Manderino’s dad devours humble pie

Late in California’s 46-22 upset at then-No. 15 Michigan State,

Bears starting fullback Chris Manderino looked up to his father,

Paul, in the stands and gave him a look as if to say, “What do you

think of your Spartans now?”

Throughout Manderino’s childhood, the father would tell the son,

the greatness of the Michigan State program. Paul played football

there from 1971-1974. Paul went last week to see his son play. He was

also there to see most of the 74,000 Michigan State fans leave early.

There was just one thing left to do for Paul.

“I saw him take off his hat and turn it inside out,” said Cal’s

Manderino, the former Newport Harbor High football standout. “I gave

him a thumbs up.”

Paul and his wife, Vicki, sat with most of the alumni in the

stands. Vicki, who was a gymnast at Michigan State, yelled loudly for

her son and the Cal Bears.

“My wife went down to him before the game ended,” Paul said. “She

told him, ‘Who would have thought you would come to Michigan State

and whip the Spartans?’ He said, ‘We did. We all did.’ That shows you

the confidence they were playing with.”

Chris Manderino said Cal, which went 1-10 last year and is now No.

23 in the nation, was confident the Bears would soundly defeat the

Spartans.

“We weren’t surprised of the win,” Manderino said. “Our chant all

week was, ‘74,000 disappointed fans.’ We went out and played hard. We

kept their crowd out of it. We just controlled the game. That win

showed me what college football is all about.”

Manderino, who was walk-on last year when he redshirted the

season, will return home, when the Cal Bears come to play USC, Oct.

12.

* Cal wide receiver Vince Strang and tight end Brandon Hall will

also be coming home Oct. 12. The duo played for Orange Coast College

last year. Strang is in the wide receiver rotation, and he also

returns punts, while Hall is the second-string tight end.

* At Yale, freshman setter Jacqueline Becker, a former Corona del

Mar High standout, was recently named Ivy League Rookie of the Week,

after her performance in the Yale Invitational.

Becker, who was also named to the All-Tournament team, averaged

11.07 assists and 2.93 digs per game in her first weekend of

collegiate competition. She recorded double doubles in assists and

digs in three of her four matches. Her debut was highlighted by a

48-assist, 12-dig performance. She added 38 assists and 10 digs in

the Bulldogs’ win over Marist, and had 35 assists in just three games

in the victory over Sacred Hart. In addition, Becker boasted a .560

attack percentage during the weekend.

* At UCLA, sophomore Peter Belden and freshman Michael March both

scored in the first overtime period to help lead the Bruins to a big

water polo win over rival and then-No. 2 USC, 9-7, in the fifth-place

match at the USC Tournament last week.

Belden is formerly a star of Newport Harbor, while March, a

left-hander, was a standout for CdM.

In UCLA men’s soccer, goalie Zach Wells, a Newport Harbor product,

provided solid defense in the Bruins’ 3-1 victory over then-No.11 San

Diego Sept. 15. UCLA is ranked No. 4. Wells recorded four saves in

the victory.

* At MIT, Arlis Reynolds, an Estancia High product, has been

making a name for herself on the Engineers women’s volleyball team.

MIT lost five seniors to graduation who had helped the Engineers to a

29-9 record. Many expected MIT would have a down year. However,

Reynolds has been a part of helping MIT off to a hot start. The

Engineers are 7-1 and are in the midst of a seven-match win streak.

Reynolds tallied 10 kills and four service aces when MIT defeated

Tufts University last week, 30-24, 30-15, 30-26. Reynolds’ major is

mechanical engineering.