GROSSMONT COLLEGE GRIFFINS FOOTBALL East County Sports.com Game summaries

2001 GROSSMONT COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DATE DAY OPPONENT SITE TIME/F Sept. 8 SAT. CITRUS GROSSMONT W,35-17 Sept. 15 Sat. Saddleback Mission Viejo W,44-31 Sept. 22 Sat. BYE Sept. 29 Sat. * San Diego Mesa San Diego W,28-20 Oct. 6 SAT. * MOUNT SAN JACINTO GROSSMONT W,22-7 Oct. 13 Sat. * Southwestern Chula Vista W,28-17 Oct. 20 Sat. * San Bernardino San Bernardino W,21-3 Oct. 27 Sat. * Chaffey Ontario L,18-38 Nov. 3 SAT. * COLLEGE of the DESERT GROSSMONT W,45-13 Nov. 10 SAT. * VICTOR VALLEY GROSSMONT W,52-34 Nov. 17 Sat. * Antelope Valley Lancaster W,42-35 Dec. 1 Sat. Pasadena City Chula Vista L,17-38 * Foothill Conference games Home games played at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field, Grossmont College

2001 GROSSMONT COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SCHOLARSHIPS

Forston's fortitude leads him to Alabama State

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Nick Forston was a relatively unknown quarterback until his senior
year at Granite Hills High School.

An erratic performer during high school drills, Forston came close to never
setting foot on the field during game nights. His then high-school coach
Mitch Burton regarded him as an enigma, but had the foresight to include
Forston in the starting lineup.

Forston passed for 2,033 yards and 14 touchdowns as a high school senior,
which stunned Burton and provided the irrepressible Forston a springboard to
Grossmont College.

A broken hand forced Forston to miss the majority of the 2000 campaign, but
he still managed to contribute to the Griffins' 22-10 record over the past
three seasons by passing for 3,524 yards and 32 touchdowns.

The bottom line is the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Forston was flashy enough to
attract four-year college scouts nationwide. After sifting through more than
a dozen offers - including Delaware State, Troy State (Ala.) and Illinois
State - Forston cast his future with Alabama State University of Montgomery.

"I'm excited about going away to school," said Forston, who hopes to fill the
shoes of graduating senior Darnell Kennedy, who became Alabama State's
all-time career passing leader and represented the school in the Blue-Gray
All-Star Classic on Christmas Day 2001.

"It's been a struggle for me to pull everything together, but I've been
looking for an opportunity like this for a long time," Forston added. "I
learned very quickly that life is never the way you planned it. I lost three
people in my life who were very close to me to either tragic or natural
passing. I lost the woman I thought I was going to marry, and football wasn't
going the way I'd expected.

"But when you put your trust in God's hands, He will help you. I fought
through the struggles with the help of my dad and mom, my sister,
grandparents and several friends.

"For the past couple of years I didn't know where I was heading, but on
campus, with the help of my instructors, (Grossmont head football) coach Dave
Jordan and the athletic advisors, they helped me find my way. Coach Dave has
been relentless to help me reach the next level of my goal in obtaining a
scholarship. I owe a lot of thanks to him."

Alabama State coach L. C. Cole is an advocate of the passing game, and
recognized Forstyon's potential after viewing several game films of the
Grossmont College stalwart.

"They love to throw the ball, about 60 percent pass to 40 percent run, "
Forston said. "They run 'no back, no huddle, and shotgun' - they flat like to
get out there and throw it. And that's what I love to do."
(01-24-02)

RB Brathwaite to BYU, DL Hoadley to NAU

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Running back Rey Brathwaite, who once scored seven touchdowns in a
single game as a senior at Monte Vista High, is on-line to use Grossmont
College as a springboard into the big-time.

Brathwaite, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound sprinter with 4.35 speed (over 40 yards),
has accepted a scholarship offer from nationally-ranked Brigham Young
University for the 2002 season. He figures to arrive on the Provo, Utah,
campus in time for fall drills after securing his Associate of Arts degree
from Grossmont this summer.

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Nick Hoadley, a product of West Hills High, has
accepted a scholarship to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff for next
season.

Brathwaite and Hoadley bring the number of scholarships off Grossmont
College's 9-2 team this season to five. Safety Brett Hudson (Arizona State),
linebacker Don Jackson (Washington State), and wide receiver Chris Lumpkin
(New Mexico State) signed last month.

Although the BYU coaching staff locked on Brathwaite late in the recruiting
game, the Cougars' braintrust is comparing the Griffins speedster to Luke
Staley, who decided to forego his senior year of eligibility at BYU to take
his chances in the NFL draft.

"The BYU coaches began calling me right before Christmas," said Brathwaite,
who benefited from Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan's foresight to
send a highlight film of Brathwaite to Provo. "They said they wanted to get
back to me because they were busy preparing for their bowl game (Liberty
Bowl, pitting BYU against Louisville in Memphis, Tenn. on Dec. 31st)."

Credit the Cougar coaches for being men of their word.

"They called me on the telephone on New Year's Day and said 'We're offering
you a scholarship, and we want to give you a day to think about it,'"
Brathwaite said. "They said they knew they were rushing me, but they needed
to make plans because Staley told them he was going out on the draft. They
told me they're bringing in two freshmen, but I'm the only JC running back
they're recruiting. They want me to come in and make an impact right away."

That could be construed as pressure.

"I consider that a compliment," said Brathwaite, who rushed for 1,284 yards
and 17 touchdowns on 159 carries in 18 games. That's an average of 8.1 yards
per rush, not to mention that he also caught 21 passes for 142 yards.

"It's like I told those newspaper guys in Provo," said Jordan, who has been
toiling at his profession nearly 40 years. "Rey is the fastest human being
I've ever seen."

Brathwaite was also recruited by Washington State, New Mexico, Weber State
and New Mexico State. He could have further fattened his statistics had he
not suffered a knee injury on the second play of the Griffins' 45-13 victory
over College of the Desert (Nov. 3, 2001), and therefore missed the last four
games of the season.

Regardless, Brathwaite's 9.52 rushing average as a freshman stands as a
Grossmont record.

"I really wanted to break all the Grossmont College rushing records,"
Brathwaite said. "But that freak injury on the screen pass against COD when
the guy hit me as I was trying to break a tackle kept me from doing that."

The BYU coaching representatives plan to conduct a home visit with Brathwaite
and his parents this week, and have invited the running back to check out the
Provo campus the weekend of Jan.18.

"The coaches said I remind them of Luke Staley," Brathwaite said. "They like
my speed and said I can do a lot of the same things that Luke did for them."

On the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, defensive lineman Nick
Hoadley, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound transfer, fell in love with the Northern
Arizona University campus the minute he saw it.

"The first thing that intrigued me about NAU is that they showed a lot of
interest in me from the start," said Hoadley. "They graduated two starters,
so the position is wide open and I have a chance to compete for a starting
job."

An All-Foothill Conference standout, Hoadley was only 190 pounds as a high
school junior. He bulked up to 205 his senior year, but suffered an ankle
injury in the first game of the season. He returned to the lineup for West
Hills' final game, but realized that the limited films that he could send to
four-year colleges were brief, to say the least.

Hoadley had a so-so season for the Griffins in 1999, and then elected to sit
out the 2000 campaign. It proved to be a wise decision, as Hoadley came into
his own as a sophomore with 6 sacks and 14 tackles for losses in 2001.

"My sophomore season at Grossmont was my favorite year of football," Hoadley
said. "I wasn't ready to go to a four-year school out of high school, so I'm
glad that I decided to go to Grossmont for two years to get myself together.
I hope to get my weight up to 255 by next season."

HOLDING PATTERN

Grossmont punter Tim Wilson (El Capitan High) is mulling over a scholarship
offer after being contacted by Bucknell University of Lewisburg (Penn.).
Offensive tackle James Parham is close to finalizing a ride to the University
of Texas-Kingsville. Several other Griffins are also in the process of
choosing their football future.
(01-07-02)

Hudson headed to ASU; Jackson joining Wazzu

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Most memorable of the holiday presents received by Grossmont
College free safety Brett Hudson and Griffins linebacker Don Jackson were not
gift-wrapped and placed under the family Christmas tree.

The scope of these gifts encompasses much more intangible value.

Hudson, an All-American and All-Foothill Conference sophomore, has accepted a
scholarship to Arizona State University. Jackson, an All-American, All-State
and All-Foothill Conference performer, has selected Washington State
University for his football future.

"ASU is a program on the rise," Hudson said. "The opportunity to play is
amazing. They play a 4-2-5. They use three safeties all the time, sort of
like a full-time nickel defense."

In selecting ASU, Hudson turned thumbs down to Baylor, Oregon State, Miami
(Ohio), Nevada, San Diego State, Marshall and Central Florida.

"At first, I was pretty sold on Oregon State," Hudson said. "But when the
coaches up there said they wanted me to wait a few days before signing, I
decided to explore other options. I'm glad I did."

Hudson nearly gave up on playing football upon graduating from Patrick Henry.
Wide receiver Michael Brunker, a product of Patrick Henry, Grossmont College,
and now at New Mexico, convinced Hudson to give the Griffins a try. It proved
to be a wise move.

"When I met coach Mike (Jordan, Grossmont's offensive coordinator) I was
hooked," Hudson said. "He was so positive."

Hudson doubled at wide receiver and defensive back in high school but thought
he would focus his full-time attention on receiver at Grossmont. Halfway
through his freshman season, however, the Griffins needed help in the
secondary and Hudson shifted to defense.

"Actually, I like playing defense better," Hudson said. "I learned a lot from
coach (Grossmont secondary coach Mark) Deesing."

Instead of being part of a receiver rotation, Hudson gained a starting berth
two weeks after changing sides of the ball.

"Junior college football is no joke," Hudson said. "There a lot of good
football players out there. The competition for playing time at this level is
amazing. I doubt if most high school guys have any idea of what it's like to
play JC football. You have to earn your spot."

Don Jackson migrated west from Natchez, Miss. with former El Cajon Valley
standout Cordell Williams. Both were starting linebackers for the Griffs at
the start of the year, but Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury
against Southwestern in week five.

At first, the Grossmont coaches thought Jackson had a desire to return to the
South where he could play for Alabama, Mississippi or Mississippi State. But
that did not prove to be the case.

"It really didn't matter where I went, because I know I can play anywhere,"
Jackson said. "No second or third team for me. I can't see myself coming off
the bench, never have. I'm a starter, and I won't settle for anything less."

Jackson was also recruited by Baylor, New Mexico State, UNLV and Utah State
among others.

"I prefer to play inside linebacker, but I have to add a little weight," said
Jackson, who steps in at 6-foot-1, 213 pounds at the moment. "I'm lifting
weights to get up to 225 by next season. If they want me to play outside
linebacker, that's OK. I know I can play anywhere and be successful."

Grossmont, which finished 9-2 for the second season in a row, has had three
players accept major college scholarships so far. Wide receiver Chris Lumpkin
(Mission Bay) signed with New Mexico State earlier this month. And, according
to Grossmont head coach Dave Jordan, this is only the beginning.
(12-25-01)

POST-SEASON UPDATE

Jackson, Parham named to All-State team

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Grossmont College linebacker Don Jackson and offensive tackle
James Parham have been named to the California Community College Football
Coaches All-State team.

Jackson, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound sophomore from Natchez, Miss., was also
selected to the JC Grid-Wire All-America third team last week. He is expected
to commit to Washington State University on Monday (Dec. 17).

Parham, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound two-year starter for the Griffins, began his
collegiate career at Akron University four years ago, and thus is not
eligible for a Division I scholarship. He was a unanimous All-Foothill
Conference choice.

"He's going to be a pro some day," Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan
predicted. "Anybody who saw him in that Pasadena bowl game knows he's a great
one. Every Division II school in the country wants him."

Grossmont first-team All-America free safety Brett Hudson has narrowed his
scholarship choices to Oregon State and Arizona State. He is expected to cast
his future with coach Dennis Erickson's OSU Beavers when junior college
players can officially sign on Wednesday (Dec. 19).

FINAL RANKINGS

The Griffins' second straight 9-2 season did not go unnoticed in the various
rankings. Grossmont was No. 6 in Southern California, No. 10 in the state and
No. 17 in the nation.
(12-13-01)

GRIFFINS FOOTBALL AWARDS

Hudson named Roth Award winner at Grossmont awards banquet

EastCountySports.com staff

SAN DIEGO - Grossmont College All-American free safety Brett Hudson was
selected the winner of the 24th annual Joe Roth Award at the Griffins'
football awards banquet held Thursday night (Dec. 6) at Marina Village.

The award goes to the San Diego County community college football player that
best meets the high academic standards and athletic excellence the late Joe
Roth exhibited during his All-American career. Roth, a gifted quarterback,
guided the Griffins to their only undefeated season and state championship in
1974. He led Cal to its only Pac-10 championship in 1975 and was considered a
potential first round draft pick before he died of cancer in February, 1977.

Hudson, an All-Foothill Conference first-team pick, led the Griffins in
interceptions with six. Among the colleges recruiting him are Oregon State
and Miami (Ohio).

Sophomore tackle James Parham, a unanimous All-Foothill Conference choice,
was named the Griffins most valuable offensive player, while All-American
linebacker Don Jackson was chosen the most valuable on defense. A special
Iron Man (coaches) award went to Garrett Johnson, who left his familiar wide
receiver post to fill a void in the Griffins' injury-riddled secondary
against Pasadena in the South County Bowl.
(12-06-01)

Pasadena City contains Grossmont in South County Bowl

EastCountySports.com staff report

CHULA VISTA - Good football team, inflated ego.

We're talking pity party here.

While it is true that the Pasadena City College Lancers are indeed one of the
top community college football teams in the state, nobody is overly anxious
to deliver coach Tom Maher and his troops any gold-plated trophies.

No problem. Maher, following the Lancers' 38-17 victory over Grossmont
College in Saturday's (Dec. 1) South County Bowl game at Southwestern
College's DeVoe Stadium, gathered his 10-1 football team for another "we wus
robbed" post-game sessions.

"I don't care what any poll says and there is not a system around that can
tell you how good you are," Maher told his team. "But the way you dominated
that team (Grossmont), especially in the second half, showed that there is
not a better team in the state. We won't get the chance to prove it, but the
people that saw us this season know the truth."

Grossmont College coach Dave Jordan agreed that PCC is a better football team
than Foothill Conference-champion Chaffey, which lost its first game in 11
starts 20-14 to Palomar in Saturday's Southern California Bowl in Rancho
Cucamonga. The comparisons were obvious as the Panthers proved they are
pretty good at the "sour grapes" game, as a near-brawl broke out when Palomar
attempted to execute the traditional post-game handshake.

To be fair, a couple of Palomar players taunted the angry Panthers by
flaunting their victory (in front of the Chaffey bench), which guaranteed the
Comets (10-1) a berth in next Saturday's (Dec. 8) state championship game
against unbeaten City College of San Francisco (11-0) at Visalia.

"I'm really proud of our kids," Jordan said of his Griffins, who returned
only 4 starters from last year's 9-2 team which reached the Southern
California finals before bowing to Bakersfield 22-17. "People were counting
us out before we played our first game this year. But here we are 9-1 and
playing one of the top teams in the state."
After Polo Rodriguez gave the Griffins a 3-0 lead with a 35-yard field goal
midway through he first quarter, Pasadena punched in three consecutive
touchdowns giving Grossmont the option to call for last rites. Despite being
physically outmanned, the Griffins declined the offer and proceeded to mount
a comeback.

"They made it clear that they wanted the score to be in the 70s," Jordan said
of the Lancers. "And, the really neat thing is our kids wouldn't let them do
it. The Pasadena coaches were verbally upset and abusive about it."

One Pasadena coach was ejected for leaving the press box and going onto the
Grossmont sidelines to hurl a litany of profanity at the Griffins as the
first half ended. That challenge was met with resistance from Grossmont and a
brawl nearly erupted at halftime, forcing the teams to be separated.

The Lancers took a 21-10 halftime lead to the locker room, but Grossmont came
out with renewed rigor to start the third quarter.

Grossmont receiver Enrique Duncan, who pulled the Griffins back into
contention by grabbing a 59-yard TD pass from QB Nick Forston with 1:51 left
in the first half, picked up where he left off in the third quarter. After a
5-yard penalty against Pasadena dulled the opening play of the third period,
Forston and Duncan connected for a 58-yard TD strike, slicing PCC's lead to
21-17 with less than a minute gone in the third quarter. It was Duncan's 13th
TD reception of the season, and Forston's 25th TD bulls-eye of the campaign.

"The thing that bothered me is Pasadena was so cocky and mouthy," Jordan
said. "Hearing them talk, I was concerned that they might get 70-72 points
against us. I don't think we would have ever beaten them, but I know they
were lucky to get 38 points and we unlucky to only get 17."

Both teams accused the other of "trash talking." Pasadena, which openly
proclaimed itself as SoCal's finest, generated only 495-301 edge in totals
yards despite having 21 more plays.

"It was a great game for three quarters," Jordan said. "Even though they
clearly had an advantage in talent we hung with them for a better part of
three quarters."

Forston completed 12 of 28 passes for 249 yards and two TDs. Michael Yancy
led the Grossmont ground game with 62 yards on 15 carries.

Injuries dogged the Griffins all season, starting with the eighth play of the
season opener when All-American corner Josh Golden suffered a broken
collarbone and never touched the field again. Grossmont also lost leading
rusher Rey Brathwaite, corner Erick Peterman and linebacker Cordell Williams
to name a few of the blue-chip starters.

Running back Jonathan Smith rushed for three touchdowns and quarterback
Nathan Chandler threw three TD passes as the Lancers overcame a shaky start.

Smith set the national community college single-season record with 2,589
all-purpose yards and Chandler set a school record with 26 TD passes.

Smith rushed for 247 yards to finish with 2,053 yards. He became the first
Lancer in school history to reach the 2,000 plateau. Chandler completed 17 of
25 passes for 178 yards and rushed for 50 more to paralyze the No. 4
Griffins, who had won 18 of their past 19 regular-season games before
Saturday.

Smith was named the South County Bowl MVP.

"They were talking and trying to take us out of our game and rhythm, but we
didn't let that happen," he said. "I never set out to set these records at
the beginning; they just happened because I play on a very good football
team. The state championship game next week is going to be without its best
team, but that's OK. We know in our hearts who the best team is."

The Lancers' 6-foot-7, 250-pound quarterback is known for his strong right
arm, but he showed his versatility with a 47-yard run to the Griffins' 8. Two
plays later, Chandler found Hannibal Thomas alone for a 7-yard TD reception.
That extended the Lancers' lead to 31-17 with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

Smith put the game away with an 18-yard TD run to increase the Lancers' lead
to 38-17 with 8:52 to go.

Fred J. Robledo, staff writer of the Pasadena Star News contributed to this
report.
(12-01-01)

GC ready for South County Bowl versus Pasadena City

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - When you think about it, head coaches Tom Maher of Pasadena City
College and Dave Jordan of Grossmont College might make a pretty good comedy
act. Both have a flare for delivering a humorous one-liner with a deadpan
expression.

Of course, some of their coaching peers might label such semantic rhetoric as
bull- - - - -. Nevertheless, these two head coaches are good at hiding their
true inner feelings, and if listened to, are good for building attendance.
Trouble is, these guys were basically ignored and the microphones absent when
Jordan and Maher spun their spiel.

The focus at hand is the South County Bowl, which pits Pasadena (9-1) against
Grossmont (9-1) at Southwestern College's DeVore Stadium on Saturday (Dec. 1)
at 5 p.m.

Maher, who believes his Lancers are superior in talent to Grossmont's
Griffins and should be playing at a higher level of post-season competition,
has labeled Saturday's South County Bowl as "the Toilet Bowl." Ouch!

"We've had nine blowouts and one mulligan," Maher said in describing
Pasadena's 10-game season.

How Maher could talk smack when Pasadena is making its first post-season
appearance after eight consecutive losing seasons is hard to believe.

The veteran Pasadena coach turns to Biblical scripture and 6-foot-7,
250-pound sophomore QB Nathan Chandler for his divine guidance.

"That was the symbol we bought into right there," Maher said, pointing to the
Lancers' media guide cover that shows Chandler leading the team out of the
stadium tunnel. "That was the image we had. We said this is the guy who is
going to lead us back to the promised land, and he has."

The Texas Tech transfer, who boasts a 3.5 grade-point-average and a 1280 SAT
score, has had his moments throwing strikes to Pasadena receivers. He's
completed 65 percent of 296 passes for 2,455 yards and 26 TDs.

The recruiting list is lengthy when it comes to Chandler. Among his suitors
are Mississippi State, Iowa, South Carolina and San Jose State.

As sterling as his image appears, Chandler is only part of the Pasadena show.
Bullet-train running back Jonathan Smith is the primary weapon in the
Lancers' arsenal. Arguably the top junior college running back in the nation,
the 5-foot-9, 180-pound sophomore led the state in rushing (186 carries,
1,802 yards), scoring (28 TDs, 168 points) and all-purpose running (2,593
yards). He broke a scoring record set by Major League Baseball player Jackie
Robinson in 1938, and compiled a national record 515 all-purpose yards in a
lopsided victory over Long Beach to break a mark established by New York
Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn.

"Jonathan is not one of those classic big thumpers that everybody thinks they
must have," Maher said. "But he's as quick as a hiccup. He has vision and the
ability to make people miss."

The list of those in pursuit of Smith include Washington State, New Mexico
State and San Jose State.

Pasadena is clearly suffering from a superiority complex. In their eyes,
anything less than a chance to win the state championship is utter folly.
Such thinking should only help inspire the Griffins, who are led by
first-team All-America free safety Brett Hudson and third-team All-America
linebacker Donnie Jackson.

Despite its feeling of being slighted, Pasadena plans to take Chula Vista by
storm. "We've got two buses bringing our Tournament of Roses (Pasadena CC)
band," Maher noted. "And we have three rooter buses bringing our fans to
Chula Vista."

How appropriate, rooter buses to the Toilet Bowl.

As calm as the Lancers pretend to be, Jordan believes Pasadena is out to
prove a point.

"I think they're going to try to take their frustration (of losing a COA vote
for the SoCal championship) out on us," Jordan said. "That's fine, because I
think our kids are ready to show that we can play with the best."

GRIFFIN GOSSIP: Pasadena's All-Mission Conference 23-year-old left guard,
Paul Schiffer (6-foot-3, 305-pounds), attended Helix High and played in front
of Grossmont College quarterback Akili Smith in 1996. . . GC's Brett Hudson
has received scholarship offers from Oregon State and Miami-Ohio, while
Donnie Jackson has received offers from Washington State and New Mexico State
. . . Pasadena has prevailed in all five of the previous meetings with
Grossmont, including a 55-0 blowout en route to the 1977 state championship
behind 6-foot-5 QB Sheldon "The Eiffel Tower" Paris. . . Pasadena had a
string of 40 consecutive scoring quarters dating back to last season GC
quarterback Nick Forston has been offered scholarships by the University of
Buffalo and Delaware State . . . GC wide receiver Chris Lumpkin is being
wooed heavily by New Mexico State and Eastern Washington, while receiver
Garrett Johnson appears to be headed to Southern Illinois. . . Pasadena
includes 19 out-of-state players on its roster.
(11-29-01)

Parham, Duncan, Hudson, Jackson, Hoadley are first team All-Foothill

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Given how the balloting for the All-Foothill Conference football
team panned out, Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan and his staff must
have done an awfully fine job. Either that or the nine head coaches voting
were biased or had no clue.

The Griffins finished second place in the 9-team conference with a 7-1
record. They were 9-1 overall and ranked No. 4 in Southern California.

Grossmont placed five players among the 29 first-team All-Foothill Conference
selections. They included three picks among the 25 second-team choices.

Undefeated Foothill Conference champion Chaffey claimed 15 all-conference
berths, 10 on the first team. So how did Panthers' head coach Carl Beach win
Foothill Coach of the Year award, when almost any of the coaches in the
circuit could have captured the conference crown with all that talent?

Griffins earning first-team berths on offense were sophomore tackle JAMES
PARHAM (6-foot-4, 325 pounds) and sophomore wide receiver ENRIQUE DUNCAN
(6-3, 188). Duncan had 34 receptions for 688 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Grossmont placed three players on the All-Foothill first team defense - free
safety BRETT HUDSON, linebacker DONNIE JACKSON, and tackle NICK HOADLEY.
Hudson led the Griffins with six interceptions, while Jackson topped the team
in tackles.

Jackson and Parham were unanimous picks, which automatically places them
among the candidates for All-State recognition.

Grossmont's second-team picks were quarterback NICK FORSTON, wide receiver
CHRIS LUMPKIN, and running back REY BRATHWAITE.

Forston ranked second in the conference with 2,600 yards passing and a
circuit-high 23 touchdowns while completing 56 percent of 297 passes.

Brathwaite led the Griffins in rushing (99 carries, 755 yards, 9 TDs) in less
than 8 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He ranked third
among conference rushers. He was a second-team all-conference pick as a
freshman.

Grossmont players receiving honorable mention recognition were linebacker
CHAD MACOMBER, safety MATT FLISHER, corner ERICK PETERMAN, center ANDREW
LOWMAN and defensive end KENDALL KUYKENDALL.

Defensive Player of the Year honors went to Southwestern linebacker FAI
LEOMITI for the second season in a row. Antelope Valley running back JASON
ANDERSON was selected the offensive player of the year.

See complete all-conference team below.
(11-26-01)

FOOTHILL CONFERENCE
2001 All-Conference Football Team

OFFENSIVE PoY:        RB  Jason Anderson, Antelope Valley
DEFENSIVE PoY:        LB  Fai Leomiti, Southwestern 
COACH OF THE YEAR:    Carl Beach, Chaffey 
First Team - Offense                   First Team - Defense
QB - Jeff Disney, Chaffey              DB - Reggie McClellan, Mt.San Jacinto
RB - Kenneth Thomas, Victor Valley     DB - Marvin Clark, Chaffey
RB - DeAndra Cobb, Antelope Valley     DB - Luis Nunez, Southwestern
RB - Andre Perry, Chaffey              DB - Brett Hudson, GROSSMONT
OL - Brad Lekkerkerker, Chaffey        DL - Anthony Diggs, Antelope Valley
OL - James Parham, GROSSMONT           DL - Shaheed Richardson, Chaffey
OL - Blake Gaskins, Antelope Valley    DL - Johnny Parra, Southwestern
OL - Matt Ryan, Mt. San Jacinto        DL - Nick Hoadley, GROSSMONT
OL - Curtis James, San Diego Mesa      LB - Donnie Jackson, GROSSMONT
TE - DeVon Stewart, Antelope Valley    LB - Ryan Tolan, Chaffey
WR - Brett Johnson, Mt. San Jacinto    LB - Ricky Shepard, Chaffey  
WR - Jamel Richardson, Victor Valley   LB - Brent Trice, Antelope Valley
WR - Jeremiah Cocheran, Chaffey        P  - Dale Rogers, Chaffey
WR - Enrique Duncan, GROSSMONT         Ret- Chad Donaldson, Southwestern
PK - Zack Bussey, Chaffey              
Second Team - Offense                  Second Team - Defense
QB - Nick Forston, GROSSMONT           DB - Tim Harris, San Bernardino
RB - Rey Brathwaite, GROSSMONT         DB - Kehan Rahming, College of Desert
RB - Devon Hudspeth, Chaffey           DB - Jamie Manor, Antelope Valley 
OL - Howard Brissette, Chaffey         DB - Stephen Lebherz, San Diego Mesa
OL - Cory Lekkerkerker, Chaffey        LB - Daniel Berry, Mt. San Jacinto
OL - John Bailey, Chaffey              LB - Blake Gavami, San Bernardino
OL - Lester Brown, Victor Valley       LB - Mitch Miller, Mt. San Jacinto 
OL - Josh Verhoeve, Southwestern       LB - Chris Mankins, Mt. San Jacinto 
TE - Kaleb Madison, Chaffey            DL - John McCoy, Victor Valley 
WR - Larry Miles, San Diego Mesa       DL - Jeremy Sadach, San Bernardino
WR - Darnell Crowder, Victor Valley    DL - Eric Knowlton, Mt. San Jacinto
WR - Chris Lumpkin, GROSSMONT          DL - Ryan Forest, Mt. San Jacinto 
WR - Brandon Eggerth, Antelope Valley   P - Danny Denardo, Mt. San Jacinto
PK - Todd Gohsler, San Diego Mesa      Ret- Larry Miles, San Diego Mesa  
Honorable Mention (Grossmont only)
LB Chad Macomber
SS Matt Flisher
C  Andrew Lowman 
DB Erick Peterman
DL Kendall Kuykendall

Pasadena pooh-poohs 'Toilet Bowl'

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - The whining continues at Pasadena City College.

The Lancers (9-1), who are ticketed to compete against Grossmont College
(9-1) in the South County Bowl Saturday (Dec. 1) at Southwestern College (5 p.m.),
believe that they are a superior team playing in an inferior post-season
attraction.

Perhaps Pasadena should look back to its 30-23 loss to El Camino College on
Nov. 4 before pointing fingers at those who voted in the final Commission on
Athletics poll. Granted, this poll is full of holes. But it is the primary
mechanism to determine which teams play in which bowl games.

Pasadena coach Tom Maher insists that his squad had the deck stacked against
it. The Lancers were running neck-and-neck with top-ranked Chaffey (10-0),
Palomar (9-1) and Grossmont for the top spot all season in the COA rankings,
but finished in a tie for No. 2 with Palomar in the final poll Sunday.

At stake was the right for the top two teams to play in the Southern
California Bowl, which serves as a semifinal to the state championship in
Visalia on Dec. 8.

To break the second-place tie in the balloting between Palomar and Pasadena
behind No. 1 Chaffey, the COA suddenly created a four-member panel that
selected Palomar No. 2, forcing Pasadena to accept an invitation to the South
County Bowl in Chula Vista against the Griffins on Dec. 1.

"As much as I feel we deserve to be in the big game, we have to stand up and
take this decision like a man," Maher said. "All we can do now is kick the
(expletive) out of Grossmont."

This attitude has taken Grossmont coach Dave Jordan by surprise. "Why," he
asks, "is Pasadena (threatening) to take its frustration out on Grossmont?"

Maher refers to the Dec. 1 meeting with Grossmont as "The Toilet Bowl."

Gee, maybe this Pasadena team is so great that it should play in the Rose
Bowl on Jan. 1. Hopefully, it is Maher's frustrations speaking rather than
him targeting a quality program like Grossmont, which has qualified for a
post-season bowl game three of the last four years.

No question, the COA is shaky on how to do anything let alone how to conduct
a poll. The COA voting panel consists of 11 coaches, one sports information
director and one sports writer. Wonder how they came up with that
combination.

Pasadena complains that Palomar coach Tom Craft and Chaffey coach Carl Beach
each served on the 13-member voting panel this season. Both coaches voted
themselves No. 1 (and why wouldn't they). Perhaps, the two coaches whose
teams were so closely tied to the situation should have abstained in the
final vote.

"It's a paralyzing feeling," Maher said. "You're helpless against that."

Again, the blame rests with COA Commissioner Joanne Fortunato.

Another factor that hurt Pasadena is the vote cast by Mt. San Antonio
College head football coach Bill Fisk, the Mission Conference North Division
representative. He could have voted Pasadena No. 1, as he did the previous
week. Didn't happen. Instead, Fisk dropped PCC to No. 2 on his final ballot,
which helped force the tie with Palomar.

A week earlier, Fisk told the Pasadena Star-News that he was one of two
coaches who voted PCC No. 1.

"I put PCC on top because they're the best team," Fisk said last week. "After
playing all of them, I think I'm a pretty good judge."

A week later, Fisk changed his mind. If Fisk had voted Pasadena No. 1 instead
of Chaffey - Southern California's only unbeaten team - the Lancers would
have been in the Southern California championship game.

"When I rationalized it all out, I put Chaffey back on top because they
finished undefeated," Fisk said. "In 1997, when we were unbeaten, I would
have been pretty upset if someone didn't vote us No. 1."

Further complicating matters, only 12 of the 13 voters actually voted. And
the COA won't identify the absent voter.

"I don't know who it is," Fortunato said. "The board tried to track him down
for a week. But it doesn't matter now. The pollsters have been the same all
year. We can't change them at the end."

It's ridiculous to have coaches on a panel in the first place, since there
are so many personal agendas. But if coaches are going to vote, all of them
should vote.

Another victim in these off-the-field hassles is Grossmont College. Why
should the Lancers regard the Griffins as also-ran material? This is a team that has
won 18 of its last 19 regular-season games, and a squad that has appeared in
post-season bowl games five of the past eight seasons.

Maybe Grossmont can capitalize on Pasadena's arrogance to provide a
storybook ending to the Lancers' troubled season.

NOTE: The Pasadena Star-News contributed to this article.
(11-20-01)

Griffins to face powerful Pasadena in bowl game

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - For the fifth time in the last eight seasons, Grossmont College
has been invited to a post-season bowl game.

Rarely have the Griffins faced a bigger challenge.

"We're playing the best team in Southern California, and maybe the best in
the whole state," Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan said Sunday (Nov.
18) when he learned his Griffins (9-1) were matched against Pasadena City
College (9-1) in the South County Bowl on Dec. 1 at Southwestern College.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

Pasadena pulverized perennial powers Cerritos 51-12 and Long Beach CC 55-14
the final two weeks of the regular season in a desperation run for a berth in
the state playoffs. The Lancers, ranked No. 3 in Southern California, were
denied their bid in favor of No. 1 Chaffey (10-0) and No. 2 Palomar (9-1).
Those two teams meet for the Southern California championship in Rancho
Cucamonga on Dec. 1, with the winner advancing to the state championship game
on Dec. 8 in Visalia.

Having been snubbed by their coaching peers in the final COA Poll, Pasadena
is not pleased.

"We have guys setting state and (Mission) Conference records," Pasadena head
coach Tom Maher said following the Lancers' season-ending rout of Long Beach
on Saturday (Nov. 17). "Like I've said before, we have a great football team.
I've heard people say that we've been stumbling. If we can dominate nine
games the way we have and they still say we're stumbling, then I don't know
what to say to them."

Jordan believes Pasadena is for real.

Statistically speaking, the Lancers have no second. They are the state's most
prolific offense, averaging more than 40 points and 540 yards per game.

Pasadena running back Jonathan Smith, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound sophomore, is the
leading rusher in the state. He's No. 1 in scoring and all-purpose running as
well. Against Cerritos, he accounted for 515 yards and 6 TDs, including
rushing for 353 yards and 5 scores on 34 carries.

Quarterback Nathan Chandler turned on the juice in Pasadena's rout of Long
Beach. A Top 10 state passer going in, Chandler threw 6 TD passes.

Grossmont, which dropped a 22-17 decision to Bakersfield in the Southern
California championship Potato Bowl last year, pulled off its most impressive
victory of this season with a 28-point fourth-quarter rally to defeat
Antelope Valley 42-35 on Saturday (Nov. 17).

Only El Camino has been able to stop Pasadena, toppling the Lancers 30-23 on
Nov. 4. That same El Camino team handed Palomar its lone defeat 35-31 in week
3. So where is El Camino in the post-season bowl game picture? At home with a
4-6 record, thinking about next year.

Grossmont's lone setback this season was 38-18 verdict at Chaffey in week 7.
The Panthers are the only unbeaten team in Southern California.
(11-18-01)

Yancy carries Griffins to terrific comeback, bowl bid

EastCountySports.com staff report

LANCASTER - For the better part of eight weeks, Michael Yancy sat and watched
as sophomores Rey Brathwaite and Nick Forston led the Grossmont College
Griffins up the Foothill Conference football ladder.

A knee injury in week eight put Brathwaite out of commission, and added more
pressure on Forston and the passing game.

Enter Yancy. It took the 21-year-old running back a week to reach peak speed,
but Yancy came up big when the Griffins needed it most. The former Morse High
standout, who tried his hand at professional baseball for a couple of years
before returning to school and football last fall, put a charge in the
Griffins in Saturday's (Nov. 17) regular-season finale at Antelope Valley
College.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Yancy amassed 380 all-purpose yards and scored two
touchdowns as the visiting Griffins (9-1, 7-1) overcame a 35-14 deficit with
28 points in the fourth quarter to steal a 42-35 victory over the Marauders.
It was Grossmont's 18th win in its last 19 regular season games, and put the
Griffins in prime position to secure a berth in one of the state's 14 bowl
games on Dec. 1.

Yancy rushed for 206 yards - the third-highest single game rushing total in
Grossmont history -- on 29 carries, punching in the game-winning score on a
1-yard plunge with 1:18 remaining.

"I feel that I can do the job, and they believe in me, which gives me extra
motivation," said Yancy, who nearly doubled his season rushing output with a
workmanlike effort against Antelope Valley (7-3, 5-3). "Even when we fell
behind, everybody stayed patient. Nobody panicked."

Yancy, who also scored on a 13-yard run with 13:40 remaining to launch the
dramatic comeback, fell 5 yards short of the Grossmont rushing record
established by Conan Smith in 1995. Brathwaite ranks second with the 208
yards he gained against San Diego Mesa earlier this season. Fact is, only one
other back besides Yancy and the aforementioned duo have broke the 200-yard
barrier. That was Rick Blanchard with 201 yards on 35 carries against
MiraCosta in 1966.

"Yancy has speed that you don't think he has when you first look at him,"
Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan said. "It's obvious he has the power
it takes to be a successful back, and he also has the knack it takes to find
where to run. He's going to be an All-American for us next year."

Backup quarterback Mike Clark came off the bench to light a fire under the
Griffins, who appeared to be hopelessly buried 35-14 late in the third
quarter.

"Things just weren't going our way," Yancy admitted. "Then Mike came in and
gave us a little spark."

Clark's numbers weren't of the quality that attract ESPN attention, but his
presence in the huddle seemed to be the ingredient the Griffins were
lacking. The freshman out of Mt. Carmel High completed 6 of 8 passes for 117
yards in the final period, including a 36-yard TD strike to Enrique Duncan to
tie the score at 35-all with 5:32 remaining.

"As soon I came in, I told them we were going to win the game," Clark said.
"I just followed my reads and listened to what my coaches told me. We just
made plays."

Credit Grossmont freshman linebacker Chad Macomber for two interceptions in
the final two minutes that helped fuel the Griffins' rebound effort. His
first "pick" set up a five-play, 32-yard scoring drive that Yancy climaxed
with a 1-yard TD dive to break a 35-35 deadlock.

"We were in a cover three, and I cut underneath," Macomber said of his first
theft of the game and third of the season. "When I saw the ball coming, I
just reached up and picked it off."

Clark and Co. cashed that one in to give Grossmont its only lead of the night.

Macomber wasn't finished, though. The 5-foor-11, 195-pounder sealed the
Marauders' fate by intercepting another Cory Allred pass with less than a
minute to play. It was one of the few mistakes Allred - AVC's all-time
leading passer - made, as he completed 18 of 30 aerials for 287 yards and 4
TDs.

"We lost another of our starting cornerbacks this week and it took Antelope
Valley about two plays to realize where the new guy in our secondary was,"
Jordan said. "They exploited us a lot in that area."

The Griffins finished with 540 total yards. Starting QB Nick Forston
completed 17 of 27 passes for 279 yards, including scoring hookups to Duncan
(63 yards in the first quarter) and Garrett Johnson (34 yards in the second
period). Nevertheless, Grossmont trailed 28-14 at intermission.

"We were sluggish on defense in the first half," Macomber admitted.
"Twenty-eight points in the first half, well, that's just not our defense."

Those in attendance might have been inclined to believe the Griffins were
finished after a high punt snap sailed over Tim Wilson's head, resulting in a
46-yard loss and presenting the Marauders with a first-and-goal at the
Grossmont 3-yard line early in the third quarter. The Marauders eventually
blew this scoring chance as they fumbled into the end zone for a touchback.

Grossmont's electrifying comeback caught even coach Dave Jordan by surprise.

"It was an unbelievable show," he said. "Our fans - and we had a lot of them
make this long trip (165 miles) up here -- were louder than I've ever heard
them. They were going crazy. So was I. Our offense just took over the place.
Clark was just marvelous. He refused to be denied.

"It was one of our best ever comebacks, and I've seen a few (in his 30 years
at Grossmont)," Jordan added. "Our coaches, players and fans . . . it was
unbelievable. You had to be here to feel the energy, the excitement."

The ever reliable Duncan finished with seven receptions for 152 yards and a
pair of scores. Yancy and Chris Lumpkin made four receptions apiece, while
Jeremy Bush made three catches for 50 yards.

Now, Grossmont must wait for the powers that be to assign the Griffins to a
bowl game.
(11-17-01)

Grossmont looks to improve bowl chances

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - It doesn't get any better when two teams conclude their regular
season with bowl game aspirations dancing in their heads.

That will be the case when Grossmont College (8-1, 6-1) takes on Antelope
Valley (7-2, 5-2) in a Foothill Conference finale on Saturday (Nov. 17) in
Lancaster at 3 p.m.

Antelope Valley, which has used a relentless running game to steamroller Mt.
San Jacinto 46-35, Victor Valley 63-45, and San Bernardino 62-12, is
convinced that it is bowl-game ready.

The Marauders, who accumulated 460 yards in the win over San Bernardino,
erased the 27-year-old school record for most yards in a season with 4,222.
AVC has also scored 386 points this season, breaking the old mark held by the
1956 Marauders.

Suffice to say, this is one of Antelope Valley's finest teams.

"They are an option team with a huge offensive line," Grossmont coach Dave
Jordan said. "They have a goal of making it to a major bowl game and that
means they'll be coming after us."

The Marauders are ranked No. 6 in Southern California, No. 13 in the state
and No. 21 in the nation. Grossmont, on the other hand, is also
bowl-conscious and ranked No. 4 in Southern Cal, No. 7 in the state and No.15
nationally.

"If we truly want to be a great team, we've got to beat a great team," said
AVC running back DeAndra Cobb, who ranks second in the Foothill Conference
with 946 yards and 10 TDs on 126 carries. "We've got to beat Grossmont if
we're going to prove we're great."

Cobb enjoyed one of his finest games at San Diego Mesa on Oct. 13, when he
rushed for 280 yards and 4 TDs in a 38-35 loss to the Olympians. AVC has not
lost since that setback, rolling to three wins in a row and into bowl game
contention.

AVC has plenty of depth in its running game, with Cobb as the pacesetter, but
Jason Anderson rushed for 119 yards and 3 TDs on 11 carries against San
Bernardino.

"They have a lot of weapons and plenty of incentive," Jordan said.

While AVC is predominantly a running team, Marauders QB Cory Allred has
thrown a school-record 26 TD passes.

Although the AVC defense has taken a backseat to the Marauders' high-powered
offense, DL Anthony Diggs has proven he knows how to put the ball in the end
zone. In the Marauders' rout of San Bernardino last week, Diggs scored his
second and third TDs of the season, carrying an interception and a fumbled
ball into the end zone.

Talk about no contest, AVC led the SBVC's Wolverines 21-0 after one quarter,
35-0 at intermission and 55-0 after three periods. In contrast, the Griffins
led Victor Valley 42-6 early in the fourth quarter, only to make wholesale
substitutions before settling for a 52-34 win.

Injuries have depleted the Grossmont ranks somewhat. But Jordan's defensive
crew, led by linebacker Donnie Jackson and safeties Matt Flisher and Brett
Hudson, has maintained stability throughout the season.

Grossmont QB Nick Forston directs the Foothill Conference' s No. 1 passing
offense (294.2 yards per game), having completed 55 percent of 270 passes for
2,321 yards and 21 TDs. Chris Lumpkin is the conference's third-ranked
receiver with 54 catches for 880 yards and 6 TDs. Enrique Duncan (27-536, 9
TDs) is also a deep threat for the Griffins, who have had a dozen receivers
reel in passes.

With leading rusher Rey Brathwaite on the shelf with a knee injury, the
Griffins turn their ground game focus to Michael Yancy (49-262, 3 TDs). Joey
Williams (43-197) and Richie Smith (4.5 avg) to pick up the slack.

GRIFFINS GOSSIP - Major college representatives are flocking to Mashin-Roth
Memorial Field and ringing coach Jordan's phone on a regular basis. "They
should triple my pay, for the amount of time I spend on the phone," the
veteran mentor mused. "I get about 14-15 calls a day, and that makes it tough
to keep up with the coaching end of things. It's an important part of my job
though, because this helps the kids get scholarships." . . . Coaches from
Missouri and Arizona visited the Grossmont campus earlier this week, and
calls also came in from Michigan State, Illinois, Nevada, Tulsa, UNLV,
Valdosta (Ga.) State, Lewis & Clark (Idaho), Northwest Missouri, and Fort
Hays (Kansas). . . Grossmont leads the all-time series with Antelope Valley
8-4, including a 59-26 win last year. . . The Griffins have lost to the
Marauders in their last three trips to Lancaster, including a 1999 overtime
verdict (20-14), and the 1995 game, in which the Griffs rallied from a 30-0
halftime deficit with Akili Smith at QB, only to fall 36-30. . . GC freshman
Polo Rodriguez is the second-leading kick scorer in the Foothill Conference
with 45 points. . . Safety Brett Hudson ranks second in the Foothill circuit
with 6 interceptions.
(11-15-01)

Griffins open up 36-point lead, cruise past Victor Valley

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan called it "one of our
best defensive efforts of the season."

Hmm?

Defense? In a game that featured 86 points, 12 touchdowns, 897 yards, 45
first downs, 95 passes and 170 total plays spread over a 3-hour, 28-minute
time frame?

Jordan was reflecting on the first 47 minutes of Saturday's (Nov.10) Foothill
Conference game against Victor Valley at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.

"I know the score doesn't show it, but when we had our starters in there for
the first three quarters, it was probably the best defense we've played," he
said.

Grossmont (8-1, 6-1) was sitting on a 42-6 lead one play into the fourth
quarter when Jordan yanked his starters and some of his top reserves only to
wind up staggering to the finish line to complete a 52-34 Foothill Conference
marathon victory over the Rams from Victorville.

By winning, the Griffins (8-1, 6-1) all but assured themselves of a bowl
game. Grossmont needs a victory over offensive powerhouse Antelope Valley in
the (Nov. 17) regular-season finale in Lancaster to assure itself of playing
in one of the elite post-season attractions.

Meanwhile, Jordan was not pleased that Victor Valley churned out 533 yards in
103 plays despite two interceptions by Brett Hudson and sacks from Kendall
Kuykendall, Nick Hoadley, Wes Holder and Claudio Cobian.

"If we had left our starters in the whole game, who knows what the score
would have ended up," said Jordan, noting that the Rams (4-6, 2-6) compiled a
healthy chunk of their offensive output against Grossmont's non-starters.
Fact is, the Rams pushed their way for 28 points and 318 yards in the fourth
quarter.

"I feel bad for our defense, because these guys are really good football
players," Jordan said. "Victor Valley has a big-time offense, and our defense
held them to six points in three quarters. Nobody else they've played has
been able to do that. Not even (undefeated) Chaffey (which broke open a 30-27
game in the final quarter to take the Rams by a 17-point margin)."

So why did Jordan pull his first unit with a full quarter to play ? (Actually
he began making wholesale substitutions early in the second half.)

"We had a lot of parents and girlfriends in the stands that came to see their
sons and boyfriends play," Jordan said. "It's not fair to leave our starters
in there when we've clearly got the game in hand."

For one of the few times this season, Grossmont dominated the special teams
phase of the game. DT Prinz Milton blocked a PAT in the second quarter, and
linebacker Reid Sample, safety Matt Flisher and linebacker Nick Macaluso all
blocked Victor Valley punts during an 18-minute stretch of the second and
third quarters.

Grossmont's pressure presence also helped influence a high punt snap over
the head of Rams' punter Karl Halamicek late in a scoreless first quarter.
Flisher led the charge and pinned the Victor Valley victim to the artificial
surface for a 27-yard loss that set up Grossmont's first TD.

"I achieved a new first," said Jordan, who has been coaching for more than 30
years. "It was getting to be ridiculous, so I told our special teams not to
try to block any more punts and just work on the return.

"I just wanted to win the game, so I don't know how Victor Valley's head
coach (David Hoover) could accuse us of running up the score."

On the contrary - Jordan's decision to "call off the dogs" led to a switch in
momentum as the Rams scored 22 points in less than five minutes, slashing
Grossmont's once insurmountable lead to 42-28 with 7:56 remaining.

Fortunately for Jordan and the Griffins, Grossmont's offense was an
opportunistic lot, scoring a season-high 52 points while generating 364 yards
on 67 plays. Three quarterbacks, nine running backs, and eight receivers
contributed to the cause.

"We took care of it on offense in this one," said Grossmont receiver Enrique
Duncan, who reeled in four passes for 39 yards and two TDs. "Both of those
(his 8th and 9th TDs) came on fades. I try to get a good release move, get up
field and then look for the ball."

Grossmont quarterback Nick Forston was a reliable delivery man, completing 10
of 19 passes for 182 yards and four TDs (in 2-1/2 quarters). He directed two
scoring strikes to Duncan, executed a 28-yard screen pass to Richie Smith for
a score and then went over the top for a 73-yard scoring strike to Chris
Lumpkin that gave Grossmont a 42-6 advantage. Lumpkin finished with five
receptions for 138 yards.

"I think we have the best receiver corps in California and maybe the nation,"
said Forston, who has launched 21 TD passes this season.

Michael Yancy led Grossmont's ground game with 33 yards on nine carries,
including TD plunges from 5 and 3 yards out.
(11-10-01)

Rams no longer Griffins' punching bag

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Not too long ago, when Victor Valley's name appeared on the
schedule, it meant certain victory. The Rams were the proverbial punching bag
- and everybody's favorite hit.

That's no longer the case. These Rams are tired of being the butt of the
Foothill Conference. It used to take Victor Valley four years to win as many
games as the 2001 Rams (4-5) have garnered.

The Rams would like to conclude their season with a .500 record when they
take on the Grossmont College Griffins (7-1, 5-1) on Saturday (Nov. 10) at
Mashin-Roth Memorial Field. Kickoff is at 1 o'clock.

"Their overall statistics aren't as good as some teams, but they have some
mighty good skill position players," Grossmont coach Dave Jordan said. "We
haven't seen many offenses that look like Victor Valley's. They have a big
time quarterback (Dylan Lockwood) and running back (Kenny Thomas), and some
excellent receivers."

Although coaches tend to exaggerate the talents of the opposition so as to
keep their team from taking the upcoming game lightly, Jordan is right on the
mark in rating Victor Valley's stars.

Lockwood has passed for more yards (2,317) and more touchdowns (19) than any
quarterback in the Foothill Conference. On the other hand, the Rams' freshman
field general has also thrown 20 interceptions, which is twice as many as any
other QB in the league. He's completed 132 of 302 passes (.437 percent), and
averages more than 257 yards per game.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Thomas has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons
rumbling out of the Rams' backfield. His 112.4 yards rushing per game leads
the Foothill Conference this season.

"(Thomas) is as good as we've faced," Jordan acknowledged. "He just bowls
over people, but still has the knack at finding the hole, if there is one. If
there isn't, he just knocks you down. He's a bigger version of (Grossmont's)
Michael Yancy (5-10, 200 pounds)."

One of Victory Valley's finest moments this season was pushing Southern
California's only undefeated team - Chaffey - to the edge. The Panthers were
clinging to a 30-27 lead over the visiting Rams late in the second half
before pulling out a 44-27 victory.

"I've watched that film every day. It's pretty scary," Jordan said. "They
made Chaffey look bad on defense. And that part scares me, too."

Of course, defense has been Grossmont's strong suit all year. The Griffins
are the No. 3-ranked defense in the conference, which is actually a bit
misleading, considering this Grossmont unit has allowed only 11 touchdowns in
eight games.

On the offensive end, the Griffins boast the No. 1 passing unit (299.8 yards
per game), and the No. 3 offense overall (466.3 ypg and 30.1 ppg) in the
conference.

Nick Forston is the circuit's top passer, averaging 267 ypg, while completing
more than 55 percent of 251 passes, 17 of which have been touchdowns. He's
thrown only one interception every 36 passes, seven total for the season.

WR Chris Lumpkin is Forston's favorite target, with 49 catches for 742 yards
and 5 TDs. Enrique Duncan is second (23-497, 7 TDs).

The loss of Rey Brathwaite to a knee injury has scrambled the Griffins'
running game. Look for freshmen Yancy, Joey Willliams, Richie Smith and Donte
Crowder to pick up the slack.

"This isn't the kind of game that defensive coaches want to see," Jordan
admitted. "But it should be a great spectator game."

In other words, a lot of scoring.

GRIFFINS GOSSIP - Jordan, who has been at Grossmont for 31 years, achieved a
new "first" when the University of Alabama left a message on his office
telephone. "We obviously have somebody they want," Jordan said. . . Nose
guard Carlos Fernandez, who suffered a broken arm while making a diving
tackle on a Southwestern receiver after a 43-yard pursuit to save a touchdown
last month, will return to the starting line-up against Victor Valley . . .
Former Griffins' WR Darran Hall (1996) has hooked on with the Dallas Cowboys
. . . Grossmont is tied for 4th in Southern California, No. 7 in the state,
and No. 15 in the nation . . . The Griffins have won all seven games in this
series, including 63-23 last year.
(11-08-01)

Griffins deliver Jordan 100th coaching win at Grossmont

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan didn't want to make a big
deal out of it, but he couldn't help but feel emotional by the surprise party
on his behalf that followed Saturday's (Nov. 3) Foothill Conference game.

Jordan was obviously pleased by the Griffins' 45-13 victory over College of
the Desert at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field. But this one was special, as it was
Jordan's 100th coaching win at Grossmont College. He was presented the game
ball, autographed by all of his players as a memento for reaching the
milestone. And, of course, there was the usual cake and trimmings.

"The whole thing was really nice," Jordan said. "And what was the most nice
was the kids, after the game, gave me a hand - and they wouldn't stop
(clapping). That really touched me."

In what has become a Griffins trademark, Grossmont (7-1, 5-1) ran the
Roadrunners (0-6, 2-6) ragged from the get-go, as quarterback Nick Forston
fired an 82-yard touchdown pass to Enrique Duncan on the third play of the
game. Polo Rodriguez kicked the first of his six PATs to give Grossmont a 7-0
advantage with 13:17 left in the first quarter.

Talk about quick strikes, consider this: The Griffins scored on their 2nd
play against Citrus, their 3rd at Saddleback, their 3rd at Mesa, their 5th
against Mt. San Jacinto, their 5th at Southwestern, their 8th at San
Bernardino, and on their 9th play at Chaffey.

"After the way we played last week (in the loss at Chaffey), we needed to
have a good effort," Jordan said. "Our offense had a great day. We were
hitting consistently, like we did in the first two games (when the Griffs
totaled 79 points in wins over Citrus and Saddleback)."

Three quarterbacks - Forston, Tanner Engstrand, and Mike Clark - shared in
Grossmont's 425-yard passing effort against COD. Forston clicked on 13-of-20
passes for 244 yards and 3 TDs. Engstrand connected on 4-of-5 aerials for 117
yards and 1 TD, while Clark was 3-for-3 for 64 yards and one score.

Nine Griffins contributed on the receiving end. Jeremy Bush led the way with
5 catches for 113 yards, including a 19-yard TD strike from Forston. Duncan
pulled in 2 TD passes from Forston, and finished with 3 catches for 92 yards
overall. Chris Lumpkin grabbed 3 passes for 99 yards and 1 TD. Ira Potter
latched onto 2 passes for 54 yards, including a 33-yard TD toss from Clark.

"Our line did a great job of giving us time to throw," Forston said. "And
with the receivers that we have, it makes a quarterback's job easy."

Added Duncan, "Forston throws a nice pass - keeps the ball away from the DBs
- and that makes my job as a receiver that much easier."

Grossmont totaled 589 yards on 70 plays. But they paid a price, as leading
rusher Rey Brathwaite suffered a season-ending knee injury after taking in a
screen pass in the opening quarter.

"It's hard to replace a guy with the kind of speed Rey has (:4.4 in the 40),"
Jordan admitted. "He's the fastest guy we've ever had here.

"But we have a lot of other guys who can run with the ball, so we'll be
alright."

Ten Griffins chipped in to the 164 yards rushing total. Freshman Donte
Crowder set the pace with 66 yards on 7 carries. Michael Yancy added 47 yards
and 1 TD on nine sorties.

Defensively, Grossmont could have easily recorded a shutout.

COD's first touchdown came on a 31-yard interception return by Dave Sanders
in the second quarter. The Roadrunners added their final touchdown in the
waning minutes against the Grossmont reserves.

Sanders' theft cut Grossmont's lead to 14-7, but the Griffins were never in
jeopardy of losing the lead as they countered with 14 points in the next 3:09.

A 35-yard kickoff return by Yancy, followed by an Engstrand-to-Lumpkin pass
covering 48 yards, quickly put the Griffins in scoring position. One play
later, Yancy found the end zone on a 12-yard run.

After COD went three and out, the Griffins used the same
Yancy-Engstrand-Lumpkin combination to increase their lead. Yancy chipped in
runs of 10 and 5 yards and picked up 3 more on a short pass from Engstrand.
Lumpkin then took off on a post pattern, and Engstrand rifled a 45-yard
scoring pass to make it 28-7 with 25 seconds left in the half.

Grossmont's defense, playing without key starters, limited COD to 302 yards.
Linebacker Donnie Jackson was a standout as was Erick Peterman, who picked
off his fourth pass of the year.

Grossmont hosts Victor Valley on Nov. 10 before closing the season at
Antelope Valley on Nov. 17.

"We need to win these last two games to get into one of the better bowls,"
Jordan noted. "We need to have the same kind of effort like we had today,
especially from the guys up front. I thought we controlled the line of
scrimmage the whole game. And that makes things easier for everybody."
(11-03-01)

Roadrunners' plan may be to fool Grossmont

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Don't let their record fool you.

It's like College of the Desert's first-year head coach Reed Benjamin said:
"We've been right on the edge of being a winning football team. A missed
tackle here, a missed block there . . . We are five plays from being a
winning football team.

Instead, the Roadrunners have lost all five of their Foothill Conference
games after beginning the season with impressive victories over Santa Monica
28-17 and Los Angeles Pierce 72-13.

None of that provides Grossmont College head coach Dave Jordan with any false
confidence, as his Griffins host the Roadrunners in a Foothill Conference
game Saturday (Nov. 3) at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

The Roadrunners are coming off a hard-fought 17-14 loss to Southwestern last
weekend in Palm Desert. COD trailed 17-0 at the half in that game, before
scoring touchdowns in each of the final two quarters.

The Roadrunners' fate could easily have been more favorable had they been a
bit more lucky in the opening half against the Jaguars. COD had an apparent
first quarter TD catch ruled out of bounds and then failed to convert a
26-yard field goal. Three turnovers added to Desert's woes.

Grossmont, meanwhile, suffered its first regular-season loss in three years -
snapping a 20-game winning streak - when the Griffins (6-1, 4-1) succumbed to
undefeated Chaffey 38-18 last Saturday (Oct. 27) in Rancho Cucamonga. The
Griffins contributed to their downfall, committing four special teams errors
and a costly personal foul that Chaffey converted into 21 points.

The Roadrunners figure to attack the Griffins through the air, as COD has
struggled with its ground game. The 'Runners were limited to 61 yards on 34
rushes by Southwestern, and mustered a paltry 76 yards rushing (43 on a fake
punt) in a 27-12 loss to Victory Valley the week before.

COD's quarterbacks Eddie Martinez and Mike Wegener have been sacked more than
20 times between them. That's why the Roadrunners haven't lived up to their
namesake, which is reflected by their conference-low 79.3 yards rushing per
game.

On the flip side, COD has done better when taking to the air. Wide receiver
Mario Guardado, COD's only all-conference returnee, has 31 receptions for 368
yards and 6 TDs. Martinez and Wegener have combined for 16 TD tosses.

When these teams met last year in Palm Desert, it was all Grossmont. Fact is,
the Griffins rolled up a school-record 775 yards en route to a 69-7 rout. The
scoring total was the second-highest on the Grossmont books, topped only by
the 72-3 romp led by Brian Sipe in 1967 over Cypress.

These Griffins don't possess that kind of firepower this year, although they
did ring up 44 points against Mission Conference power Saddleback in week
two. However, they have not produced more than 28 points since.

Grossmont's defense, however, has been a stellar unit throughout. No team has
enjoyed a big night against the Griffins, who are faster than they are large.
Free safety Brett Hudson is a major-college prospect in the secondary, as is
inside linebacker Donnie Jackson.

The Griffins, however, are limping a little bit at the moment on the
defensive side. Linebacker Chad Macomber will miss the game to attend his
grandfather's funeral. Nose guard Carlos Fernandez was expected to be
recovered from a broken arm, but needs another week of rehab. Three other
defensive starters missed a practice and will sit out the opening quarter per
team rules.

"Things like that certainly don't help," Jordan said. "Thank goodness we have
some depth. I think we'll be ready. Our kids know we need to win these last
three games to make it to a bowl game."

GRIFFIN GOSSIP -- The Roadrunners figure to be a much stronger team next
season as this year's squad includes 48 freshmen . . . Coach Jordan needs one
more win to reach the 100-victory plateau. . . Jordan said he has sent out
more than 100 videotapes of his players on the request of four-year colleges.
The Griffins lead the all-time series 7-5-3, including wins in four of the
last five meetings.
(11-01-01)

Panthers bring Griffins' 15-game unbeaten string to end

EastCountySports.com staff report

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Chaffey College was making noises that its 38-18 victory
over Grossmont College on Saturday (Oct. 27) was arguably the Panthers' most
important conquest since the 1947 Junior Rose Bowl.

Obviously, it's been a long time since the Panthers have had the opportunity
to play for major prizes.

"This was not a revenge game, not really making a statement," Chaffey head
coach Carl Beach told Louis Brewster of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
after the Panthers (7-0, 5-0) all but guaranteed themselves a berth in the
Southern California championship game. "When we go down there (to Grossmont,
next year) and beat them, then we can make a statement."

Beach was referring to last year's 55-20 loss to the Griffins in El Cajon.
Chaffey, which trails the all-time series to Grossmont 9-8, has rarely beaten
the Griffins on their own turf.

Grossmont (6-1, 4-1), which hasn't won a game at Chaffey since 1974, saw its
15-game regular season winning streak come to an end.

"Now that we know how it feels to lose, we're not going to let it happen
again," said Grossmont freshman wide receiver Jeremy Bush. "In a weird kind
of way, this loss might have been good for us. Now we'll come out and play
harder, come out and play with fire."

While the Panthers, ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 7 nationally, were
patting themselves on the back for defeating the Griffins, rated No. 5 in the
state and No. 9 in the nation, it must be noted that Grossmont made major
contributions to Chaffey's latest success.

Three breakdowns by the Griffins special teams played handsomely into the
Panthers victory. A bungled punt snap and a fumbled punt return put Chaffey
in checkmate scoring position at the Griffins 2 and 10-yard lines. The
Panthers converted both miscues into touchdowns, and led 24-6 with 2:09 left
in the third quarter.

"I thought we played as good on defense in the third quarter as we did all
year," said Chaffey linebacker Ryan Tolan.

Chaffey capitalized on a Grossmont kickoff return error early in the fourth
quarter that indirectly led to a victory-clinching touchdown and a 38-12 lead
for the Panthers with 5:31 remaining.

"It wasn't what they did, as much as it was what we didn't do," said
Grossmont coach Dave Jordan. "We did some things out there that we hadn't
done all year."

Grossmont, which held a 27-to-15 take-away to give-away turnover ratio in its
first six games, lost three fumbles at Chaffey while retrieving only one.
There were no interceptions, although the two teams combined for 84 passes.

Perhaps the most significant turnaround in the game occurred in the final 94
seconds of the first half. Having cashed in on a Matt Flisher fumble recovery
for an early touchdown, the Griffins were clinging to a 6-3 advantage and had
the Panthers pinned down at the Chaffey 2-yard line.

The Panthers appeared content to run out the clock, but Grossmont called time
out. Following the brief respite, Chaffey quarterback Jeff Disney fired a
36-yard completion and Devon Hudspeth followed with runs of 17 and 5 yards.

Suddenly the Panthers were on the prowl. Despite an 11-yard sack by
Grossmont's Prinz Milton and Donnie Jackson, Disney would complete his next
three passes. However, Chaffey probably would have had to settle for a tying
field goal had it not been for a Grossmont personal foul on a third-and-22
play that gave the Panthers an automatic first down. Disney, who connected
for four TD passes in the game, completed the late surge with a 5-yard lob to
Artie Allen, giving Chaffey a 10-6 lead with 4 seconds left in the first half.

"That TD at the end of the half kinda deflated us," admitted Grossmont
linebacker Chad Macomber. "Chaffey is a big, physical team. We were already
giving away something like 30 pounds per man up front, so we couldn't afford
all of those other mistakes."

Jumbo indeed. Chaffey's offensive line averaged 6-foot-4, 303-pounds. The
Panthers, basically, just used their size advantage and wore the Griffins
down.

"They played us real soft," said 6-7, 290-pound Chaffey offensive tackle Brad
Lekkerkerker. "They had plenty of energy after the game to yap, which means
they didn't play hard in the game."

That, of course, would be a matter of opinion. Both sides were chirping
unpleasantries at each other following the final horn. It must be noted,
however, that Chaffey was called for 14 penalties in 141 yards in walk-offs,
including four roughing-the-passer infractions. Grossmont, on the other
hand, was whistled for just four fouls.

Grossmont free safety Brett Hudson, who caught Chaffey's self-proclaimed
superstar Andrae Perry from behind after a 61-yard run, led the Griffins with
a dozen tackles and two pass break-ups. Linebacker Donnie Jackson was in on 9
tackles, while Macomber made 8 stops, and Flisher notched 7. Linebacker Reid
Sample chipped in with 6 tackles in his first start.

Linebacker John Castillo, corner Adam Lake and lineman Wes Holder were
credited with 5 tackles apiece for the Griffins.

Grossmont QB Nick Forston, under heavy pressure throughout the afternoon,
managed to complete 18-of-46 passes for 221 yards, including scoring strikes
of 12 and 8 yards to Chris Lumpkin, and one 15-yard bullseye to Bush.

Lumpkin latched onto 10 passes for 136 yards, while Bush and Garrett Johnson
each had three receptions.

Running back Rey Brathwaite, who has been nursing a sore shoulder the past
two games, was limited to a 33 yards on 14 carries for the Griffins.

Grossmont finished with a season-low 64 yards on 31 carries. That number is a
bit deceiving, as it includes a fumbled punt-snap that led to an 18-yard loss.

Lumpkin helped pick up Grossmont's ground game with 23 yards on 3 carries,
while Forston made a couple of nifty spin moves on a 20-yard sortie that set
up Grossmont's final touchdown.

"We're still a good football team," Jordan said. "If we win our last three
games, we'll be going to a bowl game."
(10-27-01)

Griffins are target in Chaffey's 'Game of Half-century'

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Chaffey College is billing Saturday afternoon's (Oct. 27) Foothill
Conference showdown with Grossmont College, the Panthers' "biggest game in
50 years."

Such statements need to be tempered, of course. In reality, how many people
involved with Chaffey were around when the Panthers played football in 1951?

This, however, is a Panthers football team that loves to "talk smack." Plenty
of ego, lots of results. Is any football team as good as Chaffey claims to be?

"They are pretty good," Grossmont College coach Dave Jordan admitted. "They
are about 30 pounds per man bigger than we are. And they have some good skill
people."

Granted, Chaffey (6-0, 4-0) has compiled six impressive victories without a
loss this season. The Panthers are ranked No. 2 in Southern California, No. 4
in the state and No. 9 in the nation. The Griffins are No. 3 in the SoCal
poll, No. 5 in the state and No. 9 nationally.

While Chaffey's numbers are indeed impressive, the Griffins aren't too bad,
either. Grossmont has won 15 straight regular-season games and is 6-0 this
season without quite as much verbal fanfare as Chaffey exudes.

"They've never played for a state championship, so they're pretty excited
about their chances," Jordan said. "But we believe we're good enough to be in
that state championship game, too. It's a matter of not making mistakes, not
beating ourselves."

Grossmont played for the SoCal title last year, losing 22-17 at Bakersfield.
The Griffins crushed Chaffey 56-20 en route to that title bout.

"They came in with one of the state's best defenses and we took them apart,"
Jordan recalled of Chaffey's 2000 game at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field. "I'm
sure they haven't forgotten."

Grossmont QB Clint Womack (now at Northern Arizona), pierced the Panthers for
4 TD passes in the first half as Grossmont led 28-7 at intermission. The
Griffins extended their advantage to 42-7 with14:09 left in the game. But
that was last year.

Chaffey scored its season-high in a 66-34 rout of Southwestern last weekend.
By comparison, the Griffins jogged past the Jaguars by a tighter 28-17 margin
a week earlier.

"We have the best offensive linemen in California," Chaffey running back
Andrae Perry said after the Panthers pummeled Southwestern. "I haven't seen
any better." Perry has rushed for 623 yards and 4 TDs on 90 carries to rank
No. 4 in the conference.

Grossmont has taken Perry's words as a challenge.

"The way that guy talks, Chaffey must have the best offensive linemen in the
nation," Jordan said.

These teams have used a different means to reach Saturday's showdown.
Chaffey, which has been involved in a pair of 100-point free-for-alls, loves
to play shoot-out with its opponents. The Griffins, who have been known for
taking that course of action in recent years, are more conservative on
offense and downright stingy on defense this year.

"We were flat when we went to Grossmont last year," Perry said. "We aren't
going to let that happen again."

Grossmont's defense is anchored by end Kendall Kuykendall, linebackers Donnie
Jackson, Reid Sample, Mike Aussieker, John Castillo and Chad MacComber along
with corner Erick Peterman and safeties Brett Hudson and Matt Flisher.

Running back Rey Brathwaite, quarterback Nick Forston and receivers Chris
Lumpkin, Enrique Duncan and Garrett Johnson are the keys to Grossmont's
offense.

Brathwaite is the conference's leading rusher (120 ypg) and No.3 scorer (54
points). Forston is the No. 1 passer (279 ypg, 9 TDs), while Chaffey QB Jeff
Disney (84-for-142, 1310 yards, 12 TDs) ranks third.

GRIFFIN GOSSIP -- JC Grid-Wire guru, Hank Ives calls Saturday's battle
between the Panthers and Griffins the JC Game of the Week. . . The Griffins
participated in the state playoffs in 1969, 1974, and last year . . .
College recruiters continue to visit the Grossmont campus. BYU came by on
Friday (Oct. 26) . . . Oregon State has set up a recruiting trip for Hudson.
. . Corner Adam Lake, who was Grossmont's Specialist of the Week in the 21-3
win at San Bernardino, will get his first start at Chaffey. . . Grossmont
leads the all-time series with Chaffey 9-7, but this has been a
home-team-wins series of late. Two years ago, Chaffey scored the game-winning
TD with 0:02 remaining for a 41-39 nod in Ontario . . . Chaffey, in fact,
has beaten the Griffins in their last four trips to Ontario. In 1994 Chaffey
won 37-35 via a TD pass on the final play of the game . . . Not even the
Akili Smith-led Griffs could contain the Panthers as Chaffey won 33-29 in
1995 and 38-30 in 1996 . . . Coach Jordan needs one more win to reach the
100-victory plateau.
(10-25-01)

No look-ahead as Griffins shut down Wolverines

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN BERNARDINO - It was nothing of majestic proportion, but Grossmont College
coach Dave Jordan and his Griffins were pleased to leave San Bernardino
Valley College with a 21-3 Foothill Conference victory over the Wolverines
Saturday (Oct. 20).

The Griffins (6-0, 4-0), who are tied with Chaffey College for the conference
lead, could have been distracted by looking ahead to next week's
winner-take-all battle with the Panthers (6-0, 4-0) in Ontario. But they
maintained their course as they silenced the Wolverines for their 15th
consecutive regular season victory.

Chaffey, which crushed Southwestern 66-34 on Saturday (Oct. 20) in Chula
Vista, is calling its upcoming showdown with Grossmont "the most important
football game in the last 50 years," according to reports published in the
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Rancho Cucamonga.

"I thought we played pretty well," said Chaffey coach Carl Beach in a vast
understatement of the Panthers' massacre at Southwestern. "It sure makes next
week pretty meaningful."

Chaffey, which has scored 29 or more points in every game but one this
season, is still smarting from the abuse it suffered at the hands of the
Griffins last year, when Grossmont pummeled the Panthers 56-20 while
generating 440 yards and 8 touchdowns at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.

The Panthers haven't forgotten.

Chaffey claims it played so well at Southwestern that it punted only once,
and that came with less then three minutes left in the contest. The Panthers
rushed for a season-high 351 yards and passed for 279 as they produced a
season-high 630 yards in their rout of the Jaguars.

"We were relaxed, but we were focused," said Panther Andrae Perry, who rushed
for 168 yards, while QB Jeff Disney passed for 223 yards and 3 TDs. "Last
year we lost to these guys (Southwestern) 36-33 in overtime, and then we fell
flat against Grossmont (a week later). We didn't want to do that this time."

But first things first . . .

The Griffins used a stout defensive effort to send the Wolverines (2-4, 1-3)
packing on their own turf.

Grossmont scored on its first possession, as it marched 71 yards in eight
plays for a 7-0 lead. Sophomore Rey Brathwaite did the scoring honors on a
4-yard run, and Polo Rodriguez kicked the extra point with 12:14 left in the
opening quarter.

That would be all the points the Griffins would score in the first half, but
it would be enough to maintain a 7-3 lead at the break. Grossmont broke the
game open with 14 points in the third quarter.

Sophomore quarterback Nick Forston, who has been in a mild slump, delivered
scoring passes of 23 yards to Enrique Duncan and 95 yards to Garrett Johnson.

"We'd been trying to run that play all game," said Johnson of his 95-yard TD
reception, which was the second longest - 3 yards short of Charlie Phillips'
1979 school record - in Grossmont College history. "But they were holding me
and Enrique every play. So I changed my set-up move, got outside of him (the
defender), and Nick put the ball in there perfectly."

Forston finished the game connecting on 9 of 17 passes for 217 yards and 2
TDs. Duncan led the receiving corps with 3 catches for 57 yards. Michael
Yancy pulled down 2 passes for 30 yards.

A key play of the game was turned in by cornerback Erick Peterman. The
freshman out of Helix High picked off a San Bernardino pass at the 2-yard
line late in the third quarter to short-circuit a potential Wolverine scoring
thrust.

"They tried an out-and-up (pattern) and I read it perfectly and stayed back,"
said Peterman of his third interception of the season. "Once I caught it, the
receiver tried to outrun me, but he couldn't."

Two plays later Forston found Johnson with the victory-clinching touchdown
pass.
(10-20-01)

GROSSMONT HAS TOUGH CHALLENGE AT SBVC

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - When the Grossmont College Griffins travel to San Bernardino
Valley College for Saturday night's (Oct. 20) Foothill Conference game, they
will find something new.

Remember now, that Grossmont and San Bernardino launched their football
series way back in 1962 - the Griffins' inaugural season. In fact, the first
time Grossmont played a football game it was against San Bernardino. The
Griffins won 14-6 that night, but then were shut out five consecutive games
and finished 2-7.

The San Bernardino football team wore the nickname "Indians" those days and
carried that handle through the 2000 season. No longer. To meet absurd
political correctness standards, the team will now be known as the Wolverines.

Although Grossmont (5-0, 3-0) was able to remain undefeated via a 28-17
victory at Southwestern last week (Oct. 13), the Griffins took their physical
lumps in the process.

"(The Jaguars) are a lot better than their (1-5) record indicates," Grossmont
head coach Dave Jordan admitted. "We got a lot of people beat up in that
game. But I think most of our people have recovered and should be able to go
against San Bernardino."

The Wolverines (2-3, 1-2) have been a model of inconsistency this season.
They stumbled out of the gate, falling to Riverside CC 45-24 on opening
night, but rebounded to clip Glendale 34-23 in week two.

The Wolverines' most impressive performance came in week three when they took
powerful Chaffey to the limit before dropping a hard-fought 20-17 decision.
SBVC, which trailed by three points, had the ball in scoring position with
less than two minutes to play. A quarterback sack resulted in a fumble that
Chaffey recovered to earn the win.

For the record, Chaffey's margin of victory was a school-record 53-yard field
goal by Zach Bussey.

"Any team that can challenge Chaffey like that has to be respected," Jordan
said. "We know we're going to have our hands full. We can't even think about
Chaffey (which the Griffins play on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Rancho Cucamonga)."

SBVC proved its mettle two weeks ago when the Wolverines scored 21 unanswered
points to overcome a 30-16 deficit for a 37-30 victory over Southwestern.

"The thing about SBVC is they come right at you," Jordan said. "They run
multiple-sets and have a lot of fast backs to make things difficult in your
preparation. They love to run the quarterback draw out of a shot gun
formation."

The bulk of Grossmont's injuries have come on the defensive side. Three
starters have been lost for the season, but the Griffins have enough depth to
fill the void. New faces in the lineup include corner Mike Malloy, strong
safety Adam Lake and nose guard Tank Kite.

"We are lucky that we have the kind of depth that we do," Jordan said.

Offensively, the Griffins are led by running back Rey Brathwaite, who has
darted for 548 yards and 7 TDs in his last three games.

GRIFFIN GOSSIP - Recruiters from Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon State, North
Carolina, West Virginia, Arizona State, Bowling Green, and New Mexico State
have visited coach Jordan's office the past couple of weeks. Wingate (N.C.)
University, a Division II school Jordan had never heard of, has also joined
the recruiting derby for Grossmont players . . . The Griffins, who have won
14 straight regular season games, are one of only three undefeated teams in
Southern California. There are only five unbeaten squads in the state and 11
in the nation . . . Brathwaite ranks eighth among the state's rushers,
averaging 120.5 yards per game, while QB Forston is No. 8 in total offense
(290.5 yards per game) . . . Grossmont is ranked No. 3 in Southern
California, No. 6 in the state and No. 12 in the nation. . . GC leads the
all-time series 16-5 over SBVC, including wins four of the last five years .
. . Jordan needs two more victories to reach the 100-victory plateau.
(10-18-01)

Lutu leaves California, helps FAMU at tight end
By St. Clair Murraine
TALAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Fa'amalo Lutu came to Florida A&M University on a leap of faith.

First, the tight end decided to join a football team that for years didn't use his position in its offensive scheme. Then, he left the West Coast and his tightly knit family despite not knowing anyone on the East Coast.
"I cried," Lutu's mother, Sherry, said Tuesday (Oct. 16) while speaking by telephone from her San Diego office. "The coach was calling him and I said (to Lutu), 'Can't you find a school on the West Coast?' Then, when I saw the blurb in the newspaper that he signed, I cried."
Tears of joy probably would have come from Sherry Lutu had she seen her son's work last Saturday (Oct. 13). Lutu gave the Rattlers one of their few bright spots in a 55-23 loss to North Carolina A&T.
His touchdown catch on an 8-yard pass from quarterback Quinn Gray brought FAMU within a touchdown of tying the game at 21. He also had two other catches that gave FAMU good field position.
Lutu's best effort so far this season all but assured more chances at tight end - not only as a blocker, but also as another weapon against the opponents' secondary.
"When it comes to pure hands, he does magic with the ball," said coach Billy Joe. "He is a big asset to our offense. He's a great blocker and perhaps he has the best hands on the football team."
Lutu and his family are still getting used to him not being in their Chula Vista, Calif., home in the outskirts of San Diego. He is part of a strong bond that connects 10 households in that area.
Their passionate family ties are rooted in an ancestral mix of Hawaiian and Samoan. When the different branches of the family weren't gathering for beach trips or barbecues, they were at one of Lutu's games. His parents kept him involved in football, basketball and baseball, a sport in which he excelled as a pitcher and first baseman.
Football became his game of choice when he attended Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, CA. With schools like the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Sacramento State wanting him only as a snapper, he settled on FAMU.
But as tough as the decision was to move, Lutu felt he had to come east for his football career to take off. Lutu (6-2, 235) also wanted a different view of life.
"Growing up in a protective household, you always wonder what else is out there," he said, sweat beading up on his broad shoulders and thick arms after weight training Tuesday. "I figured coming out here would be a good choice. My mom and my dad gave me their blessing, and that's all I wanted."
Lutu, 20, is only a phone call away from his parents, and they hear from him every day. They gave him an 800 telephone number to stay in touch.
Lutu's parents have even installed a satellite dish recently to keep up with their son when FAMU's games are televised. They have seen him play in three games, the last time being in person when FAMU played South Carolina State in Jacksonville. The next day Lutu celebrated his birthday with his parents.
The visit made it difficult for the family to part again. His mother's concerns were the same as the day she watched him first take off to FAMU.
"My main concerns were, 'Who are the people he is going to hang around with? What if he gets sick, who is going to be there to help him, and what kind of church he is going to go to?' "
Lutu hasn't found many friends outside of his teammates and hasn't settled on a church yet. And, his only sick feeling comes when he thinks of being away from home.
But homesickness hasn't affected his performance.
Until Lutu came in last summer as a transfer, Joe wasn't sure that he would get the right player to suit the plans he began putting together at the end of last season.
Lutu erased his doubt after his first practice.
"I saw how he was snatching the ball out of the air with velvet-soft hands," said Joe. "That tells you right away you have something special."

Griffins earn win over tough Jaguars

EastCountySports.com staff report

CHULA VISTA - Coach Dave Jordan has been saying it for weeks.

Now his Grossmont Griffins are beginning to get the message: There are no
easy marks in the Foothill Conference.

Considering the Southwestern College Jaguars are the last place team in the
nine-member circuit, Jordan's point is well taken.

Grossmont remains unbeaten, but to a man, the Griffins knew they'd been in a
physical battle en route to a 28-17 victory over the Jaguars Saturday night
(Oct. 13) at DeVore Stadium.

"I told our guys that Southwestern was going to put everything on the line,
because this was the turning point of their season," Jordan said. "And you
could tell they really wanted this game. They played real hard and never
stopped.

"But it sure feels good to come out of here with a win. Being 5-0 has a good
sound to it."

With their 14th straight regular-season victory, the Griffins (5-0, 3-0)
remain tied with Chaffey (5-0, 3-0) for the conference lead. The Panthers,
who led Victor Valley only 30-27 midway through the third quarter, pulled out
a 44-27 victory on Saturday (Oct. 13) in Rancho Cucamonga.

That further emphasizes the fact that the list of patsies in the Foothill
flock are all but extinct. Victor Valley used to be a perennial automatic
victory. But no more, as the Rams are 3-3 and anything but finished at this
point.

Grossmont's physical toll was clearly visible at Southwestern as the Griffins
lost outside linebacker Cordell Williams to a knee injury and nose guard
Carlos Fernandez to a broken right arm. Ironically, Fernandez, a 5-foot-11,
270-pound sophomore, was injured while pursuing and tackling a Southwestern
receiver 43 yards down the sideline.

"He probably saved a touchdown," Jordan said. "It was a very impressive play
the way Fernandez ran that guy down. But I wish he wouldn't have done it,
because we need him."

Running back Rey Brathwaite was once again Grossmont's driving force. The
5-foot-11, 178-pound sophomore raced for 173 yards and two TDs on 18 carries.
He returned the second half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, but the play
was nullified by one of the 26 penalties in the game.

"They (the Jaguars) were pretty much closing everything down on us, so we had
to adjust," said Brathwaite, who scored on first quarter runs of 8 and 9
yards. "We had to change up what we were doing - give it to a fullback a
couple of times, throw some passes."

Grossmont's offensive line of James Parham, Ernesto Bustamonte, Andrew
Lowman, Glen Ludwig and Joseph Green was in hand-to-hand combat with the
charging Jaguars all night, but they managed to create enough space to allow
Brathwaite, a 4.3 sprinter, a chance to do his stuff.

"All I need is a little room," said Brathwaite, who has rushed for 548 yards
and 7 touchdowns in the last three games.

Grossmont quarterback Nick Forston completed 18-of-31 passes for 252 yards
and one TD. The Griffins' sophomore field general must give credit to
freshman wide receiver Jeremy Bush for making a miraculous catch, twisting in
midair as he secured the ball in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. That
gave Grossmont a 25-9 lead with 5:17 remaining.

While Grossmont gained an offensive advantage of 491-313 in total yards, the
outcome was decided by the Griffins' defense.

Led by linebacker Donnie Jackson, free safety Brett Hudson, and end Kendall
Kuykendall, the Griffins limited the Jaguars to 81 yards on 31 rushes.
Southwestern's shifty quarterback Se'e Poumele made it a challenge, as he
scrambled all over the field and completed 20-of-28 passes for 232 yards and
2 TDs.

"We have a lot of great players on our defense," Jordan noted. "But Donnie is
the guy who sparks them by those hits he makes. Whatever it takes, Donnie
always gets to the ball."

Jackson finished with a dozen tackles and two sacks.

Hudson was equally as dominating, as he made 10 tackles, one sack and knocked
down three passes.

Grossmont linebackers Mike Aussieker and John Castillo helped plug up the
middle, and end Nick Hoadley recovered a fourth quarter fumble that halted a
Southwestern drive at the Griffins' 15-yard line.

Polo Rodriquez, who struggled all night executing PAT kicks, booted a
victory-clinching 21-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining.
(10-13-01)

New name, old rivalry for Griffins at Southwestern

EastCountySports.com staff report

CHULA VISTA - Grossmont renews its oldest football rivalry Saturday (Oct. 13)
against the Southwestern College Jaguars (formerly Apaches) at 7 p.m. in Chet
DeVore Stadium.

This series, which Grossmont leads 16-12-2, has produced some memorable
results. In last year's meeting at Grossmont, the Griffins won 20-17 on Jerry
Holstrom's 31-yard field goal with 0:06 remaining. That victory gave
Grossmont the Foothill Conference championship and accounted for the Jaguars'
only regular-season loss.

In 1999, Southwestern capitalized on nine Grossmont turnovers and a blocked
punt to pull out a 34-27 victory. A year earlier, the Griffins won a 52-38
scoringfest, and Southwestern claimed a 56-42 verdict in 1993.

But the biggest scoring bonanza came in 1992 when the two teams produced a
conference record 121 points as Southwestern escaped with a 64-57 nod.

Ironically, despite a tradition of scoring free-for-alls in this series,
Saturday's game should be controlled by the defenses.

The Griffins (4-0, 2-0), who are tied with Chaffey for the conference lead,
have given up only one offensive touchdown in the last five quarters. They
are forcing nearly six turnovers per game and have allowed only one passing
TD all season.

"Our little guys won't be able to see over Southwestern's huge offensive
line," Grossmont head coach Dave Jordan said. "So we can't sit back and play
a read defense. We'll have to be on the move all the time."

Movement is no problem for Grossmont, which has a defense predicated on team
speed. Linebackers Donnie Jackson, Cordell Williams, Chad Macomber and John
Castillo are superb. Free safety Brett Hudson, strong safety Matt Flisher and
corner Erick Peterman are among the best in the state. Linemen Kendell
Kuykendall, Carlos Fernandez, Nick Hoadley and Prinz Milton are coming into
their own.

Offensively, the Griffins are led by running back Rey Brathwaite, who has
bolted for 375 yards and five TDs in his last two games.

Southwestern's defense is anchored by linebacker Fai Leomiti, who earned
Foothill Conference Defensive Player of the year as a freshman.

QB Randall Gonzales clicked on 19 of 34 passes for 280 yards and 2 TDs when
the Jaguars (1-4, 0-2) dropped a 40-17 decision to Antelope Valley last week.

GRIFFIN GOSSIP - The Griffins, who have won 13 straight regular season games,
are ranked No. 4 in Southern California, No. 6 in the state and No. 13 in the
nation. . . Grossmont limited Mt. San Jacinto to one rushing first down in a
22-7 victory last week. . . Grossmont has outscored its first four foes in
the opening two quarters by a composite 73-16 margin.
(10-11-01)

Griffins good as gold in rout of Mt. San Jacinto

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Offense has rarely been in short supply at Grossmont College. It's
been sort of the academy of "Points R Us." Not surprisingly, the Griffins
were ranked among the state's elite offenses for the first three games of the
2001 campaign.

When the Griffins began to sputter offensively on Saturday (Oct. 6), they
were rescued by a gold medal effort on defense to upend visiting Mount San
Jacinto 22-7 at Roth-Mashin Field.

With the victory, Grossmont remained undefeated at 4-0 and moved into a tie
with idle Chaffey (4-0) for the Foothill Conference lead at 2-0.

"Our defense won this game for us," Grossmont head coach Dave Jordan said.
"What we lack in size we make up for in our quickness. This group knows how
to force turnovers."

Against Mount San Jacinto (3-2, 2-1), the Griffins took the ball away six
times - four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Grossmont has created
23 turnovers in four games. The school record for a season is 37.

"We're going to break that record," Jordan said. "Creating turnovers wins
games."

That was the case against MSJC. Grossmont corner Erick Peterman turned his
second interception of the season into a game-winning touchdown with 4:34
left in the second quarter.

"The guys up front put the pressure on the QB all day, so they deserve a lot
of the credit," said Peterman, who returned the pick 38 yards for a score,
giving Grossmont a 13-7 edge.

Freshman corner Donnie Cochran, a converted safety from St. Augustine, came
off the Grossmont bench to intercept two passes that snuffed out budding MSJC
drives.

"Playing corner is basically like being on an island, knowing that it's
one-on-one between you and the receiver," Cochran said. "It's really been a
challenge for me to make the adjustment. (Secondary) coach (Mark) Deesing has
really been demanding, challenging me to make plays. But I'm a better player
for it. He's the best coach I've ever had."

Rey Brathwaite rushed for 165 yards and two TDs on 13 carries as the Griffins
remained among Southern California's four undefeated teams. He displayed his
:4.4 (40) speed and left a trail of Eagles defenders in his wake as he
sprinted 67 yards to give Grossmont a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game.

Brathwaite later sealed the Griffins' victory with a spinning, power bolt of
7 yards through the middle of the bruising MSJC defense in the third quarter.
That effort - set up when linebacker Donnie Jackson stripped Eagles' QB
Daniel DeNardo of the ball and then made the recovery - staked the Griffins
to a 19-7 advantage.

"We know in our heart that we have the best defense," Jackson said. "Mount
San Jacinto likes to run the ball, but we took that away. When they tried to
pass, our DBs stepped up."

Linebacker Chad Macomber also logged an interception, while safety Brett
Hudson recovered a fumble for Grossmont, which shut out the Eagles offense .

"We're a team on the rise," Griffins outside linebacker Cordell Williams
said. "On defense, it's like machine work. We all have a role. Mine was
crashing down on the tackle, so guys like Jackson and (inside linebacker
John) Castillo would be freed up to make tackles."

On the other hand, it was not the best of days for Grossmont quarterback Nick
Forston, who was sacked six times for 52 yards in losses. He completed 15 of
36 passes for a season-low 195 yards., and failed to throw a TD pass for the
first time in a month.

Enrique Duncan, who dropped a TD pass in the end zone, led the Griffins with
five receptions for 79 yards. Chris Lumpkin pulled in four passes for 62
yards.

The Griffins, leading 7-0 at the time, conceivably could have turned the game
into a rout, as a 50-yard run by Brathwaite gave them a first-and-goal at the
Eagles 4-yard line with 10:30 left in the first period. Two plays later,
however, MSJC linebacker Ruben Martinez intercepted a Forston pass and
lumbered down the sideline 102 yards for the tying touchdown.

Martinez' effort only seemed to rouse the ire of the Grossmont defense, which
kept the clamps on the MSJC offense.
(10-06-01)

GROSSMONT FACES CONTENDER IN EAGLES

EastCountySports.com staff report

EL CAJON - Grossmont College's quest for a second straight Foothill
Conference championship continues on Saturday (Oct. 6) when the Griffins host
Mt. San Jacinto College of Hemet in a showdown of circuit contenders. Kickoff
is 2 p.m. at Mashin-Roth Memorial Field.

The Eagles (3-1, 2-0) are ranked No. 10 in Southern California and are tied
for the conference lead with Chaffey. Grossmont (3-0, 1-0), ranked No. 4 in
Southern California, No. 7 in the state, and No. 16 in the nation, is third
in the conference standings.

The fact that Grossmont handled Mt. San Jacinto 35-10 in last year's meeting
in Hemet gives Griffins' coach Dave Jordan little comfort.

"They're the most conservative offense in the conference," Jordan said. "They
just pound you. Usually they come at you in a double-wing, and sometimes go
at you with a full house.

"If they had their way, they'd probably dive right and dive left all day."

That won't make it any easier for Grossmont's small-but-aggressive defense to
keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.

"They have some real speed out there," Jordan said. "And they like to control
the clock. They can get pretty tough if they get the lead. But even if you
get the lead, they never quit."

The Griffins have a solid defense, as they've allowed only one touchdown pass
and six rushing touchdowns all season. They've also recovered eight fumbles
and intercepted nine passes, which makes them one of the best
turnover-retrieving teams in the state.

Grossmont's offense, which is No. 2 in the state with 521 yards and 35.7
points per game, features the leading rusher (Rey Brathwaite), No. 1 passer
(Nick Forston), and top receiver (Chris Lumpkin) in the conference.

Brathwaite, who is averaging 105.7 yards rushing per game, stormed for 208
yards (2nd highest in Grossmont history), and 3 touchdowns in the Griffins'
28-20 victory over San Diego Mesa last week.

Lumpkin caught 11 passes for 122 yards in that game, while Forston passed for
222 yards and one TD.

The Eagles rush by committee in their Wing-T offense. Terrence Spina is the
workhorse, but Baris Banks provides :4.3 speed to give MSJC breakaway
capabilities. On top of that, receiver Brett Johnson has pulled down 35
passes for 519 yards and 5 TDS from quarterback Daniel DeNardo (6-2, 215).

So obviously, MSJC is a team that prefers to run, but doesn't have to. It's
Grossmont's job to make the adjustments.

GRIFFIN GOSSIP - Grossmont leads the all-time series over the Eagles 7-2,
including victories in six of the last seven years. Two of those conquests,
however, were decided on last second field goals . . . The Griffins have won
conference championships three of the last five years . . . Brathwaite and
Lumpkin were included among the State Offensive Players of the Week as
selected by Fred Baer of the JC Athletic Bureau. Somehow Baer overlooked
safety BRETT HUDSON, who intercepted 3 passes and recovered a fumble in the
victory over Mesa. . . Former Griffin safety KEVIN McCADAM, now a senior at
Virginia Tech, was named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Week for
returning an interception 69 yards for a touchdown in the Hokies' victory
over Central Florida.
(10-04-01)

Brathwaite boosts Griffins with 200-plus ground game

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN DIEGO - The Grossmont Griffins stand alone as San Diego County's only
unbeaten community college football team.

Barely.

Although the Griffins would like to think that they demolished San Diego Mesa
in Saturday's (Sept. 29) Foothill Conference opener, the reality of the event
is Grossmont won only 28-20.

It's not that the Griffins were ever in serious danger of submitting to an
upset at the hands of the Olympians. But Grossmont was unable to dominate the
game in a fas