Taft College

Taft College football coach Al Baldock, who has led the community college to a 125-18-3 record and two national titles, has resigned to avoid sanctions for recruitment violations. Baldock, whose resignation was accepted on Thursday, will remain athletic director, said Taft College President Dr. David Cothrun. The Northern California Football League threatened sanctions against the school last month after Baldock visited an out-of-state recruit, Cothrun said.

Taft College football coach Al Baldock, who has led the community college to a 125-18-3 record and two national titles, has resigned to avoid sanctions for recruitment violations. Baldock, whose resignation was accepted on Thursday, will remain athletic director, said Taft College President Dr. David Cothrun. The Northern California Football League threatened sanctions against the school last month after Baldock visited an out-of-state recruit, Cothrun said.

Taft College, the dominant community college football team in the state over the past 12 years, will not play in a football conference in the 1988 season, the commission on athletics of the California Assn. of Community Colleges announced Thursday.

College of the Canyons is starting to resemble the team that won the community college state championship last year. The pitching and the hitting seem to have come together and the Cougars have a two-game winning streak to show for it. Unfortunately, Canyons has a nine-day break until its next game, its Western State League opener. "I'm looking forward to our league opener," Canyons Coach Len Mohney said. "I'll just have to keep the guys bouncing around for nine days."

Moorpark College got 82 points from front-liners Kip Brown, Woody Jones and Darrin Channels in an easy 101-84 Western State Conference playoff victory over Ventura Tuesday night at Moorpark. Brown, a 6-6 redshirt freshman transfer from Oral Roberts University, sank a school-record 19 field goals in 29 attempts en route to a 44-point night, the third-best in Raider history.

A few years ago, John Matthews was earning $27,000 a year as a steel worker in Pittsburgh Pa. Now he uses his 6-8 frame to bully Western State Conference opponents. At Moorpark College on Tuesday, he did just that in leading his Taft College team (ranked third in the state with a 23-3 overall record and 7-0 mark in WSC play)to a, 91-74, blow-out over Moorpark.

Despite 215 yards passing from quarterback Eddie Lopez, Harbor College dropped to 0-2 Saturday night as Taft College, the No. 1-ranked team in the state, handed the Seahawks a 33-14 defeat before a sparse crowd at Harbor College. Taft (2-0), which powered its way to a 21-7 halftime lead, saw the advantage cut to 21-14 four minutes into the third quarter when Seahawk fullback Cory Henry rushed in from the 1 and Luis Solario converted the extra point.

Despite 215 yards passing from quarterback Eddie Lopez, Harbor College dropped to 0-2 Saturday night as Taft College, the No. 1-ranked team in the state, handed the Seahawks a 33-14 defeat before a sparse crowd at Harbor College. Taft (2-0), which powered its way to a 21-7 halftime lead, saw the advantage cut to 21-14 four minutes into the third quarter when Seahawk fullback Cory Henry rushed in from the 1 and Luis Solario converted the extra point.

L.A. Harbor College football Coach Chris Ferragamo says a victory in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against visiting Taft College is not farfetched. Ferragamo is not concerned with the fact that his team is unranked and Taft is ranked first in the state. "We expected to win last week against El Camino," Ferragamo said. "I think we just made too many mental mistakes." The Seahawks will use the pass against Taft as they did against highly-ranked El Camino.

First-year football players at Occidental put on their annual talent show tonight for veterans and coaches, but it will be tough for this year's crop to rival center Sean O'Brien's act of two years ago. O'Brien, who listens to opera every evening, stood on his chair at a team brunch his freshman season and gave an impromptu rendition of a number from Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance." It brought the house down.

Taft College, the dominant community college football team in the state over the past 12 years, will not play in a football conference in the 1988 season, the commission on athletics of the California Assn. of Community Colleges announced Thursday.

One coach was cautiously optimistic, the other seemed depressed, burdened by circumstances out of his control. That's the pervasive atmosphere of the men's track and field programs at UCLA and USC. Bob Larsen's Bruins are on the upbeat side. The UCLA coach has eight athletes returning who scored in last year's NCAA meet and most likely has the best dual meet team in the country. Moreover, the team is bolstered by some blue-chip athletes, who were redshirted last year.

College of the Canyons is starting to resemble the team that won the community college state championship last year. The pitching and the hitting seem to have come together and the Cougars have a two-game winning streak to show for it. Unfortunately, Canyons has a nine-day break until its next game, its Western State League opener. "I'm looking forward to our league opener," Canyons Coach Len Mohney said. "I'll just have to keep the guys bouncing around for nine days."

L.A. Harbor College football Coach Chris Ferragamo says a victory in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against visiting Taft College is not farfetched. Ferragamo is not concerned with the fact that his team is unranked and Taft is ranked first in the state. "We expected to win last week against El Camino," Ferragamo said. "I think we just made too many mental mistakes." The Seahawks will use the pass against Taft as they did against highly-ranked El Camino.

Of the 106 California community colleges with athletic programs, only two--Antelope Valley and Taft--have drug-testing programs approved and funded for the 1986-87 school year. Coaches, athletic directors and administrators from Eureka to Chula Vista may base their decision on whether to use drug testing at their schools on what happens at Antelope Valley and Taft.