Coaches discuss outlook for fall sports at BC media day
Aug. 17—As Bakersfield College volleyball coach Carl Ferreira puts it, sports programs are conducted "either by design or default."
BC's fall media day Wednesday gave several coaches a chance to outline their new designs for the season ahead.
Second-year women's soccer coach Edgar Linares, joined by sophomore midfielder Myla Chow (Highland) and freshman defender Allison Tucker (Centennial), promised "a whole new look, a whole new system" in 2022, and said his team wants another chance against Antelope Valley College. The Renegades lost to AVC 8-0 early on and then 2-1 in the season finale last year, as part of a 4-12-2 campaign in Linares' first year.
Football coach R. Todd Littlejohn, meanwhile, is hoping that a fresh roster will help his team move past a trying 2021 campaign, his first full season at the helm.
"It really made me focus on the personnel as well," he said. "Schematically, you can have great offense, defense and special teams, but if you don't have people to execute those things, you know ... ."
The Renegades haven't yet released an official roster, but are set to bring plenty of new talent into the fold, from standout Garces linebacker Logan Bowers, to out-of-state defensive backs like Jakwon Lamb and Craig Royal, to quarterbacks like Vincent Igoa (Frontier), Levi Manning (Centennial) and Carson Woods (Liberty), to name a few.
The coaching staff now also includes former Garces, BC and UMass receiver Cam Roberson, as well as veteran coach Chad Grider, son of the late legend Dallas Grider.
They'll all take the field for the first time Aug. 27, for a 10 a.m. scrimmage against West Hills Coalinga, where Littlejohn hopes to see his new emphasis on details borne out on the field.
"Those are the some of the things that I'm absolutely adamant about," Littlejohn said, "is taking care of the ball, no stupid penalties, those types of things, that we've been preaching all throughout camp."
BC went 2-8 last season, forfeiting three early-season games due to a self-reported eligibility violation. A California Public Records Act request filed by The Californian later revealed that the school made additional eligibility errors at season's end. Compliance was just one challenge the Renegades endured last year.
"From COVID during fall camp to buses breaking down, we experienced a lot," Littlejohn said. "And you look back on it, and yet when I look at the games, we were close in all of those games. A mistake here or there. So my feeling is if we can overcome stuff like that and be in games, I'm not sure anything else is going to surprise us anymore."
Athletic Director Reggie Bolton said of the football team, "They did a great job of bringing in student-athletes to compete, and we've had some issues, and we really focused on that and trying to make sure that those things don't occur again, and put some things in place."
Bolton said he's excited to see teams like men's soccer and women's volleyball build on last year's playoff runs.
BC volleyball may have been the most successful local collegiate team in any sport last year, going 19-1 in the regular season, extending its four-year-long home unbeaten streak and earning a trip to the state playoffs. The Renegades return five players from last season, including attacking standouts Tia Jules, a middle blocker from Porterville-Monache, and Kami Marion, an outside hitter from Stockdale.
"The sophomores, you're not more important people, but you're more valuable," Ferreira said. "The reason you're more valuable is you have all the answers to how our program operates. The heartbeat really starts on the inside out."
Similar to last season, BC stands to face some of its most difficult competition early in the year. That begins with a doubleheader on Aug. 27, Ferreira said, where he wants to see his team stay in the moment.
"We play 25 one-point possessions," he said. "So I don't look at the big picture. I know we want to win, but we're not going to win until an hour and a half later. So play by play, possession by possession ... really you gotta learn how to manage mistakes and then still stay on schedule."
The rest of BC's fall sports teams — which also include men's and women's cross-country, women's golf and men's wrestling — will seek to attain similar success while building support in the local community.
They have one key fan in Mayor Karen Goh, who spoke at the media event Wednesday.
"That's what makes Bakersfield College's over-100-year history so wonderful, is that you are a part of our community," Goh said. "And so to Reggie, to (BC broadcaster Ken) Calvin, to all of you, to all of you Renegades, I just wish you the very, very best. I'm looking forward to an amazing season."
Fall sports at BC kick off Friday with a men's soccer scrimmage at home against LA Harbor.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
