Baseball team out to rough start

While it might still be early in the season, the Cerritos College baseball team is off to a horrible start.  After its first nine games the Falcons are 2-7 under first-year head coach Jack Brooks.

It is early, but is it time to wonder about the coaching change made after the baseball team went 26-15 during the regular season under former head coach Ken Gaylord but lost in the first round of the state tournament.

There might be hope this season but with the way the Falcons have been losing this season there needs to be tremendous turnaround or all hope will be lost.

The pitching staff has let the Falcons down.  It has given up an average of more than 9 runs per game.  That is just unacceptable.

They have been losing by an average of just fewer than 6 runs per game.

Whether this is just bad start or a start of a down season for this team things need to turnaround in a hurry or it will be look at a season where the Falcons do not make the playoffs and that just will not cut it at a college that has such a winning tradition in baseball.

-Scott Watkins

Jackson named Co-MVP

Adria Jackson

Guard Adria Jackson was named Co-MVP of the South Coast Conference on Tuesday.

It is the second-straught year a player from the Cerritos College basketball team is awarded the honor.  Mercedes Taylor was awarded last year.

Jackson led the team in scoring with points (15.2) and steals (48).

Also joining the first-team all-conference team with Jackson is Rose Boatner, April Perry and Maleta Daughtery.

Jazlyn Afusia was awarded second-team all-conference.

-Rick Gomez

Kincaid makes history

Wally Kincaid

Cerritos College former head coach Wally Kincaid will be inducted into the 2010 College Baseball Hall of Fame on July 1.

Kincaid will be making history by becoming the first inductee to come from a two-year institution.

Kincaid, who now has the Cerritos College baseball field named after him, served as the Cerritos College baseball team for 22 years where he racked up a record of 678-163 but more importantly, six state championships.

- Rick Gomez

Quick Hits: Feb. 17

Basketball
Men
The Cerritos College men’s basketball team (18-10, 7-1) secured sole possession of the South Coast Conference title after defeating Long Beach City, 69-51, at The Aviary to close out the regular season.

The Falcons avenged an earlier loss to LBCC who gave them their only loss in conference.

Seedings for the playoff tournament will be announced on Saturday.

Women
Guard April Perry’s 17 points and forward Rose Boatner’s double-double led the Cerritos College women’s basketball team (18-11, 5-1) to a 70-53 win to clinch the SCC title against LBCC at The Aviary.

Baseball
Pitcher Chris Villalobos gave up a walk-off homer to give the Cerritos College men’s baseball team an 11-7 loss to College of the Canyons.

The runs were all credited to Tucker Woods.

The Falcons have dropped four of their last five and are 2-4 for season.

-Rick Gomez

Quick hits: Feb. 10

Baseball
Pitcher Chris Villalobos struggled early in the game, allowing two runs in the first inning and five in the second.

He left the game with nine runs allowed in 3 1/3 innings in Cerritos College baseball team’s 12-4 loss against Golden West.

Softball
Trailing by one in the fifth inning, Natalie Garcia hit a home run to spark a four-run inning and lead the Cerritos College softball team to a 5-3 lead over Palomar.

Pitcher HIllary Perez-Ashley allowed one run and improved her record to 5-0 for the season.

Basketball
Men

Forward Marcellus Jackson’s 17 points helped lead the Cerritos College men’s basketball team win over LA Southwest, 94-75.

Jackson scored 13 in the first half and the Falcons entered the second half with a big lead.

Five players finished in the double-figures.

Women
Forward Rose Boatner secured a 67-62 victory the Cerritos College women’s basketball team at LA Southwest with a layup under 10 seconds remaining in the game.

The Falcons trailed for most of the game but came back and took their first lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game with a three-pointer by guard April Perry.

-Rick Gomez

Football coaches put in work

It’s amazing how much time the Cerritos College football coaches put into getting their players recruited.

Defensive coordinator Tom Caines spends hours going over game tape to create highlight reels for each player on top his duties in the weight room with returning players and as a teacher.

This year 13 players have already signed with four-year universities and an additional four players are expected to sign.

The time the coaches put in gives opportunities to many young men who would otherwise not get the opportunity to get a college degree.

Many of these players come from homes where their families can’t afford to send them to college and many players will have the opportunity to become the first college graduates in their families.

-Scott Watkins