Vaqueros ready to christen new home

Walks around campus have brightened John Cicuto’s mood.

The veteran Glendale Community College football coach can feel a

buzz across campus on the eve of the upcoming football season. The

Vaqueros will finally play their home games on campus after

competing at Glendale High.

Glendale College will start a new chapter in its lengthy history

when it meets Southwestern College in a nonconference game at 7 p.m.

today at Sartoris Field.

“The students can identify now with the team because we are on

campus,” said Cicuto, who took over the program in 1989.

“I don’t have to line the field anymore like I did all of those

years. It will be great going right to the locker room instead of

going on a team bus to prepare for games.

“There’s a lot less stress than in years past.”

True, but the games still need to be played and coached.

Cicuto, who will enter his 31st season with the program, might get

a good idea today of what to expect this season after the Vaqueros

finished 4-6 and 3-4 in the Western State Conference’s Southern

Division for sixth place last season.

Veteran leadership will be invaluable, Cicuto said.

“We have 32 returners, and it’s one of the better sophomore

classes that we’ve had coming back in the past 15-20 years,” Cicuto

said. “We have a team that’s bought into the program. We’ll do some

good things.”

The Vaqueros averaged 373.3 yards per game on offense last season,

and yielded 359.3.

Southwestern, which last faced the Vaqueros in 1998, went 2-8, 2-6

in the Foothill Conference for eighth place in 2004. It averaged

248.2 yards per game and allowed 348.9.

Cicuto said those numbers no longer matter.

“Southwestern is traditionally a strong program,” Cicuto said.

“They seem to have good size on the lines, and there will be a new

offense.

“We are unsure what we are going up against, but we’ll look to see

if our speed can counter their size.”

Cicuto said sophomore quarterback Steve Martinez will start today.

Brendan Doyle, a former Bellarmine-Jefferson High standout, could

serve as a backup along with Frankie Bernard.

Doyle earned two straight CIF Southern Section Division XII

All-CIF honors before moving on to Los Angeles Valley College last

season. As a senior at Bell-Jeff, Doyle completed 78 of 161 passes

for 1,337 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed

for 174 yards and five touchdowns.

In his final two seasons with the Guards, Doyle threw for 2,890

yards and 27 touchdowns.

The team features eight players from Burroughs and Bell-Jeff.

St. Francis High graduates Ryan Bronk and Matt LaRussa and

Glendale High graduate Ricky Martin will lead Glendale College’s

defensive line. Other key defenders for the Vaqueros will be Graeson

Matevosian, Frank Yee and Gerald Biggers.