Fall sports get underway with two new coaches

Fall classes don't start until Aug. 18, but school is already in session for the fall sports athletes at Arizona Western College.

And while nothing will count in a win or loss column for the Matadors' football, soccer or volleyball teams until later this month, the business at hand is still of great importance.

AWC soccer coach Kenny Dale may have the easiest time of the three coaches for the next few weeks. For one thing, he brings back an experienced squad with 12 returning players and a handful of starters. He is also the only one of the AWC fall head coaches not in his first year with the Matadors.

"I was neighbors with (former volleyball coach) Jason (Smith), so it's a little different, but they say change is always good," Dale said of his new coaching peers Tom Minnick and Karen Sitkiewicz.

Minnick has not wasted any time making changes to the Matador football program in hopes of changing the AWC's 2-8 record in 2007, starting with more disciplined practices.

"Kids want discipline, and they're going to get it," Minnick said. "I think that's what was missing last year, and you could tell that watching them on film."
Minnick began working with all 95 of his players Friday, but spent the last four days training with the freshman class, a group made up largely of players he didn't recruit.

"I spent a lot of time the last few months watching film and seeing what kind of talent they had here, and these last four days the freshman haven't disappointed us," he said. "I guarantee you that they have some great athletes. It's a nice situation here."

Among those freshmen Minnick pointed out was Demetrius Guice from Portland, a tight end who could see the ball thrown his direction a lot in AWC's new spread attack that will feature up to five receivers at times.

Dale, meanwhile, has plenty of players already familiar with his system, but will have to whittle the 39 players at his practices down to 24 before their Sept. 23 opener against Glendale.

"This is the largest group we've ever brought back," he said. "You hope for six or eight, but to have 12 returners trying out is amazing."
Dale said many of those returners view last year's 8-10 record as a fluke and are anxious to prove it to the rest of the Arizona Community College Athletics Conference.

"We're only two days into this so there's still some separation to come, and the strong will survive," Dale said. "Our numbers are bigger this year and so the players and going to have to develop quicker and work harder, but because of that they'll really enjoy it more."

The Matador volleyball team will be in Chandler today for the Preseason Jamboree scrimmage. Sitkiewicz said each team will rotate from court to court playing each conference opponent for a 20-minute period, including her former players at Phoenix College.

"We're going to experiment with some lineups and see what we think is most successful," Sitkiewicz said. "We'll get a good sense of where we are and what everyone is doing."

Sitkiewicz, however, could use a few more bodies to move around the court. The team has been practicing the last two days with just eight women, the most unexpected absence being All-ACCAC second teamer Ana Bauer, who will not be returning for her sophomore season.

"We're waiting for another Brazilian and trying to get some other players together to complete the roster," she said. "Ana is a very good player and will be difficult to replace, but I understand her reasons. She's far from Brazil and was homesick and wanted to be with family."