AVC KEEPING ITS GUARD UP MT. SAN JACINTO IS STRUGGLING, BUT MARAUDERS WARY ANYWAY.

Byline: Sean Ceglinsky Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley College knows better than to overlook an opponent, especially not Mt. San Jacinto, the team the Marauders face today at 1 p.m. in a Foothill Conference game at Marauder Stadium.

``No letdowns,'' AVC quarterback Jerad Romo said this week.

At first, Mt. San Jacinto might appear to be pushover considering it lost its first four games by an average of 24.5 points before winning its first game last week, 23-3 against Desert.

But schedules don't come much tougher than the Eagles' (1-4, 1-2), who have faced four teams ranked in the J.C. Athletic Bureau's Southern California Top 20. They lost to top-ranked Grossmont 63-0, No. 4 Palomar 34-10, No. 11 Fullerton 24-16 and No. 18 Victor Valley 24-21.

``We feel we've been able to play with the better teams, and that's a positive thing,'' Mt. San Jacinto coach Gregg Shaw said. ``Now, we have to win our remaining five games.''

It won't be easy against AVC (3-2, 2-1), which is making an appearance in this week's poll at No. 16 after being unranked a week ago. The Marauders are playing with confidence, having won back-to-back games for the first time since 2001.

Back-to-back road victories have put AVC in a favorable position in the conference nearing the midway point of the season. The Marauders are tied with Victor Valley (3-2, 2-1) for third place, a game behind Chaffey (3-1, 2-0) and two behind first-place Grossmont (5-0, 3-0).

``AVC is a very disciplined and well-coached team,'' Shaw said. ``To beat them at home is always difficult.''

Mt. San Jacinto has won six of the past seven meetings between the teams, but the team has struggled this season with an offense that tends to be one-dimensional at times.

The Eagles favor the running game, which it does well, averaging more than 183 yards a game. The passing game, however, is another story, ranking last among nine conference teams at 56 yards a game.

``We need to throw the ball better because everyone is putting eight to nine guys in the box to stop the run,'' Shaw said. ``We're searching for someone to be step up in our passing game.''

The AVC defense has been far from spectacular, giving up more than 482 yards of offense a game. But the unit usually plays well when it counts most, preserving leads in each of the last two weeks in games the Marauders won by a combined nine points.

AVC's rushing game produces 198 yards a game, second-best in the conference, and Jamar Day has gained more than 100 yards the past two weeks.

``It was reasonable to expect the running game to take a while to kick in,'' AVC coach Brent Carder said. ``But we knew all along we were going to be able run the football well.''

If AVC can continue to do so, Mt. San Jacinto could be in for a long day.

``We don't think about the other teams record or how they've done,'' Romo said. ``Our focus is the same regardless of the team we play. If we can execute our game plan, we can beat anyone.''

l=8Sean Ceglinsky, [phone]

sean.ceglinsky(at)dailynews.com

MT. SAN JACINTO (1-4, 1-2) at ANTELOPE VALLEY (3-2, 2-1)

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Marauder Stadium

Radio: 610-AM

Series: AVC leads 18-9 but has lost the six of the past seven meetings, including last season's 41-0 blowout at home.

Did you know: AVC's Jerad Romo, Jason Smith and Jamar Day made the Foothill Conference Player of the Week list last week. ... AVC has struggled at home recently, losing four consecutive games.

- Sean Ceglinsky

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photo, box

Photo:

AVC's Jamar Day has rushed for more than 100 yards two weeks in a row, part of the Marauders' strong run game.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

Box:

MT. SAN JACINTO (1-4, 1-2) at ANTELOPE VALLEY (3-2, 2-1)