COLLEGE DIVISION / MITCH POLIN : Southland Football Teams Plan Return Trips to Playoffs

By most standards, last season was the best in recent years for the Southland’s College Division football teams.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Northridge reached the NCAA Division II playoffs and Redlands advanced to the Division III playoffs.

This season has the potential to be just as successful.

In a preseason Division II poll by Street & Smith magazine, Cal Poly SLO is ranked No. 11 and CS Northridge No. 14. In a poll of coaches, Cal Poly SLO is ranked No. 9 and CS Northridge No. 15.

In Division III, Occidental is No. 19 by the magazine, although defending champion Redlands is the consensus favorite to win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In the Western Football Conference, Cal Poly SLO won its first league title since 1982 last season and the Mustangs are considered a co-favorite again, with Portland State. The Mustangs have 12 starters back from a team that finished 10-2 and reached the second round of the Division II playoffs.

Leading the offense are quarterback David Lafferty, who threw for a school-record 2,525 yards in 1990, and receivers Vince Holloway and Ted Robison.

The defense, No. 2 in the nation against the rush last season, returns linemen Andres Washington, Mike Hamrick and Eric Alexander plus linebacker Brian Wright.

CS Northridge, 7-4 in 1990, is in position for another winning season. One challenge will be overcoming a schedule that includes seven road games.

The Matadors must replace all-time leading rusher Albert Fann and quarterback Sherdrick Bonner. The leading candidates are tailback Victor DeVaughn and quarterback Marty Fisher.

Eleven Matador starters return, including nose guard Alo Sila, linebackers Ken Vaughn and Mario Hull, safety Eric Treibatch and 6-foot-8, 300-pound offensive lineman Don Goodman. In addition, CS Northridge has a highly regarded transfer from Cal State Fullerton, defensive lineman Carlos Adley.

In the SCIAC, 1990 was a season of milestones for Redlands. In posting an 8-2 record--the school’s best mark since 1978--the Bulldogs won their first conference title since 1980 and their first berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

With eight starters returning on an offensive unit that ranked No. 8 in Division III, the Bulldogs expect to be explosive again. The leader is running back Curt Landreth, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons, and quarterback Brian Harmon, who passed for 1,501 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. Other offensive leaders are wingback Kurt Bruich and tackles Tim Brown and Paul Querro.

Coach Mike Maynard’s defense has five starters back, including All-SCIAC performers Mike Opp at tackle, Hans Haglund at linebacker and James Mason at safety.

Occidental was 6-3 and finished second to the Bulldogs last season.

The Tigers have a potent pair of running backs in Brian Madlangbayan and Gary Little, who sat out last season because of a broken ankle after a brilliant freshman season. Also returning are quarterback Derrick Williams and tight end David Grossklaus, one of the best in Division III.

The defense will be led by linebacker Robert Lewis and a strong secondary that includes Andrew Wind and Rick Mock.

It is the start of a new era at La Verne, where Roland Ortmayer has retired after 43 years of coaching and been replaced by longtime assistant Rex Huigens. With 15 starters returning from a squad that went 4-5 last season, Huigens was not left empty-handed.

La Verne’s Rod Zerbel led the SCIAC with 42 receptions last season, and the Leopards also return linemen Larry Hatley, Mario Perez and Brian Fazzi.

The top defenders are lineman Tony Tedesco, linebackers Rocky Wenrick and Ray Austin, and cornerback Malo Brown.

With 15 starters back, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2-7) is primed for improvement. The Stags return Schon Branum at running back, Brian O’Brien at quarterback and Tim Johnson at wide receiver.

Claremont appears strong on defense with All-SCIAC linebacker Tom Walden, lineman Chris Kent and defensive back John Yull.

Pomona-Pitzer posted a 3-5 mark--its best in recent years. With 15 starters returning, the Sagehens should be competitive.

Running back Nate Kirtman led Division III in punting and kick returns last season. The offense also has quarterback Marc Tobler and linemen Greg Chang and Rob Welbourn. The defense is headed by linebacker Eric Jepsen.

Whittier hit bottom last year at 0-9--the Poets’ first winless season in 70 years. First-year Coach Ken Visser tries to turn it around.

The Poets have JC transfer Ron Ramirez at quarterback, linebackers Corey Baker and Sam Valero, and defensive backs Todd Wong and Chad Krite.

Azusa Pacific came close to reaching the NAIA playoffs for the first time last season, winning six of its first seven games and earning a top-20 ranking before dropping the final two games.

Azusa Pacific will have to replace quarterback Brian Hunt, who received All-American honorable mention, but it still has slotback Brandon Leafblad, wide receiver Derick Williams and fullback Dave Bach. The Cougars also have a seasoned offensive line led by All-American tackle Ross Ritter.

Azusa Pacific should also have a strong defense led by linebacker Jason Wyatt and defensive backs Ken Stranigan and David Taylor.

UC Santa Barbara, 6-4 as an NCAA Division III independent last year, will play its first, and probably only, season in Division II. The Gauchos must move to Division I in 1992 as a result of recent NCAA legislation that requires Division I programs to compete at the same level in all sports.

Top returnees are All-American wide receiver Brian Fleming, receiver Amahl Thomas and linebacker Dominic Freking.

Cal Lutheran, which will enter the SCIAC next season, is led on defense by a linebacker corps that includes Keith Evans and Cary Caulfield.