San Bernardino Valley Preview

Wolverines will rely on local heroes at quarterback, receiver

By OBREY BROWN
The Press-Enterprise

SAN BERNARDINO - Area football fans probably would remember the magical night in November 2005 when Redlands East Valley High toppled a talent-laden Colton team with the Citrus Belt League championship at stake.

Colton's quarterback that season, Brad Sorensen, went on to gain all-conference honors at San Bernardino Valley College last year before heading off to his Mormon mission.

It was Mike Stadler who relieved REV's injured starter, Ronnie Fouch (now at Washington), and finished off Sorensen's Yellowjackets with a late touchdown and two-point conversion pass.

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Stan Lim / The Press-Enterprise
Coach Pat Meech is overseeing a program that had to undergo an offseason investigation that turned up only minor infractions.
It's a small world: Stadler replaces Sorensen as SBVC's starting quarterback in 2007. That makes five different Wolverines starting quarterbacks over the past five seasons.

"It helps that Mike has a real good corps of receivers," SBVC coach Patrick Meech said.

The receiving corps is led by Sylvester Burel, a REV product who caught 36 passes last season. A large contingent of receivers from campuses such as San Bernardino San Gorgonio, San Bernardino, Covina Charter Oak and San Bernardino Arroyo Valley has shown up ready to be targets for Stadler.

Off the field, there was news big enough to keep SBVC coaches from operating on all cylinders last winter.

For openers, a campus investigation was launched into the football program. Eventually, Foothill Conference officials oversaw a school-led investigation that turned up minor infractions. It may have played a part in a slow offseason.

"It hurt a little bit recruiting-wise, I think," Meech said.

The investigation came during the time when a former assistant coach was headed for Compton College, taking a few Wolverines players along. One of those, running back Erin Madden, who scored 12 touchdowns in 2006, was arrested in Torrance in connection with a burglary that took place in that area.

"He was a (heck) of a player," Meech said. "He would've been a definite All-American candidate if he'd have stayed."

Left unsaid was, perhaps, the idea that if there had been no investigation, Meech might have been given a chance to talk Madden into staying at SBVC.

"With that investigation hanging over us, who knows what would've happened if we had that chance?" Meech said.

More than 70 players have turned out for the 2007 season, including the team's third-best tackler, linebacker DeMorris Brooks, a second-team all-conference player off a 5-5 team in 2007.

Defensively, the charge could be led by linebacker Ricky Borden, a Moreno Valley Valley View product who spent a season at NAIA Eastern Oregon, where he was an all-conference player two seasons ago.

It was a decade ago that SBVC played in its most recent winning bowl game. On that team was center Ernie Madrigal, who had been coaching at Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World High. Madrigal has joined the Wolverines coaching staff in 2007.

SBVC got off to a 2-0 start in 2006 before jumping into conference play against the best two teams, Grossmont and Victor Valley, teams with 9-1 records. While SBVC opens Foothill Conference play against Grossmont, the Wolverines won't play against Victor Valley until the final week of the season.

SBVC's 2-0 start fell quickly to 2-2 and the season disintegrated after that. Meech is back with a new squad and new personnel in place.

It all starts at quarterback. Stadler, he said, "is composed and he understands our offense. I like what he's given us so far."

SBVC kicks off its season against Palomar -- a matchup that hasn't occurred in 27 years -- on Saturday at Escondido High.