2009 Game Stories
By Dave Loveton, sports information
Saturday, Sept. 5 -- SBCC vs. Hancock at Righetti High, 6 p.m. Hancock 42, SBCC 6 Record: 0-1
Vaqueros drop opener at Hancock
Hancock jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and went on to beat SBCC 42-6 on Saturday night in the football season opener in Santa Maria.
The Bulldogs ran for 359 yards and five touchdowns in the non-conference win at Righetti High. Hancock scored on its first two possessions, capped by TD runs of 5 and 12 yards by Thomas Sua. Three plays later, Greg Watson picked off a John Uribe pass and returned it 24 yards for a 21-0 lead with 3:54 to go in the first quarter.
Uribe, a freshman from Santa Barbara High, completed 25-of-48 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in his collegiate debut. Brian Felt had nine receptions for 97 yards while Oscar Medina had six for 71 yards and Tristan Carter caught six for 20 yards. Early in the second quarter, Uribe engineered the Vaqueros' only scoring drive -- a 15-play, 70-yard march capped by a 3-yard TD toss to Carter that made the score 21-6.
Hancock, which led 35-6 at halftime, had 359 rushing yards on 54 attempts while the Vaqueros were held to minus 7 yards on 24 tries. Hancock's defense sacked Uribe five times.
"They were a real physical team, we didn't run the ball and that hurt us," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "We had some opportunities. We have to learn from this and get better, which we will. Defensively, we need to tackle better and we need to shore up our running game."
SBCC had several defensive highlights. Franz Fischer recovered a muffed punt, Nate Bailey intercepted a third-quarter pass in the end zone, Francisco Lugo of Carpinteria High recovered a fumble and Charles Thomas blocked a 26-yard field goal try with 3:42 to play.
The Vaqueros will take on Canyons, the top-ranked team in Southern California, in their home opener on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 12 -- Canyons at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC 17, Canyons 14 Record: 1-1
SBCC stuns No. 5 Canyons 17-14
SBCC scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a span of 3:16 on Saturday night to rally past No. 5 Canyons 17-14 in a nonconference football game at La Playa Stadium.
The Vaqueros (1-1) got their first win of the season and snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Cougars (1-1).
"I told the guys that the only people who believe we can win are right here in this group," said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. "I said, 'As long as you believe, we can do it.' They bought into it, kept coming after them and kept playing hard."
Freshman quarterback John Uribe engineered a 14-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard TD run by Robyn Lawson, cutting a 14-3 halftime deficit to 14-10 with 11:15 to go in the final quarter. The highlights were a 19-yard run by Tristan Carter (64 yards on 15 carries) and a 35-yard Uribe-to-Oscar Medina connection on third-and-8 that moved the ball to the Canyons' 27.
The Cougars went three-and-out but the fourth-down snap sailed over the punter's head and he kicked it on the run from his own 20. It traveled about 10 yards and fell into the arms of Joel Boucher, who returned it seven yards to the Canyons' 13.
On fourth-and-23 from the 20, Uribe hit Arturo Gonzalez over the middle and he was tackled at the 1. Uribe faked a pitch to the left and ran for the right corner, diving into the end zone for the go-ahead score that put SBCC ahead 17-14 with 7:59 to play.
Uribe completed 13-of-28 passes for 166 with no interceptions. Oscar Medina caught five balls for 73 yards.
The Vaquero defense intercepted three passes and recorded five sacks. Boucher had six tackles, including two for loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. Cameron Hines and Nate Bailey picked up first-half interceptions.
After the Vaqueros took the lead, Canyons drove 42 yards behind backup quarterback Eric Brown. On first-and-10 from the 16, linebacker Charles Thomas came up with a huge interception with 4:42 remaining.
Canyons got the ball back near midfield on a punt with 2:44 to go. The Cougars moved to the 8 with 22 seconds left before Boucher and Matt Racowschi combined for a sack that moved them back to the 19. With no timeouts and the final seconds ticking off, the Vaquero defense prevented the visitors from getting off a 26-yard field goal.
"I think this is a turning point for us," said Moropoulos. "It keeps everybody believing that when you're maybe less talented, if you believe in yourself and you keep believing in family, you can still get it done."
Saturday, Sept. 19 -- Ventura at SBCC, 6 p.m. Ventura 35, SBCC 7 Record: 1-2
Ventura topples Vaqueros 35-7
SBCC was held to 52 total yards on Saturday in a 35-7 football loss to Ventura at La Playa Stadium.
The Pirates (3-0), who compete in the National Northern Division, racked up 372 yards of offense in the final nonconference game. One week after stunning No. 5 Canyons 17-14, the Vaqueros (1-2) fell behind 28-7 at intermission and only had one first down in the first 30 minutes.
Ventura, which ran 73 plays to 47 for the home team, had 226 yards and five TDs on the ground. Nick Karam scored on a 16-yard run after a fake field goal to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
"They were physical up front and we weren't," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "That makes it kind of tough."
Free safety Lamont Dupree had an outstanding game for the Vaqueros with 13 tackles, a 28-yard punt return for a TD with 1:21 to go in the second quarter and an interception at his own 5 on the last play of the third quarter. Matt Racowschi, who had 11 tackles, partially blocked the punt the Dupree returned up the left side, cutting the deficit to 21-7.
"We needed to get the ball moving and get better position earlier in the game," said Dupree. "The defense was on the field a lot. Ventura is a good team."
SBCC's offense started its first-quarter drives on its own 10, 7, 38 and 13-yard lines. The Vaqueros were held to minus 16 yards on 24 rushing attempts and were only 3-of-13 on third-down conversions. Freshman quarterback John Uribe, under pressure for most of the game, completed 12-of-23 passes for 68 yards with two interceptions.
"I certainly wasn't happy with the offense," said Moropoulos. "You have to give (Ventura) credit. And you have to say, 'How can we come back? How can we do better?'
"I'm disappointed but I'm also realistic. They were a pretty good team."
The Vaqueros open American Pacific Conference play on Saturday at Antelope Valley, which fell to 0-3 after a 20-12 loss to Chaffey.
"Antelope Valley is a good football team," Moropoulos stated." We've got to get better and improve in the offensive line. We have to take some pressure off our quarterback because that position relies on rhythm. When you get out of rhythm, it's tough."
Saturday, Sept. 26 -- APC opener: SBCC at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m. AVC 32, SBCC 7 Records: 1-3, 0-1
Vaqueros fall 32-7 in APC opener
LANCASTER -- SBCC dominated the first half of its American Pacific Conference football opener at Antelope Valley on Saturday night but couldn't forge a lead, settling for a 7-7 tie. The Marauders dominated the second half, 25-0, to come away with a 32-7 victory.
The Vaqueros (1-3, 0-1) were held to five first downs and 72 yards in the second half at the new Maurader Stadium, which was hosting its second game. In the first half, SBCC held a commanding edge in first downs (12-6), time of possession (22:32 to 7:28) and total yards (181-73).
The Marauders (1-3, 1-0) took a 7-0 lead on the game's first drive, going 65 yards in six plays, capped by an 11-yard pass from Josh Firm to Brandon Mims.
The Vaqueros tied it at 7 with their most impressive drive of the season -- a 19-play, 89-yard march. Quarterback John Uribe was 6-for-8 passing for 66 yards in the drive, which took 9:40 off the clock and culminated in a TD run by Robyn Lawson on a pitchout on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Jeremy Waxman's PAT tied it at 7-7 with 11:46 to go in the second quarter.
SBCC's offense went silent after that, punting on seven of its next eight possessions.
"They're a very good defense and we're very young on the offensive line," said Santa Barbara coach Craig Moropoulos. "We had a guy starting at guard who'd never played before, a guy played center who was at guard last week. It's just a matter of trying to get continuity in the offense. It's tough, I thought we had it going."
The Marauders built a 21-7 lead on a 44-yard TD run by Devon Whitson and an 18-yard Firm to Sims connection on the second play of the fourth quarter.
SBCC's run game, which averaged 9.7 yards in its first three outings, picked up 81 yards but only averaged 1.8 per play.
"We don't really have a breakaway explosive runner that we need," Moropoulos noted. "We have guys that run hard, like Michael Douglas (10 carries, 51 yards, 5.1 avg.), and he has a chance to be a pretty good player. But as the offensive line goes, the offense goes. We're struggling to find an identity for them.
"We didn't tackle well and we just let it get away from us in the second half."
Quarterback John Uribe completed 17-27 passes for 172 yards with no interceptions. Oscar Medina had six receptions for 66 yards.
Saturday, Oct. 3 -- SBCC at L.A. Southwest, 6 p.m. SBCC 28, L.A. Southwest 3 Records: 2-3, 1-1 APC
Offense comes alive in 28-3 win
Defense holds Southwest to a field goal
LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback John Uribe turned in his best collegiate performance on Saturday night and SBCC's defense put the clamps on L.A. Southwest in a 28-3 football victory at Cougar Stadium. The three points were the lowest allowed by a Vaquero defense in 79 games.
Santa Barbara (2-3, 1-1) got its first win in the American Pacific Conference, thanks to big advantages in first downs (18-7) and yards (374-121). The Cougars fell to 0-5 and 0-2.
Uribe completed 23-of-28 passes for 261 yards and two second-half touchdowns. His 37-yard TD toss to Nicholas Amey put the visitors up 21-3 with 7:09 to go in the third quarter. He found tight end Josh Misegadis for a 5-yard scoring pass that capped an 87-yard march midway through the final period.
"The O-line stepped it up, gave me some time and as the game went on, I got into rhythm and starting getting the ball to different people," said Uribe, a freshman who threw for more than 4,100 yards and 41 TDs last year at Santa Barbara High. "Everything meshed today in the passing game. This is a big confidence booster."
Oscar Medina caught 13 passes for 137 yards while Amey had three for 69. Medina is No. 6 in the state with 33 receptions for 368 yards.
After scoring five touchdowns in the first four games, SBCC had four on Saturday -- one in each quarter.
"We played well and our biggest improvement came in the offensive line," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "They gave us time to throw and John Uribe threw very well tonight. Our defense was stout. This was a good win, we needed it."
Moropoulos said the offensive line was led by Chris Anderson and Rick Aversano.
Tristan Carter had a pair of 1-yard scoring runs in the opening half with the first one coming on the final play of the first quarter. His second TD capped a 10-play, 90-yard drive and boosted the lead to 14-3 with 3:57 to go in the second quarter. Uribe had completions of 27 yards to Brian Felt and 34 yards to Medina on a wide receiver screen that moved the ball to the 1.
Robyn Lawson led SBCC with 41 rushing yards. Carter added 34 on 11 attempts and caught three passes.
"The value of Tristan is beyond what really shows in the stats," said Moropoulos. "He's not a true fullback but he plays there because he does a very good job and he makes us better. We play him at the tailback position to get him more touches."
After missing last week's game with an injury, Matt Racowschi returned with a flourish by recording 11 tackles (6 solo), including two for losses of 17 yards. Linebacker Nate Ramirez halted the Cougars' deepest drive of the night with an interception at his own 13 on the second play of the fourth quarter. Dewayne Taylor intercepted Marcell Dejean at the Vaquero 15 on the final play of the game.
Dejean completed 11 of 23 for just 54 yards against a Vaquero pass defense that's ranked No. 2 in the state, allowing 129 yards a game.
After a bye on Saturday, SBCC will play two in a row at home against Santa Monica (Oct. 17) and L.A. Pierce (Oct. 24).
Saturday, Oct. 17 -- Santa Monica at SBCC, 6 p.m. Santa Monica 16, SBCC 13 Records: 2-4, 1-2
Vaqueros lose Uribe and game
QB injured in 16-13 setback to Santa Monica
SBCC lost its starting quarterback early in the second quarter on Saturday night, then rallied from 10 points down before falling to Santa Monica 16-13 in an American Pacific Conference game at La Playa Stadium. Rony Estrada's 25-yard field goal with 1:41 to play was the difference for the Corsairs (1-5, 1-2).
The Vaqueros (2-4, 1-2) had to use their leading receiver, Oscar Medina, and third-string signal-caller, Jordan Esparza, at quarterback for the final 42 minutes after ex-Santa Barbara High star John Uribe suffered a season-ending injury with 12:11 to play in the second quarter. Uribe took a big hit from Chase Fletcher on a 17-yard run to the Corsair 23.
"John is out for the year with a dislocated elbow and our No. 2 QB (Cale Carson) is ineligible," noted SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. "Oscar played quarterback in high school. Our third-string QB had the swine flu for the last week and a half and he just came back on Thursday.
"The worse-case scenario happened. It's too bad because Oscar did a great job."
Following Estada's field goal, Lamont Dupree returned the kickoff 30 yards to the SBCC 47. Medina hit Brian Felt for a 23-yard gain and then had a 17-yard completion to Nicholas Amey on a fourth-and-10 that moved the ball to the Corsair 24. With 44 seconds left, Medina fumbled while faking a handoff to Tristan Carter and Santa Monica's Byron Rutherford recovered at the 26.
Santa Monica took three kneeldowns and following a personal foul penalty, the Corsairs were backed up to their own 6 on fourth down. But SBCC had already used its three timeouts and there were only 24.6 seconds left, allowing the visitors to let the final seconds tick off.
The Vaqueros, who trailed 6-3 at halftime, fell behind 13-3 when Santa Monica recovered a fumble at midfield and drove 50 yards. SBCC had a 15-yard facemask on the first play and three plays later, Breonathan Shelton hit Gerryl Benett for a 16-yard TD pass with 12:03 left in the third period.
Shelton completed 20-of-27 for 156 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
Santa Barbara fumbled five times, losing two. Medina was 12-18 passing for 100 yards while the left-handed Esparza was 4-6 with a touchdown and an interception.
Vaquero safety Matt Racowschi, the APC leader in tackles per game, had a season-high 17 tackles (eight solo), 1.5 for loss, a 32-yard interception return and a quarterback hurry. Dupree had 12 tackles (7 solo) and Nate Ramirez added 11.
The Vaqueros had a first-and-goal from the 7 late in the first half before settling for a 25-yard field goal by Jeremy Waxman. They drove 44 yards to the Corsair 11 in the final minutes of the third period but couldn't gain a yard in three plays. Waxman booted a 28-yard FG to cut the deficit to 13-6 with 1:02 left in the third.
SBCC tied the game by going 76 yards in 11 plays in the final quarter. Medina completed 5-6 passes for 36 yards in the drive. Esparza came in on second-and-goal from the 1 and hit Josh Misegadis on a bootleg TD pass with 4:30 to play.
There were 16 penalties in the second half -- eight by each team.
"We had way too many penalties late in the game and so did they," said Moropoulos. "It wasn't a real crisply played game.When you lose your quarterback, that really puts a rough spin on it."
The Vaqueros will be at home on Oct. 24 to take on first-place L.A. Pierce (3-0, 4-2) at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 -- L.A. Pierce at SBCC, 6 p.m. L.A. Pierce 46, SBCC 14 Records: 2-5, 1-3
Pierce topples Vaqueros 46-14
Douglas runs 68 yards for TD
Matt Wabby passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more Saturday night, leading L.A. Pierce to a 46-14 victory over SBCC at La Playa Stadium.
Wabby completed 18-of-30 passes for 393 yards for the Brahmas (5-2, 4-0), who used a no-huddle attack to win their fourth straight and remain tied with Antelope Valley atop the American Pacific Conference. SBCC's Michael Douglas rushed for 89 yards on nine carries (9.9 average), including a 68-yard TD run with 31 seconds to play.
Oscar Medina, filling in at quarterback for the injured John Uribe, completed 7-of-16 passes for 39 yards and also caught four passes for 34 yards. The Vaqueros, who trailed 19-0 at halftime, fell to 2-5 and 1-3.
The Brahmas won the yardage battle 544 to 250 and held the home team to two first downs in the first half. They're averaging nearly 42 points a game in conference play.
"They're a good football team, there's no two ways about it," said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. "They do a nice job and they're hard to stop offensively."
Lamont Dupree returned a punt 28 yards late in the first quarter to set up the Vaqueros at the Pierce 14. They couldn't convert a QB sneak on fourth-and-1 from the 5, however, and the Brahmas drove 95 yards in six plays, capped by a 60-yard pass from Wabby to Coleman Edmond. Edmond caught six passes for 176 yards.
Pierce extended the lead to 26-0 on a 3-yard run by Wabby with 10:29 to go in the third period.
SBCC responded with a five-play, 66-yard march that opened with runs of 15 and 31 yards by Medina and Tristan Carter, respectively. Medina and Nicholas Amey combined for a 15-yard TD on a high-arching fade pass in the right corner of the end zone.
Carter rushed for 46 yards while Robyn Lawson had 44 on six carries (7.3 avg.) on a night when the Vaqueros ran for a season-high 177 yards on 41 tries.
"Our offense showed improvement from last week (after Uribe went down with a dislocated elbow in the second quarter)," said Moropoulos. "But it's tough trying to make things go."
Cameron Hines had 15 tackles for the Vaqueros, Charles Thomas had nine and Matt Racowschi eight. The Brahmas fumbled five times and three were recovered by Thomas, Racowschi and Juan Figueroa. Racowschi, the leading tackler in the APC, hurt his ankle with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter and never returned.
The Vaqueros made a goal-line stand after Pierce drove 78 yards on its first possession. Hines and Thomas stuffed running back Daniel Lopez twice from the 2 on third and fourth down.
Aeryus Holloway prevented another score with a leaping interception at his own 4 in the first period.
SBCC travels to West L.A. on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game.
Saturday, Oct. 31 -- SBCC at West L.A., 1 p.m. West L.A. 42, SBCC 40 Records: 2-6, 1-4
Vaqueros come up short, 42-40
PAT pass fails with 59 seconds to go
There were lots of treats in Saturday afternoon's Halloween football bash between SBCC and West L.A. in Culver City but the Vaqueros were foiled in the final minute when a potential game-tying 2-point PAT pass was ruled incomplete.
After recovering an onside kick, the Wildcats (2-6, 1-4) ran out the clock for a 42-40 American Pacific Conference victory that snapped a five-game losing streak. Cale Carson, making his first college start at quarterback, completed 14-of-22 passes for 209 yards and two TDs for the Vaqueros (2-6, 1-4) who dropped their third straight.
The teams combined for 1,015 yards and 49 first downs. West L.A. led in yards (617-398) and first downs (30-19).
After completing one pass for five yards in the first half, Carson caught fire in the final 30 minutes when he connected on 13-16 for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
SBCC, which trailed 20-14 at intermission, scored TDs on six of its last seven possessions. The Vaqueros pulled within two on a 30-yard pass from Carson to Oscar Medina with 59 seconds left. On the 2-point try, Carson rolled to his right, then threw back across the field to tight end Trevor Roe in the end zone. Roe leaped to make the catch but the ball came out as he fell to the ground.
"I thought he caught it but our guys said he kind of bobbled it," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "It was unfortunate, especially when the play you called worked perfectly."
Wildcat QB Alan Ferguson accounted for five of his team's six touchdowns. He ran 13 times for 119 yards and three scores and completed 24-32 for 252 yards and two TDs.
SBCC rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and took its first lead at 21-20 on an 11-play, 92-yard march. Tristan Carter scored on a 2-yard pitch to the left side with 36 seconds left in the third period.
The teams exchanged touchdowns on the next six possessions.
Douglas ran 15 times for 69 yards and two scores while Carter had 64 yards and a TD on eight attempts. Medina caught four pases for 74 yards, including the 30-yarder in the final minute which was his first TD grab of the season.
The Vaqueros regained the lead 27-26 on a trick play 10:58 to go in the final quarter. Using the Wildcat formation, Carter took the snap and handed to Douglas who was running to the right. He pitched it back to Carson, who delivered a 48-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Carter near the left sideline.
SBCC went for the 2-pointer but Carson's high-arching pass was too deep for Medina on a fade pattern to the right corner.
The Wildcats regained the lead 34-27 on a 62-yard TD run by DaJuan Cofield but Santa Barbara tied it at 34 on a 5-yard Douglas run that capped a 53-yard drive with 6:57 to play. West L.A. went 81 yards in 12 plays with Ferguson running the final 5 yards for his third rushing TD. Cofield ran for the 2-point PAT, making it 42-34.
Vaquero kicker Jeremy Waxman left the game with a leg injury just before halftime when a defender ran into him on a 27-yard field goal. The penalty gave SBCC a first down at the 5 and five plays later, Medina scored from 6 yards out on a reverse.
Brian Felt kicked two PATs for the Vaqueros and Cameron Humphrey had to kickoff after Felt was injured.
Cameron Hines had 12 tackles for SBCC while Lamont Dupree and Francisco Lugo had 11. The Vaqueros played without injured safety Matt Racowschi, the leading tackler in the APC.
SBCC travels to L.A. Valley for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday before closing out the season on Nov. 14 with a 6 p.m. home game against East L.A.
Saturday, Nov. 7 -- SBCC at L.A. Valley, 7 p.m. SBCC 41, L.A. Valley 24 Records: 3-6, 2-4 APC (tie 5th)
Carter, Vaqueros run past Valley
He rushes for 147 yards and 2 TDs in 41-24 victory
Tristan Carter rushed for a season-high 147 yards and two TDs Saturday night as SBCC used a balanced attack to beat L.A. Valley 41-24 in an American Pacific Conference football game on the road. Robyn Lawson added 67 yards and two touchdowns on a night when the Vaqueros (3-6, 2-4) rushed for a season-best 253 yards and four TDs on 44 carries to snap a three-game losing streak in APC play.
"Our guys played very well against a high-flying offense," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "Tristan had a great game with some hard-bouncing runs. Robyn Lawson ran well and the offensive line did a great job."
Carter averaged 10.5 yards per carry.
Cale Carson looked sharp in his second college start at quarterback, completing 11-of-17 passes for 162 yards and two TDs with one interception. His 8-yard toss to Jason Linman capped a 73-yard march and staked the Vaqueros to a 7-0 lead with 5:16 to go in the first quarter. The key play in the drive was a 49-yard run by Carter.
Valley used a 1-yard TD run by Germi Morrison and a 33-yard field goal by Wilmer Segura to take its only lead at 10-7 with 5:24 to go in the second quarter. The Vaqueros needed just three plays to cover 78 yards with Carson hitting Oscar Medina for a 66-yard score that made it 14-10 at the half.
Medina had five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
"One of the big things is we're making smart plays now," Moropoulos added. "And Oscar playing with a broken wrist ... that's built into the kid and it's just outstanding."
Carter capped SBCC's first possession of the second half with a 48-yard TD jaunt that left several defenders in his wake. The second of Brian Felt's four PAT kicks boosted the lead to 21-10.
Bret Visciglia, who entered the game as the leading passer in the APC, completed just 18-of-43 for 283 yards with two second-half TDs and an interception.
The Vaquero defense, led by Lamont Dupree's 11 tackles and a pass breakup, held the Monarchs (3-6, 3-3) to 81 yards on the ground.
Valley cut the deficit to 27-24 in the fourth quarter but SBCC regained control by marching 59 yards in six plays. Carson and Medina combined on a 39-yard pass to the 4 and Carter scored on a sweep for a 10-point lead (34-24) with 5:51 to go.
Dewayne Taylor intercepted a Valley pass on the next play and the Vaqueros took over on their own 42. Ten plays later, Lawson went up the middle to score from the 9. SBCC benefited from a 15-yard personal foul on the Monarchs and a 24-yard pass from Carson to Art Gonzalez that moved the ball to the Valley 18.
Santa Barbara ends its season with a 6 p.m. home game on Saturday against East L.A. The Huskies beat West L.A. 35-29 on Saturday.
SBCC ............. 7 7 7 20 -- 41
L.A. Valley ..... 0 10 6 8 -- 24
First Quarter
SBCC--Jason Linman 8 pass from Cale Carson (Self kick), 5:16
Second Quarter
LAV--Germi Morrison 1 run (Wilmer Segura kick), 10:41
LAV--FG Segura 33, 5:24
SBCC--Medina 66 pass from Carson (Felt kick), 13:46
Third Quarter
SBCC--Tristan Carter 48 run (Felt kick), 11:15
LAV--Chase Leake 8 pass from Bret Visciglia (kick failed), 6:24
Fourth Quarter
SBCC--Robyn Lawson 1 run (pass failed), 14:54
LAV--Josh Stangby 30 pass from Visciglia (Travion Odom pass from Visciglia), 11:41
SBCC--Carter 4 run (Felt kick), 5:51
SBCC--Lawson 9 run (Felt kick), 0:42
Saturday, Nov. 14 -- East L.A. at SBCC, 6 p.m. East L.A. 52, SBCC 46, OT Records: 3-7, 2-5
Vaqueros drop heartbreaker, 52-46
Lawson rushes for 174 yards, 2 TDs in season finale
Robyn Lawson and Tristan Carter combined for 253 yards and five rushing touchdowns in Saturday night's football season finale at La Playa Stadium but it wasn't enough for SBCC, which dropped a 52-46 heartbreaker to East L.A. in overtime.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Vaquero coach Craig Moropoulos. "First of all, you've got to give to credit East L.A. They played well and did what they had to do. Our guys played well and kept bouncing back.
"We gave up some big plays and that came back to haunt us."
The teams combined for 1,071 yards of offense with East L.A. collecting 671.
Pedro Velasquez had a huge night for the Huskies (5-5, 5-2), completing 35-of-57 passes for 587 yards and five TDs. Anthony Denham caught 12 passes for 310 yards and four scores measuring 40, 69, 57 and 52 yards.
Lawson had a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns on 29 runs for the Vaqueros (3-7, 2-5) while Carter finished with 79 yards and three scores. Carter racked up three touchdowns, including second-half scoring runs of 16 and 11 yards out of the Wildcat formation.
The Vaqueros ran for a season-high 280 yards and six touchdowns.
Jakharie Murphy had an impressive 49-yard TD run that tied the game at 21 midway through the second quarter. The Vaquero sophomore took the ball on a reverse to the right, avoided a tackler in the backfield, then spun off quarterback Cale Carson at the 40 and broke to the left where he outran the last defenders.
After leading 23-21 at halftime, the Huskies rallied from a 46-36 deficit with 7:02 to play. Brian Felt extended the Vaquero lead to 10 with a 36-yard field goal but Velasquez hit Denham two plays later with a 52-yard bomb to pull the visitors within three at the 6:18 mark.
East L.A. got the ball back on its own 13 with 3:53 to go and drove 69 yards in 19 plays, tying it at 46 on a 36-yard field goal by Eric McHenry with 57 seconds to play. On the fourth play of the drive, the Huskies converted on fourth-and-6 from their own 17 with Velasquez finding David Jermaine Cater for a 9-yard gain.
In overtime, SBCC got the ball first at the East L.A. 25 but lost a yard on first down, then suffered an 11-yard loss on a sack by Chris McCoy. Carson threw incomplete on the next two downs. East L.A.'s Isam Pegues did all the damage in OT, rushing for 17, 4 and then 4 yards for the winning TD.
SBCC took its first lead at 35-30 on a 12-yard scoring run by Lawson with 4:27 to go in the third quarter. That capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive that began with an interception by Nate Bailey. Bailey returned the pick 80 yards for an apparent touchdown but it was wiped out by an illegal block.
SBCC scored 40, 41 and a season-high 46 in its last three games but only won once -- a 41-24 victory at L.A. Valley last week.
"Offensively, it's too bad the season's over because we really found our stride in the last three games," said Moropoulos. "I have to credit our guys with dealing with a lot of adversity. We lost some of our best players (to injuries) in quarterback John Uribe and safety Matt Racowschi and then we lost our second-string QB.
"I told the guys I was proud of them and how they kept coming back. It's tough after a game like that."
