CBC Sports: 2005 Football Season Underway!
by Chris Terrence

12 September 05 - There were plenty of footballs in the air around the Valley over this past weekend as the high school, JC, and college seasons kicked off and KJEO Sports, KGMC C-43, and Comcast were right in on the action. The 2005 season is going to be a special one for Valley football fans, as Cocola Broadcasting and Comcast Cable have joined forces to make 15 televised regular season games plus the CIF playoffs available to fans around the Valley.

Friday night games will be televised on KGMC, C43 (Comcast ch 10) at midnights on the night of the games, and then will be rebroadcast Saturdays at 10 a.m. & 8p.m. and Sundays at 9p.m. on KJEO non-cable channel 32 and then again the following Wednesdays at 8:30p.m. on Comcast Cable Ch 14. Check your local listings for further broadcasts on various stations around the Valley and in the mountains.

Week One a Winner!

Our first broadcast game was in Tulare at Bob Mathias Stadium, where the Hoover Patriots beat the Mustangs of Tulare Western, 48-12. Hoover got it’s season off with flying colors behind the running, passing, and defense of Mike Cervantes, Allen Morris, Clifton Rogers, and Andrew May. Head coach Rick Lyons was very pleased with his whole squard. “It’s been a great summer where the team really came together as a family. This is a good bunch of young men and we are very proud and happy for them.”, said the beaming coach after the game, “This is just the first game of the season, but it’s a happy time. We beat a well coached Tulare Western team that has a lot of good athletes.”.....Our CBC-Comcast Players of the Game awards went to Cervantes of Hoover, and Steve Holguin of Tulare Western........Morris opened up a huge offensive night for the Pats, with an electricfying 36 yard touchdown run in the first quarter....the Patriots folllowed up with with another TD by Jordan Lett’s 13 yard scamper and the show was on....Our color guy, Fred Clark, was very impressed with Hoover. “They got some good fans, always have, and although they’ve had some tough times in recent years, they look like they are ready to rock and roll this year. TW is a good team and they will be back.”

That very well could be....last year the Mustangs lost their first three games and then came back and went all the way through the playoffs to the Valley Championship game, only to lose to East Bakersfield. Coach Luis DaSilva and staff led that charge last year and will again this year.....By the way, Fred Clark’s son Aaron Clark, was a quarterback at Hoover High a few years ago. Aaron recently completed a tour with the US Army, including over a year in Iraq. He is now enrolled at Santa Barbara City College and doing great......the Hoover/Tulare Western game was produced by Comcast, directed by Barbara Rodiek who did a great job, and part of the crew was from the College of Sequoias......

DeLaSalle vs Clovis West

Anytime you have Fresno State playing at home on the same night you have a high school game in the area, chances are that the high school game is going to have a lot of empty seats. Well, the Bulldogs did have a big crowd on Saturday night, but then again, at the same time, there was a very good crowd at Golden Eagle Field at the BEC in Clovis to watch a great game between two nationally ranked high school teams, the Spartans of DeLaSalle and the Eagles of Clovis West. And what a battle it was folks. I’m sure you have heard about last year’s Clovis West victory up in Concord over the Spartans, a week after DeLaSalle had lost to Belview (WA) HS, which broke the incredible national record of 151 consecutive victories by the Spartans. (During that time of the streak, 1992 to 2003, DeLaSalle won 12 North Coast Region championships, and 7 national titles)(Wow!).....anyway, Clovis West beat them the next week after the Belview game last year, knocking off the Spartans on their home field after they had won 75 straight home games! So the lads of Coach Bob Ladocuer came to Golden Eagle Field with some payback and revenge on their minds aimed at the defending Valley Champion Eagles. For three and a half quarters the Eagles and Spartans fought to a 0-0 tie, in a rugged scoreless tie. Then all of a sudden the Eagle’s powerful running back, Chris Lewis botled up the middle and then broke to the outside and headed for paydirt. Spartan DB, Mario D’Ambrosio just missed a shoestring tackle as the speedy Lewis sprinted past the 10 yard line on his way to the 43 yard touchdown. Ben Milam then put the foot to the conversion and the Eagles led 7-0 and that’s how the game ended. A big win for Coach Jim Hartigan and the Eagles and their fans. It was a great night for Valley High School football. During the fourth quarter, Fred and I were visited in the broadcast booth by Tony Perry, a coach for the Edison Tigers. Coach Perry stopped off on his was home from San Mateo, to give us the good news that Edison High had knocked off Serra High , another Bay Area powerhouse, 24-21....

Our Player of the Game awards went to Tony Lopez for the Golden Eagles and Ryan Nastor for the Spartans. Lopez made three huge plays on defense for Clovis West, one of them causing a fumble that was recovered. There were lots of heros for the Eagles, Kyle Duffy did a great job on both sides of the ball, Jordan Ribera was great on defense as well - gee , right now I am trying to think of how many defensive plays that Ribera ASN’T in, and I can’t think of too many. Chris Lewis had a great game and quarterbacks Brett Springer and Beau Sweeney worked hard to make Coach Hartigan work even harder to come up with the starter between the two young QB’s (Springer, a junior, led the Clovis West JV’s to a Tri River title last season, and Sweeney, a soph, led the CW Frosh to a championship last year). You’ll be seeing a lot of both of these young athletes this season.

Our half-time guest was Clovis West athletic director Karen Sowby. Karen talked about the coaches, players, students, workers, and fans that were all responsible for the fact that Clovis West was named the California High School Athletic School of the Year, by Cal-Hi Magazine.

Good crowds at both games, in Tulare, at Golden Eagle Field, and yes there were 38,000 plus on hand at Jim Sweeney Bulldog Stadium as well, where the Dog’s pounded Weber State, 55-17, with the help of many players who played their high school ball right here in our Valley. Fresno City College also won this past weekend to maintain their #2 ranking in the state. Tony Cavilia, head coach af the Rams, was also on hand at the Eagle/Spartan game and was wearing a big smile after the Rams’ victory earlier in the day. The Rams also have a large contingent of former Valley high school players. So it looks like football is on the way to another exciting year here in the land of the good weather. Our TV game this week features Clovis High and Bullard, two more outstanding teams. Come see the game live at Grizzlies stadium and then watch us for the replays. Oh and best of luck to the Clovis East Timberwolves, who are heading off to Texas to play the Midland Lee High School team that was featured in the movie “Friday Night Lights”. Look out Texas. Here come the Timberwolves.

Have a good week in the meantime. Take care.

Chris Terrence