Inland college notes: Players respond following cancellation of San Bernardino Valley College football season
SBVC administration, in collaboration with team staff and players, pulled the plug on the season Oct. 3.
By Dennis Pope | preps@pressenterprise.com | Press-Enterprise
PUBLISHED: October 23, 2024 at 12:37 p.m.
Following the unprecedented cancellation of their season after just two lopsided losses, members of the San Bernardino Valley College football team voiced their frustration at the situation.
The short-handed Wolverines, who have already endured back-to-back 0-10 seasons, came into Week 1 with fewer than 40 active players.
Three weeks, several injuries, and one missed game later, SBVC administration, in collaboration with team staff and players, pulled the plug on Oct. 3.
“They cancelled it because of the low numbers,” said new head coach Nate Turner, who did not arrive on campus until July. “We couldn’t hit the ground running with recruiting like we wanted to so after the first two games we realized we’d lost even more numbers, and at that point it wasn’t going to benefit our student-athletes, so we’ve decided to regroup and bring it back next year.”
Turner, on a one-year contract, said it is his intention to recruit and prepare SBVC’s football program for the 2025 season.
“I’m still employed and I’m still the football coach here,” Turner said. “We have to take care of what we can control so I’m going to recruit the local talent. I don’t think about any decisions that I don’t have any control over.”
Sophomore Kaleb McNeal, a Cajon High graduate, said it became clear as early as June that this team was going to have issues.
“They insisted that we were going to have a 10-game season, and everything was going to be good, but we had seen it coming,” McNeal said. “I’m desperate to get out so I kept playing in it.”
After review by the CCCAA, it was determined that this season will not count against any of the SBVC players’ eligibility.
“We were able to get our year back so I’m not too, too worried about it,” McNeal said. “I’m just ready to work and go where I go from here.”
Among the players already drawing interest from other schools, McNeal intends to transfer after finishing off his associate’s degree in the spring.
“I’ll be transferring. I don’t know where yet, but I’ll be transferring,” he said.
Sophomore Antonio Calleros, a Ramona High grad, wanted to use this season to springboard to an NCAA scholarship. Undecided on whether he’ll return, Calleros said he does not want to go back under the same conditions.
“They fired six or seven coaches right before the season. I didn’t have an offensive line coach,” Calleros said. “I want to return but there are some people there that don’t really care, and some people even faked injuries to keep from playing. There were some people there that didn’t want to have a season.”
“A few guys would leave or be late, or fake injuries or be concussed out of nowhere so they’d get a medical redshirt and get their year back,” added sophomore Ian Beauregard. “I think there were some people who took advantage of the situation.”
Beauregard, a Cajon grad who transferred into SBVC from Mt. San Jacinto College, wants to continue playing but does not plan to return to San Bernardino for football.
“Oh no,” Beauregard said. “I hope they get the help they need to succeed, but I won’t be going back.”
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