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MEN'S FOOTBALL
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CRAFT SELECTED AS RIVERSIDE'S NEXT FOOTBALL COACH FOOTBALL MEN (1/26/2010) |
Riverside Community College District Athletic Director Barry Meier today announced the hiring of RCCD's new head football coach. Former Palomar College and San Diego State Head Coach Tom Craft becomes the 18th head coach to guide the Tigers at Riverside City College, replacing Bill Brown, who stepped down after eight seasons.
For the last three years Craft has served as the offensive coordinator at Mt. San Antonio College, helping the Mounties to the 2009 State Championship and National Championship after beating San Mateo College in the finals. Riverside City College President Jan Muto noted Craft's strong focus on education.
"I am very excited that Mr. Craft is joining RCC as a coach and as an educator," Muto said. "He clearly understands the role of a student athlete and the mission of community college education. He is a great addition to our outstanding roster of extraordinary talent."
A former San Diego State quarterback, Craft, 56, has built a legacy at the community college level. For 16 years he led Palomar College to greatness, winning three national championships, and nine conference titles, while developing seven All-American quarterbacks. During one three-year stretch at Palomar, his program went 31-2, staging an offensive attack that ranked among the nation's best for five consecutive years. When Craft decided to leave Palomar for San Diego State, he had built a career record of 115-56-1.
"Tom's coaching record speaks for itself," said Meier, who as Tiger head football coach in the 1980s coached against Craft. "Obviously, he is one of the most successful coaches in the history of community college football. But what impressed me the most was his concern about the student athlete's success in regard to retention and transfer opportunities."
Craft took a three-year hiatus from his duties at Palomar to become the offensive coordinator for San Diego State from 1994 through 1996. In 1998, he returned to Palomar as head coach, leading the Comets to four more conference titles and one state and national championship before being recruited again by San Diego State as its head coach.
In his first season in 2002 with the Aztecs as its head coach, Craft's offensive unit finished fifth in the nation in passing offense with a school record 4,302 passing yards, making his offensive unit the most improved unit in Division I football that season. He was also known as a top recruiter as shown by his 2003 recruiting class at San Diego State, where Rivals.com selected it the best in the Mountain West Conference. He finished his Aztec career with a 19-29 record with his best finish in conference coming in 2002 when San Diego State finished third in the conference race.
After the 2005 season, Craft left San Diego State for Mt. San Antonio College, where he continued his offensive greatness, helping the Mounties to three state championship games. At Mt. Sac, he continued to turn out some of the best quarterbacks in California, including one state and three regional players of the year.
This past season, the Mounties averaged 303 yards a game passing as they went on to lay claim to the national championship title. In 2008, the Mounties rolled up 5,820 yards, easily the best total offensive mark in the state. Over 3,600 yards were generated through the air behind the Region III Player of the Year and All-American quarterback Nick Lamaison. And, in 2007, Craft coached his son, Kevin, who amassed over 5,600 yards in total offense (4,200 yards coming on the strength of Kevin's arm), and 44 touchdowns. Kevin Craft was named California Community College Offensive Player of the Year and became the starting quarterback at UCLA for the 2008 season.
In each of his three seasons at Mt. San Antonio, Coach Craft's offensive units led the nation in scoring at the community college level.
"I've always thought of Riverside as an ideal job," said Craft."It has a community with a lot of civic pride and a supportive relationship with the college and the district. I believe we can develop Riverside football into a program that will provide athletic and educational opportunities for the youth in the area and give quality leadership back in return."
Craft, who graduated from San Diego State in 1976 after a two-year career as the Aztec quarterback, holds a master's degree from Azusa Pacific. He and his wife, Kathy, have three children - daughter Lacey, and sons Kevin and Kyle.
Career Coaching Highlights:
Palomar College (1983-93, 1998-2001)
9 Conference titles (1989, 90, 91, 92, 93, 98, 99, 2000, 01)
9-3 bowl record in last 10 years
3 state championships (1991, 93, 98)
3 national titles (1991, 93, 98)
4 Southern California titles (1991, 93, 98, 2001)
7 All-American quarterbacks in his last 11 seasons
San Diego State Offensive Coordinator (1994-96)
In 1995 and 1996, offense was rated in the Top 10 in the nation in total offense and scoring
In 1995, George Jones broke Marshall Faulk's single-season rushing record (over 1,800 yards) and was ranked No. 2 in the nation
In 1995, became the first offensive unit in NCAA history to have a RB over 1,500 yards and two receivers with 1,000 yards or more and a QB with 3,000 or more yards passing
San Diego State Head Coach (2002-2005)
Broke school record for passing offense in his first year with over 4,300 yards. Went from 89th in the country in passing offense to fifth in his first season.
Was third most improved offense in the nation, going from 98th to the Top 20
JC Tolvar led the nation in receiving yards as Craft put together the most prolific receiving duo with Tolvar and Kasim Osgood combining for 136 receptions
Helped San Diego State improve its attendance from 20,000 to 38,000
Beat Utah and BYU in the same season for the first time in 19 years
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BROWN RESIGNS AS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AFTER EIGHT SEASONS FOOTBALL MEN (11/30/2009) |
Riverside Community College District Athletic Director Barry Meier announced today that Bill Brown would end his eight-year tenure as the Tigers' head football coach effective today, Monday, November 30th.
Under Brown the Tigers logged a 34-46 record and appeared in one post-season bowl game. The Tigers' best season came in 2005 when the team went 7-4 overall, winning the divisional title (4-1), before falling to El Camino in the National Bowl Game. In three other years, the Tigers finished 5-5. The 2009 season was disappointing for Brown and the team, which won just one game.
"Bill had a tremendous impact on our student-athletes," said Meier. "His dedication to their progression to four-year institutions was incredible. He worked tirelessly on behalf of his players and the program."
Brown became the Tigers' head coach after 17 years as the defensive coordinator under then head coach Barry Meier, and four years as the District's head golf coach. During those years, the Tigers appeared in six bowl games and won the 1989 National Championship. As head coach, Brown produced four Academic All-Americans (Ronnie Hill, Hoang Mai, Brett Van Lant, and Adam Wright), and more than 100 of his student-athletes transferred to play at four-year universities.
"I know this was a tough decision for Coach Brown," Meier said. "He loves RCC and the game of football. What he accomplished here goes beyond the stat book. He made a huge difference to this program over the past 25 years."
Prior to his arrival at Riverside Community College District in 1984, Brown was the defensive coordinator for Gary Campbell at Norco High School. He was also a standout college and high school player, competing for Cal Poly Pomona and Mater Dei High School. As a high school linebacker, Brown helped the Mater Dei Monarchs win a California Interscholastic Federation Championship.
Brown holds a bachelor of science degree from Cal Poly Pomona and three master's degrees from Azusa Pacific. He plans to continue with RCC as a counselor, working with students to give them the skills they need to compete and achieve in the classroom. He will also work with the sophomores to place them at universities.
Meier said a search for a new football coach would begin immediately.
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RIVERSIDE PLACES SIX ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM FOOTBALL MEN (11/25/2009) |
Riverside Community College placed six players on the 2009 National Division Central Conference Team it was announced. Three of the players were on the defensive side of the ball.
Leading the list was freshman punter Alex Alvarez. A graduate of Centennial High School in Corona, Alvarez led the division in punting and was selected on every coaches' ballot, earning him a spot on the all-state team, which will be released next month. Alvarez averaged 40.9 yards per punt, best in the conference and a seasonal-best 72-yarder.
Also earning first team honors was sophomore linebacker Trevor Lopez (Poly HS) and all-purpose player James Calhoun, a sophomore out of North High School. Lopez finished second in the conference in tackles with an 8.6 average. Calhoun, who played offense, defense and returned punts and kicks, was selected as a first-team defensive back and a second-team all-purpose player. He was fourth in tackles (6.8 a game), fifth in kickoff returns (23.2 yards a return), ninth in punt returns (7.1 a return) and tied for second with four interceptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. He also played running back and wide receiver at times on offense.
Earning second-team honors were sophomore offensive lineman Nick Pagano (Ramona), sophomore wide receiver Tommy Curry (North) and sophomore defensive lineman Samiu Latuhoi (Norte Vista). Curry was fourth in receiving yards with 59.8 a game. He caught 37 passes for 598 yards and 5 touchdowns. Latuhoi was 12th in conference with 5.5 tackles per game.
Riverside finished the season 1-9 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
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FOOTBALL CLOSES SEASON WITH A 24-14 LOSS TO CITRUS FOOTBALL MEN (11/14/2009) |
Citrus quarterback Byron Ingram passed for 224 and 4 touchdowns, while running back Isaac Tucker carried the ball 16 times for 96 yards and caught one pass for 33 yards and a score as the Owls handed Riverside a 24-14 loss in a Central Division game.
The loss was the eight straight for Riverside, which was hit hard by injuries this season. The Tigers finished 1-9 overall and winless in division play.
Riverside jumped out to a 13-0 lead on a touchdown pass and a 38-yard touchdown run by Tommy Curry, but Citrus (2-4, 3-7) rallied on two Ingram touchdown passes. Riverside retook the lead with 3:11 left in the third quarter as Chase Griswold connected on a 39-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead.
The fourth quarter, though, belonged to the Owls as they scored 12 points in the final quarter to pull out the win. Riverside had three possessions in the final quarter, but two drives were halted by turnovers - a fumble and another on an interception. Their other drive concluded when Griswold missed a 32-yard field goal when he hit the cross bar. |
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CHAFFEY ROLLS TO A 34-14 VICTORY OVER RIVERSIDE FOOTBALL MEN (10/31/2009) |
Chaffey amassed 434 yards in total offense as the Panthers handed Riverside a 34-14 loss in a Central Division game at Wheelock Field. The game was Riverside final home game of the season. Riverside, which has a bye week next week, will conclude the season on November 14 when the Tigers travel to take on Citrus in a 1 p.m. game.
Riverside struggled defensively as Chaffey used an offensive game plan of option, play action and quarterback draws. The Panthers ran for 159 yards and passed for another 275. Chaffey averaged 5.7 yards per play. Through the air, Chaffey averaged 15.3 yards per completion. The Panthers also enjoyed an eight-minute advantage in time of possession.
Riverside, which was held scoreless in the first half, managed to put together two scoring drives - one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. The Tigers (1-8) used a Chaffey fumble to set up its first score. Running back Jeremy Gallard scored from three yards out on the first play to get the Tigers on the board.
Riverside's final score was a four-play, 21-yard drive which was set up when Lester White returned a Chaffey kickoff 47 yards and a Panther personal foul took the ball to the Chaffey's 21-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Lamonica capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Riverside had another scoring opportunity picked off in the end zone as Gallard's half-back pass was intercepted in the end zone.
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CERRITOS ROLLS UP OVER 600 YARDS IN WIN OVER RIVERSIDE FOOTBALL MEN (10/24/2009) |
Cerritos rolled up 665 yards in total offense as the Falcons scored a 58-17 victory over Riverside in a Central Division game in Norwalk. Cerritos (3-0, 7-0) threw for 347 yards and ran for another 318 yards. The Falcons scored five touchdowns on the ground and another three through the air.
The loss was Riverside's sixth consecutive headed into the Tigers (0-4, 1-7) final 2009 home game next Saturday (Oct. 31) vs. Chaffey College. Kickoff is 6 p.m.
Cerritos scored the first 21 points of the game and 38 of the first 48 in the first half. The Falcons added another 20 points in the third quarter. Riverside managed a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown.
Riverside played without sophomore James Calhoun, who was injured in last week's game with Mt. San Antonio. The Tigers used five different running backs and two different quarterbacks. Casey Rogers led Riverside with 34 yards on 5 carries. Jelani Cleghorne scored the Tigers' lone rushing touchdown on a 5-yard run with just over 3 minutes left in the game.
Jacoby Mitchell started the game at quarterback, and threw for 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 of 21. He was intercepted once. Nathan Lamonica finished the game, completing 8 of 19 for 98 yards.
A bright spot for Riverside was the play of Lester White, a freshman from North, who returned 8 kickoffs for 198 yards. White, who was subbing for Calhoun, also led the Tigers with 9 tackles - 6 of which were solo. |
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MT. SAN ANTONIO ROLLS OVER RIVERSIDE FOOTBALL MEN (10/17/2009) |
Mt. San Antonio, the two-time defending Southern California champions, handed Riverside its fifth straight loss as the Mounties rolled to a 45-12 Central Conference victory before 1,350 fans at Wheelock Field.
Mt. SAC (5-1) rolled up 270 yards on the ground and another 170 through the air, and averaged 8.5 yards a play. The Mounties only punted twice in the game. Mt. SAC scored three rushing touchdowns, two through the air and another on a Riverside fumble, which was returned 72 yards for a touchdown by Craig Payne.
Riverside (1-6) turned the ball over five times as Mt. SAC picked off Riverside quarterback four times and recovered the Tigers' only fumble. The Tigers' Noah Dobson kick two first-half field goals - 19 and 33 yards. Riverside's lone other score came late in the fourth quarter when Jacoby Mitchell hit Robert Marshall with a 15-yard scoring pass.
Riverside returns to action on Oct. 24 when the Tigers travel to Norwalk to take on Cerritos College in a 7 p.m. game. |
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM HONORED FOOTBALL MEN (10/10/2009) |
Riverside honored the 1989 National Championship team during the 2009 homecoming festivities. Over 50 players and 10 coaches and staff reunited from all over the country to mark the 20th year since the Tigers went 11-0 and defeated El Camino in the PONY Bowl in Orange County.
The festivities began at noon with a hosted luncheon where the team told stories and talked about the magical season. They also watched a 20-minute highlight tape from the season. After the luncheon, the players were guests of Chancellor Dr. Gray at his tailgate party. Dr. Gray welcome the team and asked them share their story after RCC. Many of the players are teachers and police officers.
One of the highlights was the return of former assistant Don Johnson, who is now a San Diego Charger assistant.
After the tailgate, the team was welcomed by the students at its own tailgate party and eventually made their way to the stadium where they were introduced prior to kickoff of the College of the Desert-Riverside game.
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BLOCKED PAT IN OT GIVES DESERT WIN OVER RIVERSIDE FOOTBALL MEN (10/10/2009) |
College of the Desert defensive lineman Trenton Allmang Wilder blocked Noah Dobson's extra point in the first overtime period as the Roadrunners rallied for a 41-40 victory over Riverside in a National Central Conference game at Wheelock Field.
College of the Desert trailed 34-24 going into the fourth quarter, but managed to scored a touchdown with 6:56 remaining and then got a Brett Symonds' field goal from 20 yards in the final seconds to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, Desert scored first as Jai Steib scored his third touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run. Steib finished the game with 39 carries for 206 yards. Symonds added the PAT, giving the Roadrunners their only lead of the game. Riverside used a 16-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Lamonica to Tommy Curry to score, but Dobson's PAT was blocked at the line of scrimmage.
Lamonica passed for two touchdowns on 11 of 19 passing. Riverside also blocked a punt for a touchdown - as did Desert - and also got a 48-yard interception return by sophomore James Calhoun. |
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RIVERSIDE DROPS THIRD STRAIGHT WITH LOSS TO EL CAMINO FOOTBALL MEN (10/3/2009) |
Riverside dropped its third consecutive game as El Camino scored the final 17 points in a 41-16 Central Conference game.
Riverside (1-4) pulled out all of the stops against El Camino (5-0). The Tigers moved defensive back James Calhoun to offense, and he responded with three catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Riverside also started back-up quarterback Jacoby Mitchell. He responded with 235 yards passing on 16 of 29, but he was intercepted twice and was sacked five times.
The Tigers actually held a 3-0 lead after the first quarter, but the Warriors rolled off 24 consecutive points over the course of two quarters, taking a 24-3 lead. Riverside cut into the lead as Calhoun caught touchdown passes of 65 and 51 yards, but El Camino dominated the four quarter, outscoring the Tigers 17 to 7.
Riverside returns home where the Tigers will host College of the Desert in a 6 p.m. homecoming game at Wheelock Field. The College will also honor its 1989 National Championship team. |
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PASADENA ROLLS OVER RIVERSIDE, 38-7 FOOTBALL MEN (9/26/2009) |
Sophomore quarterback Nick Ponce passed for 332 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pasadena City College football team to its third straight win, 38-7, over Riverside in an non-conference game Saturday night.
Ponce, who has thrown for 12 touchdown passes in three games since taking over the starting job in the second week of the season, completed 28 of 40 passes for 332 yards. He opened the scoring by hitting Demonte Bell for a 9-yard TD pass 6:33 into the game. Ponce engineered a 9-play, 72-yard drive by completing 5 of 6 throws.
Early in the second quarter, Ponce ran in a 2-yard TD sneak to make it 12-0. PCC kicker Nick Luevano missed his second straight extra point (first one was blocked).
The Lancers built it to 18-0 on a 7-yard bootleg run for a touchdown by Reuben Thomas 3:34 into the third quarter.
Ponce continued the onslaught with TD passes of 5 yards to Sean Carraway, and then a 74-yard scoring dart to Thomas, who took a short pass, eluded one Riverside tackler and sped the final 60 yards for the score. Ponce would hit Carraway for a 17-yard touchdown throw with 4:15 left to complete his night.
The Lancers (3-1) dominated the Tigers, out gaining them in total offense, 558 yards to 139.
Riverside (1-3) broke the shutout with 7:13 remaining on a 5-yard TD pass by quarterback Jacoby Mitchell to receiver Jordan Stip.
Defensively, Riverside was led by sophomore Trevor Lopez, who finished with 11 tackles and a sack.
Lancers' running back John Roberson, playing in his first game of the year, rushed for a team season-high 156 yards on 19 carries. For Riverside, Cedric Foster gained 61 yards on 18 attempts.
PCC opens National Northern Conference play Saturday, October 3 with a 6 p.m. game at Bakersfield, while Riverside travels to El Camino College for its National Central Division opener at 6 p.m. |
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RIVERSIDE COMMITS FIVE TURNOVERS, FALL TO GLENDALE FOOTBALL MEN (9/19/2009) |
Riverside's football team fumbled twice and was intercepted three times as the Tigers fell to Glendale, 10-7, in a non-conference game.
Glendale (3-0) returned one fumble for 42 yards and a touchdown and then converted another fumble recovery into a field goal to turn back Riverside, which falls to 1-2 headed into next week's home game against Pasadena City.
The two teams played to a scoreless first half, but in the third quarter Riverside appeared to have its offense on track. Back-up quarterback Jacob Mitchell hit Tommy Curry for what appeared to be a 63-yard touchdown, but a holding call wiped out the score. On the very next play, Jela Celghorne fumbled and Glendale's Kalii Robinson scooped up the ball and raced 42 yards for a 7-0 Vaquero lead.
Glendale extended its lead to 10-0 with 9:23 remaining in the game when James Calhoun attempted to field a Vaquero punt. Calhoun fumbled the ball and the Vaqueros' Joey Orlandini recovered the ball at the Tigers' 10 yard line. Four players later, Garrett Hernandez kicked a 30-yard field goal.
Riverside's only scoring drive came with 2:16 remaining in the game when Nathan Lamonica hit Curry with a 10-yard pass. The Tigers managed to get the ball back with 7 seconds left, but failed in their attempt to move the ball down the field.
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RIVERSIDE RINGS SAN BERNARDINO, VICTORY BELL FOOTBALL MEN (9/12/2009) |
Riverside retained possession of the Victory Bell with a 40-17 victory over Inland Empire rival San Bernardino Valley at Wheelock Field.
A week after a disappointing showing against Victor Valley, Riverside managed to find its offense and its typical stellar defense. The Tigers, who travel to Glendale next week for a 6 p.m. game, rushed for 154 yards and passed for another 177. Riverside also intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and forced four fumbles, recovering three.
Riverside also cut down on its mental mistakes. A week ago, the Tigers were called for 19 penalties, but this week limited it to nine for just 68 yards.
Riverside jumped out to a 14-3 lead and was never really pressured as the Tigers took a 21-17 lead into the locker room. Riverside then rolled off 19 points in the final half, while shutting out the Wolverines over the course of the final 30 minutes.
Riverside's two second-half touchdown came off turnover. Cody Brown (Ml King HS) returned an interception 60 yards with 8:09 remaining in the third quarter. His interception for a touchdown was his second after returning one last week against Victor Valley. Then with 14:40 remaining in the game Georgio Bryant recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
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RIVERSIDE FALLS FLAT AS TIGERS OPEN WITH A LOSS FOOTBALL MEN (9/5/2009) |
Victor Valley scored 21 straight points as the Rams rolled past Riverside, 27-14, in the 2009 season opener in Victorville.
Riverside, which struggled on both sides of the ball, managed just 8 first downs - three in the second half. The Tigers rushed 31 times for just 43 yards and completed only 8 passes for 18 yards and 109 yards - 67 of which came on a touchdown catch by Tommy Curry, which gave the Tigers a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.
The Tigers also committed 13 penalties, which results in 190 yards. They managed to get into the red zone just once the entire game and was 2 of 13 on third-down conversions. The offense managed just one score, while the defense - 32-yard interception return by Cody Browne resulted in Riverside's only other trip to the end zone.
Victor Valley, whose roster features 65 out-of-state players, dominated the line of scrimmage, especially in the second half. Riverside had no answer for 6-3, 280-pound defensive end Anthony Daniels. Daniels stripped James Calhoun and returned a fumble 37 yards in third period, which tied the score at 14-14. He finished with seven tackles and a sack. He also batted two passes out of the air.
Offensively, the Rams ran 41 times for 206 yards and threw for another 176 yards on 9 of 23 passing. But it was their running game which caused Riverside most of their trouble. From the shot gun, Victor Valley use a three-man backfield which caused nothing but trouble.
Louis Beal ran for 95 yards on just 13 carries, while starting quarterback Robert Love ran for 74 yards on 18 carries, two of which went for touchdowns, including his 9-yard run with 3:26 remaining to seal the win. Hew also threw a 20-yard touchdown pass, breaking the 14-14 tie.
Riverside will play its home opener on Saturday, September 12 at 6 p.m when the Tigers take on Inland Empire rival San Bernardino Valley in the battle for the Bell. |
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2010 Tiger Backer Golf Tournament
The Riverside Community College Tiger Backer Association is accepting player applications for the 2010 Tiger Backer Classic Golf Tournament, which benefits the District's 19 athletic programs. The tournament is scheduled for Monday, April 5 at Canyon Crest Country Club.
The tournament is limited to the first 175 entry fees. Fees cover green fee, lunch, dinner and awards. It is a four-man scramble.
The athletic department is also soliciting businesses for assistance in tee sponsors and raffle prizes. If interested please contact either Barry Meier, athletic director, at barry.meier@rcc.edu or Robert Schmidt, Sports Information Director, at robert.schmidt@rcc.edu
To view this year's brochure, please click here. |
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