Despite an impressive 8-2 overall record and a win over previous top-ranked Mt. San Antonio College, the Long Beach City College football team was left out of the four-team Southern California playoffs. Instead, the Vikings will host Golden West College in the Beach Bowl to close out the 2014 season on Saturday, November 22. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Long Beach fell one spot behind Mt. SAC in the final California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA)/California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) Southern California regional rankings despite closing out the regular-season last night with a 53-31 win over El Camino College. Mt. SAC, who entered the final weekend of play ranked No. 3 and had a bye, moved past LBCC to the No. 2 position.
A power ranking index (PRI) formula was used to determine the fourth and final SCFA playoff team. The PRI utilized a team's winning percentage, the team's final poll ranking, and a team's wins over ranked opponents. League champions Riverside City College (9-1), Fullerton College (8-2), and Ventura College (6-4) received automatic berth into the playoffs.
A shot at a state championship will have to wait another season for head coach Brett Peabody and the Vikings. Long Beach can now focus its attention on Golden West. Saturday's bowl game will be a rematch of the 2011 Central Championship Bowl. The Rustlers won that contest at Orange Coast College's LeBard Stadium by a final score of 51-36.
Long Beach will be playing in its 19th bowl game overall since 1950. LBCC is 11-7 all-time in bowl games with its last win coming in the 2005 American Bowl over Allan Hancock College.
Golden West enters the contest with a 7-3 overall record and is ranked No. 5 in the final Southern California poll. The Rustlers finished tied for second in the National Southern League with a 4-2 mark.
TICKET/PARKING INFORMATION
$10 - General admission
$7 - StudentS, faculty, and staff with ID, seniors ages 60+, kids 12 and under
$2 - A parking permit is required at Vets Stadium and can be purchased near the ticket booth