WEB EXCLUSIVE – Heading into Saturday’s game against Mt. San Antonio, Head Football Coach Kenny Lawler has named freshman Nick Ponce as the starting quarterback.”[Ponce] set himself apart [from the competition],” Lawler said. “He gives us the best chance to win.”
Heading into the Lancers’ preseason scrimmage against L.A. Valley on Friday, Ponce was in competition for the starting job with fellow freshman Jonathan Troast, but the results of the scrimmage and practices gave Ponce the edge.
“The offense moved the ball more efficiently under Ponce,” Lawler said. “He is my guy.”
Lawler said the scrimmage, which only lasted a half, went well, but says Mt. SAC is a “more formidable foe” than Valley.
Mt. SAC is ranked tenth in the nation, according to The Sporting News College Football Magazine’s JC Top 20 and is ranked second in Southern California and third in the state, according to the CCCFCA/JCAB preseason rankings. PCC is ranked twenty-first in the state and twelfth in Southern California.
Lawler knows just how good Mt. SAC can be. Before he came to PCC, he was the defensive coordinator at Mt. SAC from 2002 to 2005, after a three year stint as Boise State’s secondary coach.
Lawler also knows the rivalry between the two teams has been growing over the past few years.
“The freshmen don’t really understand the rivalry,” Lawler said. “I’ve been telling them all week, but they’ll find out in the first few minutes how intense the rivalry is.”
Those freshmen will make up the majority of PCC’s starting lineup, with 10 freshmen starters on defense and nine starting on offense.
Even with the unproven starters, Lawler is confident coming into the game.
“We expect to win the football game,” Lawler said.
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