Mitchell has Rustlers rising

Golden West College football coach Nick Mitchell doesn’t have time to celebrate a 33-0 season-opening victory over Glendale. He doesn’t have time to feel sorry for himself about losing his starting quarterback for the season, and an All-American receiver for about a month.

Mitchell has time for very little, in fact, since assuming the defensive coordinator duties for the Rustlers after former defensive architect David Robinson left for Fullerton College.

“It’s fun, but it’s not fun, because of the preparation and the stress,” Mitchell said of calling the defense for the first time in 13 seasons, predating his tenure with the Rustlers.

During Mitchell’s time at Golden West, where he is in his 11th season at the helm, he has brought a return to prominence for the Rustlers, who had struggled since longtime head man Ray Shackleford retired in the 1990s having successfully guided the program in four decades.

Golden West opened last season 8-0 and earned the No. 1 ranking in the state, before dropping its final three games, beginning with its first loss in six seasons to rival Orange Coast.

The Rustlers were 9-2 in 2013 and have played in a bowl game the last three seasons (a combined 24-9 record), as well as five of the last seven.

“It’s just a grind,” Mitchell, a former assistant head coach at Humboldt State, where he also started for two seasons as a player, said of the key to his success at the Huntington Beach school. “When I came here, I thought I’d be able to get this thing going and I thought it would be a lot easier. But it’s so competitive [in Southern California].

“We don’t talk about wins and losses much,” Mitchell said. “We just try to get [the players] to work hard in the weight room and on the field. It’s just kind of the grind, and we try to get the guys to see what hard work will help them achieve.”

The Rustlers achieved their sixth straight season-opening victory in resounding fashion against Glendale. It was the program’s first shutout since thumping Long Beach, 42-0, in the 2011 opener, a span of 54 games.

Mitchell said sophomore tailback Gabe Ford (133 rushing yards and one touchdown on 17 attempts, a 7.8-yard average) and freshman middle linebacker Joseph Inda (a team-best 11 tackles and an interception) were the players of the game.

Mitchell also praised the strong work of his veteran defensive line that helped limit Glendale to 185 yards of offense, nearly half as much as the Rustlers’ 362 yards.

It was not all good news, however, as sophomore quarterback Adam Vance, who threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns as a freshman, broke a bone in his non-throwing elbow and is lost for the season, Mitchell said.

Mitchell also said sophomore receiver Zimari Manning, a freshman All-American in 2014 when he amassed 51 receptions for 1,102 yards and 23 touchdowns, sprained a knee ligament and is out for between two to four weeks.

Golden West struggled some offensively, converting just one of 12 third-down opportunities.

Mitchell said Adam Carr, a 6-5 freshman out of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, and Angel Matute, a 6-5 freshman from Rancho Cucamonga who had been converted to tight end, will provide options under center moving forward.

Next up is No. 2-ranked Riverside, which handled Victor Valley, 46-26, in its opener. The game is Saturday at 6 p.m. at OCC.

Mitchell said sophomore left tackle Dezmond Green (6-7, 310) is a prospective Pac-12 Conference recruit.

Mitchell also identified Manase Time, a 6-0 205-pound freshman out of Edison High, as a diamond in the rough. Time, who was twice the Sunset League Defensive Player of the Year as an end, has been moved to free safety.

“[Time] is going to be really fun to watch,” Mitchell said. “He just flies around out there.”

It’s the 50th anniversary of Golden West College and Mitchell said part of that celebration will include an on-campus football game, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. against Palomar.

Rented bleachers will be installed for the game on the Rustlers’ practice field, which has a synthetic turf surface.

The lack of a bus ride to the game against Palomar will at least save Mitchell some time.