JC/SMALL SCHOOL PREVIEW: GLENDALE FACES BIG TEST.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

The Glendale College football team was able to enjoy a three-day break last weekend with the Western State Conference's annual midseason bye. But the Vaqueros had to get back to business in a hurry with this afternoon's home game against undefeated Compton.

``I'm anxious to play these guys,'' Glendale coach John Cicuto said. ``They're one of the better teams around and it will tell us a lot based on how our guys get up for this game. We've still got a lot of tough teams left in our division.''

Heading into the bye, Cicuto thought the week off would give his players a chance to heal some nagging injuries suffered in Glendale's last game, a 28-7 loss to Valley on Oct. 12. Instead, several Vaqueros had to miss practice this week as the flu afflicted the team.

Starting running backs Kartrell Clayton and Willie Latham both were sidelined with the bug, though Cicuto expects them to play. For Glendale (2-3, 2-1) to win, Cicuto needs the two to rush for more than the 52 yards they did against Valley, which used nine players to stuff the run.

Compton (4-0, 3-0) is coming off a 33-27 victory over L.A. Southwest. The Tartars are averaging more than 462 yards per game on offense and Glendale sophomore quarterback J.D. Ziska, who threw for 190 yards in the loss to Valley, will try to keep pace. The game begins at 1 p.m.

--Ventura (2-3, 1-2) at College of the Canyons (4-1, 3-0), 4 p.m.: The Cougars will try to pick up where they left off before the break with a 63-0 rout of Santa Monica College. Canyons is averaging 49 points per game and sophomore quarterback Kyle Bauer is on a remarkable run, in which he has broken his previous career-best performance in each of the past three games.

Bauer threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns against Santa Monica, giving him 16 touchdowns and no interceptions on the season. Canyons, ranked No. 5 in Southern California, did get bad news over the bye week when quarterback Jason Winn was found to have a broken vertebra in his neck. Winn, a redshirt freshman, is out for the season, Cougars coach Chuck Lyon said.

--Santa Monica (2-3, 0-3) at Moorpark (4-1, 3-0), 7 p.m.: The Raiders went into the bye week on a high - and alone in first place in the WSC Mountain Division - after scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to beat Ventura 34-31. Moorpark sophomore quarterback Tony Williams (143 yards passing, one touchdown) excelled as the Raiders went to their two-minute offense throughout the fourth quarter in rallying for the victory.

Moorpark coach Jim Bittner is taking Santa Monica seriously in spite of the Corsairs' loss to Canyons. ``I'm trying to get the guys to stop looking at the score of that game and start looking at the personnel they've got,'' he said.

Moorpark will play its first game without freshman fullback Chad Henley, who broke his leg against Ventura and likely is sidelined for the rest of the season.

--L.A. Harbor (3-2, 2-1) at Valley (3-2, 2-1), 1 p.m.: Valley coach Ron Ponicano held sophomore running back Willie Jackson out of practice for most of this week and likely will start freshman Roger Daley at the position for today's game. Jackson sprained his ankle in Valley's 28-7 victory over Glendale and Daley entered to run for 80 yards in relief.

``I'm not sure we fall off much with him,'' Ponciano said of Daley, who came to Valley from Gateway High in Kissimmee, Fla. Cal State Northridge transfer Anthony Robinson also is expected to get carries. Harbor has a pair of excellent quarterbacks in David Aupiu and Cameron Smith, which should provide a test to Valley's unproven secondary.

--Santa Barbara (2-3, 1-2) at Pierce (2-3, 1-2), 7 p.m.: No team needed the bye week more than Pierce, which was missing five defensive starters because of injury or suspension from its 35-20 loss to Hancock. But the Brahmas will return to full strength for tonight's game, a dangerous fact for Santa Barbara considering Pierce's defense is ranked second in the conference and fourth in the state, allowing 220 yards per game. Quarterback Mike Spargo will look to build on his 257-yard, two-touchdown performance against Hancock.

--Antelope Valley (1-5, 1-3) at Mt. San Jacinto (4-2, 3-1), 1 p.m.: Having lost five of its six games to open the season, AVC is forced to play the role of spoiler throughout the remainder of its four games.

And the Marauders would like nothing more than to upset the host Eagles, second in the Foothill Conference and ranked 10th in Southern California by the J.C. Athletic Bureau.

--Cal Lutheran (2-3, 1-0) at Redlands (3-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.: The Kingsmen have been plagued by opponents' second-half rallies this season. Redlands' offense likely won't give Cal Lutheran any easier of a time as the Kingsmen return to Southern California Intercollegiate Conference play against a team that has scored at least 21 points each game.

The Bulldogs started the season with back-to-back losses, but have gone undefeated since as they continue their quest for a 25th SCIAC championship. Their game last week at La Verne was suspended in the fourth quarter because of injury to the opposing quarterback.

Staff Writers Sean Ceglinsky and Heather Gripp contributed to this report.