August 24, 2007

NFF holds media day at Colton
CAESAR CONTRERAS Sports Editor

COLTON - With the college and prep football seasons rapidly approaching, a good dose of information regarding the 2007 season presented itself at Thursday's San Bernardino County National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame media day at Colton High School.
The nearly three-hour event was put together by Jeffrey Johnston, the three-year president of the San Bernardino chapter of the NFF, a nationwide football chapter that focuses on football on the high school level and beyond.

The San Bernardino NFF chapter boasts a membership of about 50 and is one of more than 100 across the United States.

"We were at one time the Inland Empire chapter, including Riverside and San Bernardino County," Johnston said. "But now it's entirely San Bernardino County." At Thursday's media day, coaches from across the Inland Empire spoke about their respective teams and leagues for the upcoming season.

Mike Maynard was on hand to speak about his University of Redlands Bulldogs, talking briefly about what 2007 holds for his squad.

The Bulldogs return 16 players - nine on defense and seven on offense Ñas they look to rebound from a 2006 season in which they finished 4-5 overall, losing their first four games before a strong 4-1 finish.

"Last year was an anomaly," Maynard said. "Everything that could have went wrong did." Maynard spoke highly of several of his returning players, including junior running back Zack Shafer, senior wide receiver and team captain Kyle Godfrey, junior defensive lineman Brock Arndt and senior linebacker Kris Richardson.

The most noteworthy panel of the day from a local standpoint was the Citrus Belt League roundtable, which featured the head coaches of A.B. Miller, Carter, Eisenhower and Yucaipa high schools.

Redlands East Valley High School head coach Kurt Bruich was not present for the discussion. But Redlands High School head coach Jim Walker was on hand and in perfect form, delivering his usual trademark quips and wisecracks to the delight of the small crowd.

Among Walker's Thursday gems: On the inexperience and youth of this year's Terrier squad, which loses 19 starters from last season's perfect 7-0 league champion squad: "We have a new trainer É I told her she better learn to change diapers." On the team's tough preseason schedule of games against Carson, Clovis East and Vista Murrieta: "We stepped up our schedule and I don'tknow what I was thinking É I may have had too many Bud Lights at the time." Of the team's opening league game against Carter High School: "Carter is our first home (CBL) game, but what head coach (Brian Kidd) doesn'tknow is that our superintendent of schools is going to officiate for us." As for the CBL race, Kidd spoke confidently about his Lions, who played RHS to a close 7-6 score in 2006 and appear poised to make serious CBL noise this season.

"We have lots of talent," he said. "We really think this could be a big year." Walker kept an optimistic tone regarding the impending season.

"We got a young group of guys and we're going to see if we can stay in the game," he said.

Another notable announcement at Thursday's event was the news of the inaugural Southern California Bowl. The all-star game will feature a group of Inland Empire all-stars against a team of all-stars from Orange and San Diego counties.

The game will be played on Jan. 26 at Cal State Fullerton and will serve as a fundraiser for the Fight On Foundation, a nonprofit group that awards scholarships to players who have lost a parent who served in the military, fire or police forces.

Corona Centennial head coach Matt Logan was named assistant coach of the Inland Empire team, with a celebrity head coach to be selected in October.

Other events that the San Bernardino NFF plans to hold in the future include their annual Scholar Awards Dinner, a high school and advanced youth coaches clinic, a high school combine for San Bernardino County players and a "Tournament of ChampionsÓ passing league tournament.

"Our peak period comes during our annual dinner (in the spring)," Johnston said. "We let the football take care of itself during the season."