The community college season is approaching, and five programs in the IE are ready for the 2025 season. Fortunately, all five programs are in the same conference, the Inland Empire Athletic Conference or IEAC. This group comprises six programs, five of which are from the IE: SBVC, Chaffey, Norco, MTSJ, and Victor Valley College. I do consider Victor Valley College part of the IE. You can check the IE map I use on my home page.
Another addition to the IEAC conference is Cerro Coso. In previous years, CC and Barstow would be present in the group on the website, but would be excluded when the season started (happening for two years now). The fact that CC appears in all of the other IEAC program schedules leads me to believe that Cerro Coso will play this season.
2024 Season Standings and Results
COD wins the IEAC title with a better PCT as the tiebreaker despite Chaffey being on top of the standings.
SBVC
Last Season
The Lady Wolverines ended the 2024 season with a 6-13-1 overall record.
Coach
This will be Coach Jenna Lefay’s second year in charge of SBVC, after serving as an assistant to long-time successful coach Kristin Hauge.
Opinion
Last season was rough for the Wolverines with the first of Lefay taking over. I feel it’s another season of rebuilding and a group that will play more of Lefay’s style. Like other IE programs, she is among the newer coaches, which still makes the IEAC competitive and the hierarchy undetermined. I still feel pessimistic, as I think their performance will depend on the opponent’s strengths.
Prediction
With the addition of Cerro Coso, the IEAC will have seven programs instead of six, as it did last season. Last season, the top 3 programs clinched a playoff spot, so I imagine this season will be the same.
So, with that said, SBVC will likely be a bottom-half team, finishing at best 5th and worst 6th.
Poll
I also conducted a poll on Instagram, asking my followers if the programs will make the postseason this year. My followers comprise players (both professional and amateur) and coaches, so their votes carry significant weight.
| Playoffs? | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | 9 | 60% |
| No | 6 | 40% |
Norco
Last season
Norco finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 4-11-4 and placed 4th in the IEAC standings.
Coach
Last season, head coach Drew Rea took over the ladies’ and men’s programs at Norco. Prior to Drew being the head coach, Norco had not won a single IEAC match from 2022 to 2023. Norco scored just 2 goals in those two seasons. With his successful men’s program and lifting the ladies’ program from obscurity, he landed a job at ULV. In April, Norco announced it would now be led by a new head coach, Francesca Escobedo.
Opinion
Another new coach in two years could mean a transition year for Norco again. Coach Drew really did lift Norco out from the ground, so you could hope Escobedo can keep up the momentum.
Prediction
Below mid-table, switching spots with SBVC to avoid placing last.
Poll
| Playoffs? | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | 10 | 77% |
| No | 3 | 23% |
VVC
Last Season
The Lady Rams concluded the 2024 season with a 2-16-1 overall record, finishing last in the IEAC standings.
Coach
Walid Jomaa will lead the VVC again. It’s unclear how long he has been in charge of the program, but he has been in charge since the COVID pandemic.
Opinion
It is unclear why VVC has been performing so badly; it is either the players or the coaching staff. It doesn’t look like there are any changes for this upcoming season.
Prediction
7th… unless Cerro Coso happens to be worse.
Poll
| Playoffs? | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | 2 | 15% |
| No | 11 | 85% |
Chaffey
Last season
Chaffey ended the 2024 season with a 16-4-4 overall record, placing 2nd in the IEAC standings and clinching a playoff spot. They bypassed Mira Costa and Santa Barbara before falling to Cypress 3-1 in the regional finals.
Coach
Coach Daniel Fox will lead Chaffey in his second season, following the departure of long-time, successful coach Grace Cooper.
Survey
I sent out a survey to all coaches to gather their thoughts going into the season. Here is how Daniel Fox responded.
What are your goals for the season?
Our goals for the season are to win conference and have a strong run in playoffs
What are some improvements that you want to implement from last season?
I think we are aiming to have more togetherness in the tough moments. We lacked a bit of mental strength at certain stages and I believe approaching the season with the right mentality will set us up the succeed.
What are some positives from last season that you want to continue?
Some positives from last season:
- A strong style of play – Intelligent build up play
- Dangerous from set pieces
- High fitness levels – Being able to outlast teams.
Who is one team that you’ll pay extra attention to?
I think I’ll be keeping a close eye on Cerro Coso. They are back in our conference after a long absence and look to be building well. I look forward to seeing how they do.
Opinion
There’s no uncertainty that Chaffey is the best program in the IE and definitely a top program in all of SoCal under the leadership of Grace Cooper. They have made deep playoff runs and long undefeated streaks in her last two seasons before she departed. Daniel Fox’s ability to keep her standards up last season is a sign that her legacy has not been erased. I think the surprising success of COD from nowhere last season will be Chaffey’s only challenge.
Prediction
They will secure an easy 1st or 2nd place finish, at worst a 3rd place finish. They could repeat last season’s playoff.
Poll
| Playoffs? | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | 11 | 69% |
| No | 5 | 31% |
MTSJ
Last Season
The Eagles concluded the 2024 season with a 10-8-5 overall record and finished third in the IEAC standings. They got the last playoff seed and fell to Santiago Canyon 3-1 in the opening round.
Coach
Joining the team in 2022, Coach Julio Reyes will lead the Eagles in 2025. Since taking over, Reyes has transformed the Eagles from a mid-table program to a top-three contender and continues to guide MTSJ to postseason appearances.
Opinion
MTSJ is a program that is often overshadowed by Chaffey. Last season, they took care of all the other IE opponents with clean sheets and lost only to Chaffey and COD. They have an upward momentum under coach Reyes, and I think their biggest goal is to defeat either of them in IEAC play. Getting a simple 1-0 win over the Panthers (along with not losing to the other IE programs) could be a monumental obstacle.
Prediction
At best, I could see them in 1st place if they really grind out a win against Chaffey. At worst, they would end up in 3rd like last season. If they get a playoff run, they wouldn’t get past the 2nd round.
Poll
| Playoffs? | Votes | Percent |
| Yes | 3 | 23% |
| No | 10 | 77% |