Golden Gate Conference has a new look this fall

The Merced College football team heads into the 2010 season with a very different looking Golden Gate Conference.

The class of the conference the last few years, Modesto and Laney, have moved on to allegedly greener pastures.

Modesto is headed back to the Central Valley Conference and Laney is joining the NorCal Conference.

Also exiting is Cabrillo, which joined the Coast Conference.

Replacing them are the slightly less prestigious trio of Diablo Valley (3-7), West Hills (4-6) and De Anza (7-3).

DVC and West Hills were both last-place teams. Though, to be fair, they both played in power conferences.

De Anza tied for the Coast Conference title, but was one of the three teams that the Blue Devils beat a year ago.

The new GGC combined to go 25-35 a year ago and on paper seems to be right there for anyone's taking.

"If you look at the week-to-week results from last season, pretty much every Golden Gate Conference game was competitive and I expect it to be that way again," MC head coach Mark Kaanapu said. "It showed that you have to be focused on the team that's directly in front of you, because the second you turn your attention to someone else, that's when you get knocked off."

While the frontrunners in the GGC remain a bit clouded, Kaanapu has no doubt what to expect from MC's nonconference schedule.

In a word, it's loaded.

The Blue Devils will open the year at home on Sept. 18 against San Joaquin Delta.

Kaanapu's squad will also travel to College of the Sequoias and Fresno City, before finishing up its nonconference schedule at home against Modesto Junior College.

The only real reprieve for MC appears to come in Week 2 when it travels to Gavilan. The Rams were just 3-7 a year ago.

"If you look at our schedule, we arguably have the toughest nonconference schedule in Northern California," Kaanapu said. "We have Modesto, Fresno, Delta and COS and then West Hills and Diablo Valley coming into the GGC. So we actually have six A-level teams on our schedule.

"The kids are kind of relishing that challenge, however.

"The players have taken the lead in terms of getting done what they have to get done in the spring and now in the summer as far as in the weight room and in the classroom.

"There's a work ethic there. They're getting themselves prepared for the season to come and we think we're going to compete.

"Our kids want to play the best. And with this schedule, I think they're certainly going to do that."

Another twist for the Blue Devils in 2010 is that they'll have no bye week.

With its nonconference gauntlet of Northern California powers, Kaanapu acknowledged adjustments will have to be made.

"You have to be more aware of your health as a coach and build into the weekly practice schedule the healing," Kaanapu said. "That means if we need to back off with contact during the week, that's what we're going to have to do.

"As a coach you're just going to take each week as it comes and have your backups ready to fill in in case injuries do occur.

"There's certainly going to be plenty of challenges this year, but I believe this group is capable of rising to meet them."

Sean Lynch is a Sun-Star sports writer. He can be reached at 385-2476 or via e-mail at slynch@mercedsun-star.com.