VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : THE COLLEGES : Moorpark Presents Yet Another Test for Pierce’s Banuelos

The butterflies should be dancing just about now.

David Banuelos might want to ignore them, and he might want to downplay them, but his stomach no doubt feels them.

Banuelos knew they would come and do their little number.

He surely felt them the day in February when Pierce College handed him control of its rickety football program.

Soon after, one of the first things Banuelos did was check the date the Brahmas would play Moorpark this season, to see when the critters might really grab him.

That night is Saturday, when Pierce (1-1) hosts the Raiders (0-2) at 7 in a Western State Conference Northern Division opener.

For Banuelos, 29, the game has more significance than continuing to shape the Brahmas into a competitive team.

He worked the last six seasons under longtime Coach Jim Bittner at Moorpark, schooling offensive linemen and helping the Raiders rank among the elite junior college programs in the state.

It was a nice fit for Banuelos and, by all accounts, he did a solid job. But he wanted to guide his own team and so the eager apprentice goes against the old fox.

“I’m fired up,” Banuelos said. “It’s a chance to have a good time against my buddies.”

How good depends on the score.

Pierce, although immensely improved, still is a massive work in progress and not on the same plane as the Raiders, whose record is not indicative of their ability.

The Brahmas are coming off a morale-boosting 34-33 victory over Desert on Saturday, after giving regarded San Diego Mesa a much better challenge than expected in a 40-27 loss the week before.

It was Pierce’s second victory in the last four seasons and proved Banuelos wasn’t blowing smoke seven months ago about turning around the program quickly, about showing up to win.

Banuelos could drive the point home by inspiring the Brahmas to upset Moorpark, a team they haven’t defeated since 1985.

“Any time you have a friend or somebody who is close to you, you are going to see them all year and hear how they beat you,” Bittner said. “Yeah, you know, he may downplay it, but he would love to beat us, just like we want to beat him.”

The Raiders are starving for a victory after squandering a 23-7 halftime lead to West L.A. last week and losing, 38-37, and Banuelos hopes the Brahmas don’t turn into UNICEF.

“Their 0-2 record at this point doesn’t mean a lot,” Banuelos said.

Especially when the Raiders feature a potentially productive running game and Pierce is having trouble stopping anything on the ground, giving up 7.2 yards per carry.

“They’re definitely going to test us early,” Banuelos said. “Most definitely it will be difficult.”

Banuelos hasn’t talked much the last few months to the Moorpark coaches, but he met Bittner for breakfast on Sunday to exchange game film.

The conversation, naturally, got around to the game.

“Bittner said it best when we were eating,” Banuelos said. “It’s a shame somebody has to lose.”

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In keeping with the trend of playing two quarterbacks, Banuelos said he plans to use Scott Doherty and Jamaal Washington against the Raiders.

“I don’t who’s going to start, but they’ll both play,” Banuelos said. “Doherty has a lot of poise in the pocket and Jamaal gives us more speed.”

Doherty, a sophomore from Birmingham High, has 285 yards passing and four touchdowns, all against Desert. He was the WSC offensive co-player of the week.

Washington, a freshman from Reseda, has 131 yards passing and three touchdowns.

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The Glendale women’s volleyball team, which plays at Cypress tonight, last week won for the first time since 1997. The Vaqueros (2-1) defeated East L.A. in five games last Friday and won by forfeit over L.A. City on Wednesday. . . . The Women’s Basketball Coaches Assn. has selected Antelope Valley’s team to its academic top-25 team. The Marauders last season had a 2.82 grade-point average.