AVC NOTEBOOK: AVC TRIES TO PICK UP PIECES.

Byline: Sean Ceglinsky Staff Writer

The word ``humble'' best described the atmosphere surrounding the Antelope Valley College football team's practice Monday. A 30-point loss will do that.

The Marauders traveled to Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday to face host Chaffey and came back with a 58-28 Foothill Conference loss, dropping their record to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in conference.

``Chaffey was OK. We just didn't bring our A game,'' quarterback Jamar Culver said.

Chaffey was undefeated and ranked sixth in the state entering the game.

``We didn't go into the game with the right frame of mind,'' coach Brent Carder said. ``We played so far below of what were capable of doing and Chaffey was better than us. At least we got it over with.''

Though it might be difficult for Carder to draw on many positives from the setback, the Marauders did manage to score the most points against the Panthers this season - albeit against a large number of Chaffey second-string players.

Trailing by 27 points at the half, several Marauders freshmen played prominent roles in the team's three touchdowns in the final two quarters.

Promising tight end Donald Womack finally showed some of the capabilities the coaching staff had hoped for entering the season. The 6-foot, 190-pounder from Antelope Valley High was on the receiving end of a 41-yard pass from Culver midway through the third quarter, and he was equally reliable as a run and pass blocker for a majority of the game.

Wide receiver Jason Smith scored his first touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Culver and finished with 57 yards on two receptions.

``We need to focus on getting back to playing football the way we're capable of,'' Carder said.

AVC will need to do so in a hurry considering it hosts Southwestern in a conference game Saturday at 3 p.m.

--The Hac-Man cometh: The baseball team has endured years of inconsistency and as a result has struggled to keep many of the region's top players close to home.

But that's all changed thanks to the AVC administration decision to hire former Major League baseball player Jeffrey Leonard as the program's full-time coach.

``The school is making a commitment to the program,'' Leonard said Monday. ``I'm getting help from everybody here at the college. They've been very, very kind and have always kept the door open for me.''

Indeed, a happy coach makes for an even happier program.

On Leonard's first day of tryouts for the team, nearly a month ago, he had 72 ballplayers show up. The prospective members of the team is now down to 33 and the first-year coach expects to carry 25-28 players to start the season, which begins in early February.

Known as ``The Hac-Man'' during his playing days, Leonard brings a level of professionalism to AVC that was lacking in years' past.

He made his major-league debut with the Dodgers in 1977 and played for the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners. He retired in 1990, appearing in the All-Star Game as both a National and American Leaguer.

Perhaps Leonard is remembered most for his efforts in the 1987 National League Championship Series. With the Giants, he hit home runs in four consecutive games - the only player in major-league history to do so. The bat used during the streak is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

``I could easily say I'm here because of who I am but I choose to believe that it's because I'm going to be here for the kids all the time,'' Leonard said. ``They're not going to be short-changed. And the players need to remember that education comes first.''

The team opens Foothill Conference play Feb. 11th at home against San Bernardino.

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Antelope Valley College quarterback Jamar Culver wasn't smiling much after the Marauders were routed by Chaffey 58-28 Saturday.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News