Monarchs

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Wednesday night's Western State Conference opener between Glendale Community College and Los Angeles Valley College pitted a team with a winning record against one reeling from a season of mishaps. Once the contest got underway, a casual onlooker might have assumed that the Vaqueros represented the latter billing. The Monarchs entered the game having lost 10 of their previous 12 contests, but showed no signs of weakness in taking it straight to Glendale college early and keeping the pressure on for an 81-71 victory.

GLENDALE — If John Cicuto had it his way, his team and every other in Southern California would not take the field this weekend. The Glendale Community College Coach was a strong advocate of postponing all games as a result of the devastation that fires throughout the extended area have caused the players and families of various junior college programs. “We’re ready to play, for us it’s good to play,” Glendale college Coach John Cicuto said. “But conscience-wise, if four teams can’t play they should cancel all the games for this week so that everything is fair.

VALLEY GLEN — As the Glendale Community College and Los Angeles Valley College men’s basketball teams exchanged leads in the second half of Saturday night’s Western State Conference South Division contest, it appeared the game might be decided by the team that had the ball last. Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, a few late turnovers, questionable calls and bad breaks gave the Monarchs some extra possessions and sealed the fate of Glendale in a narrow 89-86 loss at Valley College.

Erik Boal On a day when Dyan Miller earned her second master's degree from Long Beach State, her Glendale Community College women's basketball team stepped up Saturday night to pass its biggest test of the season. Facing Western State Conference Southern Division front-runner L.A. Valley College, a team ranked No. 10 in the state by the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Assn., the Vaqueros added to Miller's remarkable day with an impressive effort of their own. Behind 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals from Ashika Lakhan, 17 points from Nabosa Basse and five-of-six free-throw shooting in the final 30 seconds, GCC ended the Monarchs' unbeaten run in divisional play, posting a 64-58 win at home.

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- For a nine-player team that has no sophomores on its roster, these losses are served as more of a learning experience than anything else. Entering Saturday's Western State Conference Southern Division game against L.A. Valley, the Glendale Community College women's basketball team knew the Monarchs were good. Very good. Good as in No. 3 in the state and No. 2 in Southern California, according to the Commission on Athletics rankings.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Slow out of the gate, the Glendale Community College softball team was able to mount one comeback, but failed to answer when it counted the most. Visiting L.A. Valley College plated the winning run in the top of the eighth inning to send the Vaqueros packing with a 3-2 loss in extra innings during Tuesday's Western State Conference South meeting at the Glendale Sports Complex. In the bottom half of the eighth inning, the Vaqueros threatened to tie the game, but had the potential tying run thrown out at second base on a controversial call on a fielder's choice.

A rivalry between two of Orange County's most successful prep football programs continues Friday when Edison takes on Mater Dei in nonleague play. The Chargers will face the host Monarchs in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Cal State Fullerton. Edison comes into the matchup on a three-game winning streak. Mater Dei, meanwhile, collected its first victory of the season Friday against Foothill. "Don't let their record fool you," Edison coach Dave White said of the Monarchs, who blitzed Foothill, 33-0, last week.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Within a second half that saw the Glendale Community College football team unable to sustain a good start or protect a halftime lead, it was a gamble gone wrong and a bit of just plain bad luck that stood out most by the end of a 27-21 loss to Los Angeles Valley Saturday night at Sartoris Field. The Vaqueros were held scoreless on a red-zone drive early in the third quarter that proved to be their last and best chance to tie or retake the lead and saw their fourth-quarter bid to rally derailed by an improbable interception in the Pacific Conference American Division opener for both teams.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Even though it led for most of the game and by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Glendale Community College men's basketball team's uneven play kept allowing visiting Los Angeles Valley to believe it could get back in the game at any time. That belief translated into a late Monarchs run that nearly cost the Vaqueros the game. "We gave them hope and you can't give guys hope," Glendale Coach Brian Beauchemin said after his team held on to eke out a 74-71 Western State Conference Southern Division-opening win at the free-throw line.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? The Glendale Community College men?s basketball team spent the second half of Saturday?s Western State Conference South Division contest against visiting Los Angeles Valley College trying to rediscover the offensive momentum that appeared to have the Vaqueros on the verge of taking control of the game in the first half. Save for isolated stretches here and there, it proved to ultimately be a fruitless search, as the Monarchs pulled ahead to stay with about five minutes left in the game to claim an 86-80 victory and send the Vaqueros to their second conference loss in as many games.

VALLEY GLEN - On paper, the Glendale Community College football team looked to have its best chance to pick up its first American Division Pacific Conference win of the season and end a four-game losing streak when going on the road to face a Los Angeles Valley team that was winless. But to accomplish this, the Vaqueros would have to do without their best weapon on offense, with running back Collin Keoshian suspended for the game, starting tackle Steven Escobaza removed from the team, quarterback Ki Bae starting only his second game, and a myriad of injuries.

Last week, the combination of the hopeful momentum boost of a quarterback change, the continued presence of one of the most effective running backs in the Pacific Conference and the opportunity to break a losing streak against one of the weaker teams in the state added up to nothing more than one of the Glendale Community College football team's most confounding losses yet this season. The Vaqueros lost freshman signal caller Ki Bae to a dislocated finger in his throwing hand, lost the game, 13-0, to Los Angeles Southwest to remain winless in conference and, adding further insult to injury, lost sophomore running back Collin Keoshian in all probability for today's 6 p.m. conference game against host L.A. Valley.

SANTA ANA - The final 66-47 margin might suggest Wednesday's opening-round contest of the Southern California Regional of the CIF State Division I Basketball Championships was just another walkover for top-seeded host Mater Dei High in its march toward a ninth state crown. But for over three quarters, the upstart underdog Crescenta Valley Falcons were very much a bee in the Monarchs' bonnet rather than a bug on their windshield. Crescenta Valley overcame an early double-digit deficit to trail by just six at halftime, actually took a lead ever so briefly in the third quarter and entered the fourth still within striking distance, down by eight.

The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Kevin Orozco (Crescenta Valley High, 2008) senior, University of San Francisco men's soccer: After doing whatever was asked of him for the Dons defense, Orozco was rewarded with a honorable mention for the All-West Coast Conference team, which was announced Nov. 15. "In his second season at USF, Kevin had a very strong year for us," San Francisco Coach Erik Visser...

The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Gabe Ramirez (Crescenta Valley High, 2009) University of Redlands men's soccer, junior: In the midst of a stellar run for the Redlands squad, the junior midfielder was named to the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer first team. Ramirez was also one of four Bulldogs honored with the distinction of being a Second-Team Academic All-District honoree for NCAA Division III. In terms of his academic honors, it comes as the sociology and anthropology and liberal studies double major possesses a 3.56 cumulative grade-point average.

Without its starting quarterback Kevin Hunter available, the Glendale Community College football team's offense figures to be at a disadvantage when it takes on host Los Angeles Valley College at 6 p.m. today in its Pacific Conference American Division opener. Overall, the playing field may end up being level after all, though, as the Monarchs lost their signal-caller Dan Owen to an even more severe and most likely season-ending injury last week, as well. "We don't know quite what to expect," Glendale Community College John Rome said of preparing for L.A. Valley (2-2)

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — In its Western State Conference opener Wednesday night, the Glendale Community College women's basketball team bottomed out. For the Vaqueros, it wasn't the kind of start they had in mind. It translated into a season-low in points and kept them winless. Glendale didn't score until nearly halfway through the first half and suffered a 67-22 loss against visiting L.A. Valley College. "It was just hard to get going," said Glendale college first-year Coach Carrie Miller, whose team trailed, 26-4, at halftime.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Even though it led for most of the game and by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Glendale Community College men's basketball team's uneven play kept allowing visiting Los Angeles Valley to believe it could get back in the game at any time. That belief translated into a late Monarchs run that nearly cost the Vaqueros the game. "We gave them hope and you can't give guys hope," Glendale Coach Brian Beauchemin said after his team held on to eke out a 74-71 Western State Conference Southern Division-opening win at the free-throw line.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Within a second half that saw the Glendale Community College football team unable to sustain a good start or protect a halftime lead, it was a gamble gone wrong and a bit of just plain bad luck that stood out most by the end of a 27-21 loss to Los Angeles Valley Saturday night at Sartoris Field. The Vaqueros were held scoreless on a red-zone drive early in the third quarter that proved to be their last and best chance to tie or retake the lead and saw their fourth-quarter bid to rally derailed by an improbable interception in the Pacific Conference American Division opener for both teams.

GLENDALE — For the Glendale Community College football team, the 2010 season begins tonight. At least that's the mindset the Vaqueros will take into their American Conference Pacific Division opener against Los Angeles Valley, which kicks off at 6 at Sartoris Field. "Yes, they are [going to take on more meaning]," Vaqueros Coach John Rome said of his team's contests going forward into the five-game conference slate, which comes on the heels of an 0-4 nonconference start.