1-9 season, 0-6 in Western State Conference play, with only 26 players.

Left-hander Wes Crown of Pierce College doesn't exactly resemble Randy Johnson, but he could have passed for the Big Unit on Thursday. Crown, a 5-foot-8 freshman from Kennedy High, dominated Canyons through most of his seven-plus innings, carrying the Brahmas to a 9-4 victory in a Western State Conference South Division game at Pierce. Pierce (12-7, 5-3 in WSC play) took sole possession of first place in the division.

Imagine trying to rebuild a demolished house after an earthquake. Imagine having all the walls up and when you put the roof on, the house collapses again. Now you can understand Pierce Coach Larry Lessett's predicament. He took over a demolished Pierce basketball program. He put up some of the best talent from Southern California high schools, and just when it looked as if the program might get off the ground, it came crumbling down. Hard.

Glendale 22, Pierce 12--Quarterback Michael Frost led the Vaqueros (2-4, 1-1) with two rushing touchdowns and a touchdown pass in a WSC Southern Division game at Glendale High. Frost completed 10 of 22 for 124 yards and one touchdown and ran for scores of four and two yards. Frost's two-yard sneak early in the fourth quarter iced the victory. Pierce quarterback Calvin Zinck completed 24 of 47 for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

Ron Wilford, whose Moorpark High football team set a Ventura County record with 19 consecutive victories, has resigned as coach and will become an assistant at Pierce College under Coach David Banuelos. Moorpark won the Southern Section Division X championship in 1997, winning 13 games after a season-opening loss. The Musketeers extended the streak by winning their first six games last season, the school's first in the Marmonte League.

It took 13 games and all but 32 seconds of the 14th, but the Chino High football team, playing with the memory of deceased teammate Scott Maughan as inspiration, finally ran out of miracles Friday night at Citrus College. Diamond Bar defensive back Dominic Robinson intercepted a pass by Chino quarterback Brent Baier on a desperation, fourth-and-15 play from the Chino 19-yard line to preserve a 21-19 victory and the Southern Section Division II championship.