Monday, Sep. 01, 2008

Steve Cameron: The weather's fake -- it's football season

By Steve Cameron
Merced Sun-Star

It sure doesn't feel like autumn. We've only come to Labor Day, for heaven's sake.

The thermometer can still push 100 with a bit of effort. Trees are green, the hills are brown and it seems like we haven't had a drop of rain since Noah built himself a boat.

And yet...

The rites of the season have changed.

It's time to pop those pads, sling some down-and-out patterns and play a little football.

Actually, make that nonstop football.

Fresno State, in fact, kicks off today in the badlands of New Jersey, squaring up against a tough Rutgers outfit in the town of Piscataway.

(Personal aside: Several years ago, the New Jersey Nets were temporarily homeless and wound up playing their games at Rutgers. The Nets handed out bumper stickers that read: "Thataway to Piscataway" -- and believe it or not, I kept one as a historical artifact.)

On a more practical note, I've been to Rutgers a few times and, despite those vague instructions on the bumper sticker, Piscataway is in the middle of nowhere.

That quirk of geography, not to mention the change through four time zones, has not been lost on Pat Hill.

"I really think the toughest thing about playing the kind of schedule we do is the travel," the Bulldogs boss said. "It's not so bad when you stay in the region, but crossing the country and getting everyone adjusted to their body clocks and new surroundings...

"Hey, it's just tough to do that and play your best football."

Combine the long trip with the fact that -- despite the loss of All-American running back Ray Rice -- Rutgers is a veteran group with 15 returning starters from a bowl team. So it's no shock that Fresno State is a 5-point underdog.

Despite all the hype and national TV, though, this week is about more than just the Bulldogs for Central Valley football fans.

Merced College and a handful of our local prep teams kick it off within the next six days, as well.

In fact, the Blue Devils and Golden Valley each will visit an opponent in Monterey County on Saturday.

Come to think of it, that's a great chance for Merced area folk to go have some fun and see a whole gang of our best local athletes on show.

GV opens its season Saturday afternoon at 2 against North Monterey County in Castroville, then Merced College begins what could be the Devils' best year in quite awhile with a bout against Monterey Peninsula College at 6 p.m.

Why not make it a day?

Head over to the coast, enjoy a brunch, then catch a football doubleheader involving plenty of stars from right up the road.

Coach Tony Lewis has injected a serious dose of neighborhood talent into the MC program.

Besides returning sophomores like Garrett Turner and Michael Chambers (Merced), Dan Moorman (Atwater), Kelsey Mankins (Mariposa) and a host of other homeboys, Lewis has added some impact freshmen from within the shadow of the campus.

Golden Valley all-purpose standout Jeremy Jacobo joins the Devils, along with Merced cornerbacks Jamichael Turner Darrius Pierce -- both of whom could end up in the starting lineup on Saturday.

One of the most intriguing additions, though, is Kyle McMillin -- a Division I prospect who graduated from GV two years ago and sat out a season after an unhappy experience at the University of Nevada.

MC has struggled to draw big crowds, but maybe the combination of a better team -- playing in a more level conference -- plus this wave of local athletes can help turn that around.

I think they'll be fun to watch and I'll be over in Monterey on Saturday.

Not just to peer out at the sea, either.

The pelicans and sea lions, bless 'em, can't wait for another weekend.

This is head-knockin' time.

In between Fresno State's debut today and that Saturday doubleheader, quite a few prep teams begin rattling helmets on Friday night.

Improving Los Banos gets a sturdy test right away, hosting Fresno High.

Buhach Colony and Dos Palos both have home games, as well.

BC, in fact, will prance out onto the spiffy new SprintTurf at Atwater's Falcon Field for its opener against Madera South.

Dos Palos hosts Mendota as coach Mike Sparks hopes to begin rebuilding one of the Central Valley's historic programs.

I guess the weatherman's lying, then. And those leaves are just about to drift off in the breeze -- no matter what it looks like.

The schedule says this is football season, so...

We're kickin' it off.

Steve Cameron is sports editor of the Merced Sun-Star. He can be reached via e-mail at scameron@mercedsunstar.com.