Pierce College football coaches are starting to dwindle as two more have left to coach at Valley College.
Former linebackers coach Claude Clayborne and running backs coach Cordell Landers, who were only at Pierce for three months, will join former Brahmas defensive coordinator, now head coach Juan Navarro at Valley. Clayborne will have the same position at Valley, Landers will be the recruiting coordinator in addition to being the running backs coach.
Landers was appreciative of his short time at Pierce.
“I want to thank Coach Martinez for the opportunity,” Landers said. “I think he is an awesome coach.”
Landers gets to go back home to Valley College where he was a player during the 1999-2000 seasons before playing at Illinois State for two years. After being away for over 10 years he felt “it was time to come back home.”
“It is time to get Valley back to how it was when I was there,” Landers said.
Landers also feels that with the addition of Clayborne and him at Valley, Pierce will no longer have an advantage in recruiting.
“We can out coach anyone and out recruit anyone,” Landers said.
Landers feels that the Monarchs’ current coaches, who have all played Division I football, will give Valley the edge. The Monarchs are looking to end the Brahmas’ five-year reign with the Victory Bell. Pierce won last year’s game 42-9.
“I don’t think that Pierce is going to have the coaching that Valley will have,” Landers said. “We have all been Division I, they have no one on that staff that has been at our level.”
The once dormant rivalry between Pierce and Valley is now heating up again with all three new Monarch coaches being former Brahmas. To add to the fuel, Landers took shots at Brahmas Athletic Director Bob Lofrano and Offensive Coordinator Jason Sabolic.
“Lofrano has no love for the football program,” Landers said. “They also have a bad offensive coordinator. None of the players respect Sabolic as a coach.”
Valley’s coaches now have the Monarchs excited about their opportunity to be a competitive football program once again. The Victory Bell is on the mind of Landers, who wants nothing more than to watch Pierce lose and bring the bell back to Valley after five years.
“We’re coming for the bell,” Landers said.
