Rustlers set for home debut
The historical significance of Golden West College’s 50th anniversary has brought about a first for the Rustlers football program, which will enjoy unprecedented home-field advantage on Oct. 22.
Coach Nick Mitchell’s squad will meet Southern Conference rival Palomar on the on-campus practice field, which will be converted into a 2,000-seat venue for the 1 p.m. game. It’s the first on-campus game for the Rustlers, who play their home contests at Orange Coast College.
“I’ve always thought we should have an on-campus stadium,” Golden West Athletic Director Albert Gasparian said. “Nick and I have talked about it a bunch of times and I was in [Mitchell’s] office one time with an assistant coach from Angelo State, who talked about how building an on-campus stadium had turned that university around. That kept the idea in the back of my mind and when some funding became available due to the 50th anniversary celebration, I was able to get it funded.”
Gasparian said renting the bleachers that will line the west sideline of the practice field, painted two years ago with the markings of an official field, cost $50,000. There were additional costs for portable restrooms, but Gasparian hopes the bottom line will help create a groundswell for construction of a permanent facility the Rustlers may call their own.
“My ultimate goal is to make it permanent,” Gasparian said. “I think we can get it done for somewhere between $2-4 million. For seven or eight years, everybody looked at me like I was crazy [to suggest building a stadium on campus]. But now, I think people are starting to believe it’s possible.”
A pregame tailgate party is also scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that will include food trucks, carnival games, face painting and balloons, music provided by a DJ Artform, who works for the San Diego Padres home games, and video games.
“I think it’s going to be great,” said Gasparian, who anticipates a capacity crowd and even some overflow to standing-room seating for as many as 200. “I think the school is really buying into it and I definitely think we’ll get some people who have never been to a game before. I haven’t heard anything but very positive things on campus.”
After a 1-4 preconference schedule that included losses to Riverside and Long Beach, ranked No. 1 and No. 5 in the state, respectively, the Rustlers open Southern Conference play Saturday against No. 2-ranked Saddleback (5-0), at 6 p.m. at OCC.
Hodson out for season
Hayley Hodson, a former volleyball star at Corona del Mar High who earned American Volleyball Coaches Assn. national freshman of the year laurels in 2015 at Stanford, announced recently that she will miss the remainder of the season and take a medical leave of absence from the school.
Hodson, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter, played just six matches for the Cardinal, posting 61 kills, 10 aces, 59 digs and 12 block assists.
The reason for her leave of absence was not disclosed by Stanford, per university policy.
Hodson started all 29 matches last season, when she led the team with 13 double-doubles and was named first-team All-American by Volleyball Magazine.
She twice earned All-CIF Southern Section honors and was the Pacific Coast League MVP as a junior in 2013, her third and final season at CdM. She left the school to train and compete with the U.S. national team and did not play her final high school season in 2014.
Eddy a champion
Elizabeth Eddy, a Newport Harbor High product who played collegiately at USC, helped the Western New York Flash win the franchise’s first National Women’s Soccer League title Sunday in Houston.
Eddy, a starting defender, played all 120 minutes of the game against the Washington Spirit that ended in a 0-0 tie and was decided by penalty kicks.
The Flash (10-6-6) upset top-seeded Portland, 4-3, in the semifinals.
Eddy, 25, was moved to outside back this season after scoring three goals in 15 games for the Flash as a midfielder in 2015, her first professional season.
Barkley waits turn
Newport Beach native Matt Barkley is the backup quarterback for the Chicago Bears, his third NFL team in four seasons.
A former Newport-Mesa Junior All-American standout who starred at Mater Dei High and USC, Barkley was a fourth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles (98th overall) in 2013.
He appeared in four games in two seasons in Philly, completing 30 of 49 passes for 300 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.
He spent time with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, but did not appear in a game, and has yet to play for the Bears, for whom he wears No. 12.
Barkley, 26, is the backup to Bobby Hoyer, who took over when Jay Cutler sprained his right thumb in a Sept. 19 loss at Philadelphia.
Ex-’Eater’s super role
Tyler Hoechlin, who hit .250 in 44 at-bats for the UC Irvine baseball team in 2008, is playing Superman on the second season of the television series “Supergirl,” on the CW.
Hoechlin, 29, who earned acclaim as a 14-year-old actor playing beside Tom Hanks in the 2002 movie “Road to Perdition,” played a college baseball player earlier this year in the Richard Linklater film “Everybody Wants Some!!”
--
Barry Faulkner covers colleges.
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
