BULLDOGS KICK-OFF 2003 GRID SEASON AT EAST L.A. SATURDAY

SANTA MARIA-Head Coach Kris Dutra will lead his third Allan Hancock College football team into a season opener on Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs travel to Monterey Park for a non-conference game against East Los Angeles College. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. at East L.A.'s historic Weingart Stadium.
The game will be broadcast live back to Santa Maria on KUHL Radio (AM 1440). Brad Memberto and Irvin Keiger will again be mike-side to serve as the voices of the Bulldogs.
Although Hancock comes off a disappointing 3-7 finish in 2002, the club won its final game, 29-13 over Western State Conference foe Los Angeles Valley, and looks to pick up where it left off. Dutra's latest edition cares nothing of the past, with 49 of its 70 total squad members listed as freshmen.
Among the key returnees is quarterback Chad Nicholson (So., Morro Bay), who passed for 1,844 yards and nine touchdowns with a sharp 56.1 (142-of-253) passing percentage in 2002. Also back is talented defensive back and kick-return ace Eddie Scipio (Bethlehem, PA), who ranked fifth in the WSC with 1,245 all-purpose yards, including a league-leading 729 on kickoffs and a second-ranked 413 on punts. Scipio also intercepted five enemy passes. Other top returnees for AHC are fullback Jesse Olson (So., San Luis Obispo), tailback Casey Langley (So., Arroyo Grande), who ranked 12th in the WSC in rushing with 596 yards and six touchdowns, tight end Bryan Watje (So., Arroyo Grande) and defensive back Vance Benton (So., Milwaukee, WI).
East L.A. Head Coach Rick Gamboa enters his sixth year at the Huskie helm with an equally hungry bunch. His 2002 team wound up the season at 1-9 and was outscored 332-223. ELAC's lone victory came in the fifth week over Bakersfield, a team that defeated AHC, 24-17 the following week. The game is believed to be the first ever meeting of the Huskies and Bulldogs.