Football team prepares for season opener
For City College football, every season is a new beginning.
By Ryan KuhnThe Guardsman
forward to getting back on the field when their first test starts Sept. 11 against the College
of the Sequoias.Finishing 10-1 (4-1 in conference play) last season, with their only loss coming to College of San Mateo, head coach George Rush knows what the team needs to do.“We can’t focus too much on last season, or what is in the future,” Rush said before a
Wednesday afternoon practice. “For us, it’s all about getting our guys ready for the task
at hand.”The Rams will not have their star quarterback and NorCal Conference
Offensive MVP, Darius Bell, who finished second in the conference with 11 rushing
touchdowns. He is now playing for UCLA.With the loss of Bell, sophomore wide-receiver Aaron Horne knows he is going to be relied on heavily as a mentor and as an offensive threat on the field.Although Horne played in only six games last season, he was part of a receiving unit that was fourth in the NorCal Conference, averaging 217 yards per game.“Every year is new for us, and Coach is always telling us to just take it day by day and
game by game,” Horne said. “I’ve been trying to be vocal during practices and try and
help out the new guys who are still learning the system.”On the defensive side, the secondary that last season was comprised primarily of
freshman starting defensive backs, now has sophomore experience.Sophomore defensive lineman Je’Marcus Williams, who started every
game last year, will now be part of a mostly inexperienced front line.“We’ve kind of flipped our defense,” Williams said. “I’ve been trying to balance helping
out the freshmen and just getting my work in during practice. I think if anything, we’re
going to be even better this season.”City College‘s schedule includes non-conference games against Mendocino, San
Jose City and DeAnza colleges, and conference matchups against San Mateo, Santa Rosa and Butte.The Rams had to come from behind to beat Butte on a last minute field goal in 2009 and
only beat Santa Rosa by two points in 2008.“Every team we play this year is going to bring a challenge,” Rush said. “We
always try to schedule as tough of a preseason as we can, in order to get our guys ready
for the Coast Conference.”Kickoff will start at 1 p.m. at Rams Stadium.
