Two former Cordova players star at Sierra College

Carl Moore and Lamon Muldrow did not expect to start their college football careers in Rocklin.

They were high school blue-chippers who, like many others, built great athletic reputations without keeping their studies up to snuff.

But there they have been, making the most of the alternate route, being unleashed by Sierra College every Saturday as perhaps the state's best one-two community college offensive punch.

Moore and Muldrow are pals from even before their Cordova High School days. They're the heart of a Wolverines offense that helped Sierra reach today's 1 p.m. NorCal championship game – the Hawaiian Punch Bowl – at City College of San Francisco. A victory would put Sierra in the State Championship Bowl next week in Fresno.

Moore is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound sophomore wide receiver with great hands and a long stride that helped him score 16 touchdowns this season. Major colleges want him. Florida has offered a scholarship. USC, Cal and Washington are among other schools in pursuit.

Muldrow's talent comes in a different package. A freshman, he accumulated stunning statistics playing fullback, turning his 5-9, 210-pound frame into a yard-eating, point-scoring machine. He leads the state in rushing with 1,761 yards and has scored 19 touchdowns. Against College of the Sequoias on Nov. 10, he rushed for 258 yards on 53 carries, and scored six touchdowns and a two-point conversion in Sierra's 59-57 victory.

How good are these two? Major-college good, said their coach, Jeff Tisdel, maybe better.

In his office recently, Tisdel admired a photograph of former New York Jets wide receiver Alex Van Dyke – whom Tisdel coached at Sacramento City College and Nevada – and pronounced Moore's and Muldrow's potential as bona fide.

"I can see Carl and Lamon having pictures up here one day as pros," Tisdel said. "(Van Dyke) is the best player I coached. Carl's bigger and stronger and maybe a half-step faster. And Lamon's as durable and tough as they come."

Moore and Muldrow shared similar tough backgrounds, too, each being raised by his mother, both finding their release through football. They leaned on each other as kids and still do.

Tight friendship and football success at Cordova didn't lead to classroom excellence, though, and marginal grades posted by Moore and Muldrow caught up with them when the recruiting process got serious.

The academic setback appears to have been temporary, though. Moore expects to graduate this winter, meaning he may participate in spring practice at his Division I college choice. Muldrow is scheduled for one more year in community college, but Moore claims he'll keep Muldrow close.

"When college recruiters talk to me, I always mention Lamon," Moore said.

Muldrow, The Bee's Offensive Player of the Year in 2006, originally hoped to attend Fresno State. Now he's open to any possibilities, having taken care of business in the classroom and more than taken care of it on the football field.

Sierra (9-1) has had similar success. Since losing to Sac City 26-22 on Sept. 7, the Wolverines have won eight consecutive games. The Sac City setback, though an unwanted blemish on Sierra's record, might have led to the team's subsequent success. Tisdel chose his quarterback, going with Kevin Will, who has thrown for 2,389 yards and 26 touchdowns, and also found his lead runner in Muldrow.

The result, especially with Moore catching everything thrown his way, might be Sierra's best-ever team, strong speculation, considering that Sierra won 37 consecutive games earlier this decade (two teams were 11-0). What puts this year's team in the conversation is that it was the champion of the Valley Conference, considered one of the elite community college conferences in the country.

A win today and another next week could help tilt the debate more clearly toward this season's team.

"We've shown what we can do now," said athletic director John Volek, referring to how Sierra has met each weekly conference challenge.

Sierra is averaging 41.5 points and 600 all-purpose yards. With opponents using double teams to defend against Moore, Ryan Hedberg on the other side of the line has put together a stellar season, gaining 966 receiving yards with seven touchdowns.

The defense, headed by linebacker Julian Smith and defensive backs Dan Hart and Michael Grant, has been strong. Hart and Grant have combined for eight interceptions.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Joe Davidson, (916) 321-1280.