Football begins season with 'good' attitude
Campus Times
September 18, 1998
If improvement is what the University of La Verne football team is looking
for this season, the Leopards can achieve their goal by the end of the third
week.
The 1997 version of the ULV squad ended the regular season with a 2-7
mark, so the 1998 La Verne team can improve -- record wise -- with a season-beginning
three-game winning streak.
But a top position in the standings is not the only aspect head coach
Don Morel is looking for in his team.
"No. 1 is that we want to be playing with good guys," he said,
"and it is nice if they are good football players also. This is the
happiest I have ever been with the team in the eight years that I have been
here in terms of a group of good guys at La Verne for the right reasons."
Those reasons (getting a college degree, playing football, etc.) have,
in Morel's opinion, assembled a team, on both sides of the ball, that is
balanced, starting with the Leopards' defense.
"I think we will be led [on defense] by returners Terrance Williams
at defensive end, [junior] Mike Barreiro, who moved to inside backer, and
[senior] Devon Carrillo at corner is certainly someone who is going to help
us," Morel said. "Our strong safety [Thomas Penegar, senior] and
rover [Stephen Brame, senior] are returning, so right there it builds a
nucleus for sound defense."
"We are going to take it one game at a time," Williams said.
"Our main priority is to get some points on the board. It looks like
we are going to have a good season."
So once the Leopards get the ball on offense, they plan to have a potent
attack with senior running back Ordell Williams leading the way.
"I think [Williams] is the best running back in the league, he
was last year, and he has to prove himself all over," Morel said. "We
certainly think he has the ability to be a dominating back.
"We are really not sure what we can do on offense until we start
playing games. You never know on this level until you start playing games,
but in practice right now, [Williams] has been a bright spot."
"I plan to focus on protecting the ball and making better reads,"
Williams said. "Our season goal is to win [the Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)] and to make sure all of the
guys have fun as well as win."
Other key starters for the Leopards on offense are junior quarterback
Dan Blahy and junior wide receiver Andrew Woolsey.
With junior Damien Alarcon at line backer and junior transfer Mike Merrill,
junior Korey Turner and sophomore Manny Rodriguez on the defensive line,
combined with the defensive stand-outs Morel listed, ULV may have plenty
of chances on offense to put the ball in the end zone or the defense could
take the pigskin in for the score itself.
"I think we look pretty good, we are coming along [on offense],"
Brame said.
"The first goal I have is to beat Occidental. Our defensive goal
is to hold them to as less points as we can and get turnovers and give the
offense as many opportunities as we can."
ULV opens the season at Ortmayer Stadium tomorrow against Occidental
at 1 p.m. The game is one of three home contests for the Leopards, as they
host Redlands on Oct. 24, which is Homecoming, and close the season Nov.
14 against visiting Menlo.
Next week, La Verne travels to Texas to battle Howard Payne.
When the Leopards return to California, they are on the road to face
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Whittier and Azusa Pacific -- all before Homecoming.
On Oct. 31, ULV plays at Chapman, and a week later, La Verne returns
to SCIAC play at Cal Lutheran.
