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Chris Randle has never been one to shy away from the spotlight.
As a matter of fact, the former Golden Valley football star has shown repeatedly that he thrives on the biggest stages.
That's how he got dubbed Mr. Hollywood.
Chris Randle has never been one to shy away from the spotlight.
As a matter of fact, the former Golden Valley football star has shown repeatedly that he thrives on the biggest stages.
That's how he got dubbed Mr. Hollywood.
Merced Sun-Star - PHOTO COURTESY OF UTAH STATE ATHLETICS
Utah State cornerback Chris Randle (7) had a game to remember in last Saturday's 31-24 loss at Oklahoma. The former Golden Valley standout had seven tackles and an interception.
So it was no surprise to turn on the TV last weekend and witness Randle, now a cornerback at Utah State, turn in a monster game against No. 10 Oklahoma.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound senior was all over the field. He recorded seven tackles, got half a sack and added a second-quarter interception that halted a long Oklahoma drive.
With Randle leading the charge on defense, Utah State only trailed 31-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Aggie offense couldn't get it going in the final quarter and the upset bid fell short.
Randle's former coach Dennis Stubbs wasn't surprised by the performance.
"We couldn't see the game on TV, but as soon as we saw the score we got on the Internet to check the box," Stubbs said. "I texted Chris right away to say 'good job.'
"Talking to him in the off-season, I knew he was really looking forward to this game. So it was nice to see him perform like that."
All of Merced County will have the opportunity to watch Randle first hand soon, with Fresno State traveling to Logan on Sept. 18.
"He's an impressive kid," Stubbs said. "He never redshirted, so he's been a true four-year starter. He deserves everything he gets."
Randle wasn't the only local to enjoy some success on college football's opening Saturday.
A number of locals were involved in big-time matchups.
Nate Costa may not have won the starting job in Oregon, but if the Ducks continue to put up big numbers offensively like they did Saturday there could be plenty of opportunity for playing time in his senior year.
With Oregon putting a 72-0 hurting on New Mexico State, the former Hilmar quarterback saw action in the second half.
Costa finished the game 10 of 14 passing for 131 yards and rushed for another 14.
In two weeks, Costa and the Ducks will travel to Portland State to face Kyle McMillin and the Vikings.
The former GV tight end was rudely welcomed to Division-I football in a 54-9 loss to Arizona State.
A few states over, former Merced players reunited in a showdown of Northern California programs.
Jarrett Sparks and Cal pinned a 52-3 loss onto UC Davis and Marques Barron.
Long day's night
The Merced College volleyball team did some extra work at the Modesto Classic last week.
The Lady Devils put their fitness to the test by going five games in all three of their matches.
Jessica Casey's squad started great, but blew a 2-0 lead against Solano to fall into the loser's bracket. MC recovered with a pair of five-game wins over Diablo Valley and West Hills to finish fifth in the tournament.
Splashball
Wanting to get more Merced-area kids involved in water polo at a young age, MC men's water polo coach Scott McCall has come up with "Splashball."
The program -- for kids ages 5-9 -- got started Wednesday and will run through Nov. 10.
Kids will learn water polo fundamentals and improve their swimming with a few twists to increase the fun.
Everything will be downsized, from the cages, to the ball, to the playing area; noodles and other flotation devices will be provided so that everyone can participate.
For more information go to http://www.mccd.edu/programs/community/index.html.
