Remembering a great Victor Valley College football season
Some narratives are easier than others. As the Rams fell apart against Santa Monica College on Saturday, one appeared to be writing itself. Lest credence be given to those narratives by silence, here’s my view on the season that was and the state of the Rams.
The High Desert has an interesting relationship with Victor Valley College. As an outsider, it took some time to become accustomed to the way so many seem to view Rams athletics (and the college as a whole). It’s a love-hate relationship inasmuch as locals love to hate the only thing resembling a college in the Victor Valley.
Last year’s season ending brawl served as a landmark event for those who feel the college is destined to fail. No matter how many players head coach Dave Hoover recruits, no matter how many games the Rams win the narrative never seems to change. When they succeed it’s because of a fluke, or because Hoover doesn’t recruit local athletes or, more likely, it’s ignored. But when they fail, hoo boy, that brings them out.
For these people, Saturday’s loss vindicated what they’ve believed their entire lives: VVC is hopeless and will remain that way. I brought this up to Hoover the Friday before their regular season finale. He was at the Serrano’s first round playoff game, making his presence felt.
“It takes a lot of work and a long time to change people’s minds,” said Hoover of the stigma emanating from VVC.
For the Rams, it almost seems impossible at times. But his quote, which I used in my final recap, struck me as kind of poignant. Hoover was as emotional as I’ve seen him — his disappointment was palpable, but not in the way you’ve come to expect. He didn’t yell, didn’t shout. He just looked…sad.
“We just regroup, put it back together and do it again next year.”
The game was over by halftime. Hell, it was over in the first quarter. It was abundantly clear Santa Monica was the better team — not just on that day, but all season. Still, players walked up and down the sideline yelling to each other that they were still in the game. Whether they believed it or not was unclear. But if there was some sort of team-tearing-apart-at-the-seams shouting match, it happened in the locker room after the game or on the bus.
“We do not fracture,” Hoover said to his team after the game.
That’s a bit of a half truth. Naturally, after two years a roster is nearly completely flushed. The cyclical nature of community college sports means the Victor Valley College Rams that went 19–2 over the past two seasons is (mostly) all but shattered to pieces; all that remains is a damn good record and the memories of one of the best teams to ever step foot on the field in Victorville.
I think that’s what I’ll take away from the seven games (5–2 record) I covered this season. The 2015 Rams were a great football team. Maybe they deserved a better ending; it would have made for a better narrative, but this is the right story.
The Rams are dead.
Long live the Rams.