VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : JUNIOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAPSULES

Antelope Valley

COACH: Brent Carder (30th season).

1998 RECORD: 4-6, 1-3 in Foothill Conference.

COMING BACK: QB Justin Holtfreter was sidelined by an injury in the 1998 opener. QB Monte Gutowski passed for 932 yards and eight touchdowns before being knocked out for the season in the eighth game. S Bobby Antee made 52 tackles and had four interceptions.

CHECKING IN: RB David Newton rushed for 876 yards and four touchdowns at Littlerock two years ago and sat out last season at NAIA member Langston. RB Jason Anderson, also a redshirt at Langston, rushed for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns at Palmdale in 1997. G Dustin Tupper is from Las Vegas Cimarron.

OUTLOOK: Carder said the Marauders have more speed in the backfield than last season, which they’ll need running behind five freshman linemen. The defensive line also features only freshmen.

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Canyons

COACH: Chuck Lyon (second season).

1998 RECORD: 7-4, 4-2 in Western State Conference.

COMING BACK: LB Sean Cogswell was an All-WSC Northern Division selection. WR Mark Hamilton had 42 receptions for 863 yards and seven touchdowns. K Heloyt Cervantes made 11 field goals, second-most in the conference.

CHECKING IN: QB Travis Winn last season passed for 819 yards and six touchdowns at Valley. RB Major Caldwell had 1,591 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns at San Fernando High. LB Todd Hourigan, an All-Southern Section selection at Hart in 1996, transferred from Utah.

OUTLOOK: The Cougars, in their second season after a 17-year hiatus, have plenty of talent but Lyon feels the road is considerably bumpier. “Our schedule is probably four times harder than last year and we are twice as good, so we are behind,” he said.

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Glendale

COACH: John Cicuto (11th season).

1998 RECORD: 3-7, 2-4 in WSC.

COMING BACK: QB Mike Frost passed for 1,787 yards, the sixth-best season total in school history. WR Chad Heydorff had 40 receptions for 662 yards and eight touchdowns. CB Keeyon Howard was an All-WSC Northern Division selection.

CHECKING IN: RB Derrel Furutani rushed for 1,333 yards and 16 touchdowns at Crescenta Valley. QB Seth Santoro passed for 1,146 yards and 10 touchdowns at Crescenta Valley.

OUTLOOK: It’s no secret where the Vaqueros need to improve. Last season, they ranked 12th defensively in the 15-team WSC, allowing 381.2 yards per game. If not, it’ll be their fourth consecutive losing season.

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Moorpark

COACH: Jim Bittner (21st season).

1998 RECORD: 9-2, 7-0 in WSC.

COMING BACK: QB Farhaad Azimi suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture in the opener last year. LB Jud Southwell was All-WSC honorable mention. RB Emmanuel Evans played sparingly last season but rushed for 4,781 career yards and 46 touchdowns at Birmingham.

CHECKING IN: RB Donald Thompson led region ballcarriers with 1,993 yards and 28 touchdowns at Hueneme. QB Jeff Garcia passed for 1,444 yards and 18 touchdowns at Hueneme. QB Garrett Valencia passed for 1,722 yards and 14 touchdowns at Camarillo.

OUTLOOK: Moorpark must replace RB Carl Richardson--who rushed for 1,284 yards, scored eight touchdowns and was WSC Southern Division player of the year--and make do with what Bittner calls a no-name defense. Look for Azimi to pass frequently. “Our receiving corps are all young guys, but we’ll throw a little more this year,” Bittner said.

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Valley

COACH: Carl Ferrill (first season).

1998 RECORD: 4-6, 3-4 in WSC.

COMING BACK: QB Eric Holtfreter passed for 1,709 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. RB Jason Portee rushed for 371 yards and four touchdowns. RB Vinny Walker rushed for 348 yards and five touchdowns.

CHECKING IN: WR Deon Scott had 33 receptions for 698 yards and five touchdowns at Alemany. WR Julian Battle signed with Miami out of Palm Beach Wellington but was ineligible. DE Shawn Price committed to Ohio State out of Haddon Heights, N.J., but was ineligible.

OUTLOOK: The Monarchs have only one returning starter on defense, but Ferrill credits a host of talented new linebackers and defensive backs with improving the unit. He’s also high on the receivers. “I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said.

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Ventura

COACH: Terry Morris (third season).

1998 RECORD: 9-2, 4-2 in WSC.

COMING BACK: RB Travis Rogers was the WSC rushing champion with 1,845 yards. RB Maurice Atwood had 564 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. OL Chad Kahlsdorf (6-5, 295) was an All-WSC pick.

CHECKING IN: QB Glenn Dudley, a former Buena standout, played at Bakersfield two years ago but sat out last season. TE Terrance Dotsy had 40 receptions for 561 yards and six touchdowns at Santa Clara. WR Derek Swafford is taking up football after five years in minor league baseball.

OUTLOOK: The Pirates return 27 players from their best team in years, giving Morris reason to believe a Northern Division title and another bowl game are within reach. “We don’t feel we’re a spark in the pan. We don’t feel we’re a one-year wonder,” he said.