Robert Adams 7 virtually forgotten as a ball-carrier in the first three games of the Charleston Southern University season 7 took advantage of a carrying assignment Saturday and exploded for 155 all-purpose yards, and scored the winning touchdown, in CSU/s come-from-behind 35-28 victory over North Greenville.

The next day Adams was named the Big South Conference/s Offensive Player of the Week.

Adams carried 22 times for 124 yards (5.6 y/c) and caught three passes for 31 yards. He had nine of CSU/s 12 rushing first downs and notched five carries of 10 or more yards. This after gaining only five yards in the Buccaneers/ first three games while he served principally as a blocking back.

Northern SB Co. Roundtable

Monday/s Athletes of the Week at the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Roundtable were Pioneer Valley running back Buddy Garcia and St. Joseph tennis wunderkind Ane McPike, but a solid case could be made for two Lompoc Valley figures.

Steve De St. Jean of Cabrillo delivered a monster game on defense as the Conquistadores shut down Dos Pueblos 9-6.

Big No. 44, at times a defensive end, at times in the interior, made five tackles and four sacks, broke up a pass, blocked a punt and recovered a fumble.

"It probably was my best effort, but as a team we/re going to be playing better and better," he said Monday at the luncheon.

Two teammates at the same table also brought impressive statistics.

Linebacker Colby McKissack had six tackles, assisted on a sack, and forced three passes.

And he was not at his best, he said.

"I don/t think I was into it," he said. "I was sick last week."

Cornerback Darnell Womack made a solo tackle, one and one-half sacks, a forced pass and, biggest of all, a blocked field goal.

"I lined up next to Stevie," Womack said, looking over at De St. Jean. "He hit the wingback which made a wide open path for me."

Middle linebacker Caleb Meza, who was nominated for lunch, but could not be present, made 10 tackles and a sack, said Regan who added that close inspection of film revealed not eight, but nine Cabrillo sacks.

Also at the pizzafest, Cabrillo tennis standout Lisa Schutz vowed to avenge last week/s close loss to St. Joseph ("definitely") and noted two difficult matches with Morro Bay and Santa Ynez this week, while water polo coach Joel Jory introduced leading scorer Byron Mikowicz and "the old guy in the corner who looks like he/s 35," Daniel McNutt.

Jory/s team went 2-2 at the Buena Tournament to make its record 4-7, below past Cabrillo standards.

"We/re playing tough," said Mikowicz. "We just don/t have a lot of bodies. Right now we/re having a hard time keeping a good rotation going."

Lompoc High

The Lompoc Valley candidate for Female Athlete of the Week is the inimitable Julia Heath who shot a blazing 35 on the tough La Purisima golf course last week.

LHS Athletic Director Dick Barrett brought Heath to lunch even though the day was reserved for tennis, water polo and football.

"This was maybe the best thing that happened on the Central Coast," Barrett declared.

Asked at the NSBCART luncheon if she might like to follow in the footsteps of Michelle Wie and join the LPGA tour someday, the three-year Los Padres League champion said it was not her style. "I would consider coaching though," she said, maybe as a club pro.

Barrett also introduced tennis player Crystal Hernandez who teamed with partner Jani Carmona to win two of three sets in the school/s first win of the season, a razor thin 9-9 (85-80) victory Friday at Coast Union.

In that match, Amanda Chastain swept 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 and Kayla Cunningham won two of three as did Courtney Stumpo.

Barrett also presented water polo ejection leader Beau Mabery, and footballers Jakob Sims and Frankie Osegueda, "two of the hardest workers on the team," he called them. The Braves lost to AG 39-6.

Hancock football

For Saturday night/s 48-10 victory over Ventura, coach Kris Dutra called defensive back Donald White his defensive player of the week for his work on Charles Dillon, the Western State Conference/s leading receiver.

"He is a Pac-10 player and Donald covered him," Dutra raved.

Dillon was averaging eight catches a game for 158 yards but White held him to five receptions for 67 yards.

Lompoc/s Curtis Chatman opened the scoring as he pulled in a 38-yard TD pass in the first quarter. Matt Hansen saw action at quarterback late in the contest and tossed a 9-yard TD pass.

Dutra credited tight end Matt Sims with "another outstanding game" and announced that middle linebacker Rick Aguilar may be lost for the season. His knee injury, suffered against Santa Barbara Sept. 17, turned out to be two torn ligaments, the ACL and MCL. "He/s walking around like he doesn/t have an injury," Dutra said. "Maybe he/ll be a fast healer."

Out of town

Katie McIntosh scored her first college soccer goal Friday night as the Chico State Wildcats stopped L.A. State 2-0…. Christine Rowlett and Davia Montoya are Cuesta College/s No. 2 and No. 3 scorers in water polo.

In town

DyestatCal has promoted Cabrillo/s unsung girls cross country team, running in the shadow of the No. 2-in-the-state CHS boys, into the Top Ten in CIF-SS at No. 10 in Div. III.

At Saturday/s Lagoon Run at UCSB, Tarah Balden was sixth with a 19:40, Elizabeth Pasko was seventh with a 19:53, Laura Montelleone was ninth with a 19:55 and Alexa Heter was eleventh with a 19:59.

Sports Writer John McReynolds can be reached at 736-2313, Ext. 106, or jmcreynolds@lompocrecord.com

September 27, 2005