Valley Spares No Effort to Ring Pierce’s Bell, 64-16

Valley College Coach Chuck Ferrero wanted more than a victory Saturday night against rival Pierce.

He wanted a rout and he wanted the bell.

Ferrero received the former, as his Monarchs rang up a 64-16 victory over Pierce in a Western State Conference Southern Division game at Valley.

But where was the bell, that two-tiered hunk of metal that goes to the winner of the Pierce-Valley game?

Ferrero waited anxiously at midfield after the game, expecting delivery, but it never came.

“We told them to bring our bell,” Ferrero said. “It’s supposed to be presented right now.”

“They must have hid it at halftime,” Valley assistant Tom Brown said.

Valley (6-2 overall, 6-1 in conference play) rang not twice but five times in the first half to assume a 36-7 lead at intermission, then continued to play its first string nearly the entire second half in the first meeting between the two schools in three years.

Pierce, which leads the series, 14-8, and which had won the last three meetings and 14 of the last 16, is playing its first season of football after a two-year hiatus due to budget cuts.

The rivalry, however, was just as strong as ever as far as Ferrero was concerned.

“This game was real special, because it’s a Valley-Pierce rivalry, and because of all the things that were said this week,” Ferrero said.

Monarch quarterback Todd Studer completed 14 of 19 for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns--on passes of 14 and 22 yards to tight end Adrian Davis and 12 yards to James Matthews. Studer also scored on a 1-yard run.

Tailback Roman Carter rushed for 71 yards in 14 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 1, 6 and 3 yards.

Fullback Brian West, filling in for injured starter LaMonte Simmons, gained 73 yards in 11 carries and scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards.

In all, the Monarchs (3-0 in division play) outgained Pierce, 478 yards to 235.

The Brahmas (1-7, 1-6), who are 1-2 in the WSC Southern Division, gained all but 49 yards on the ground as quarterback Paul Bonner was 0 for 4 and threw 2 interceptions--both to Kris McCall.

Pierce tailback Desmone Wells led all rushers with 75 yards in 12 carries and scored on a 20-yard run in the third quarter.

Valley had its way with the Brahmas in the first half, moving the ball with equal ease on the ground and through the air.

Studer completed 8 of 12 for 139 yards in the first half and tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Davis late in the second period.

On the ground, Carter scored on runs of 3 and 6 yards and led all rushers in the first half with 59 yards in 10 carries. Carter has rushed for 13 touchdowns this season and has scored 14 overall.

West had 44 yards in 6 carries and scored on runs of 1 and 3 yards.

The Monarchs had 285 yards in the first half to just 115 for Pierce.

The Brahmas got 49 of those on one play, when wide receiver Arthur Collins came around for a pitch from Paul Bonner and threw a scoring strike to Chad Zeigler.