No. 1 Long Beach Football Falls to No. 3 Saddleback in a Tale of Two Halves

The top-ranked Long Beach City College Vikings faced off against the No. 3 Saddleback College Gauchos on Saturday evening on the road in a highly anticipated rematch of last year's SoCal Regional game. After tossing up a crooked number of 24 points in the first quarter, the Vikings ran out of steam and struggled through the remainder of the showdown en route to a heart-breaking 33-37 defeat. 

Long Beach had no problem in the first quarter by charging out of the gate for 24 points. Freshman quarterback Jake Maier (La Habra, CA) kicked off the offensive attack by locating sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Watson (Los Angeles, CA) for an 85-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. After Saddleback responded with a 10 play, 2:37 minute drive to tie up the score, freshman return man Justin Collins (Los Angeles, CA) took a 92-yard kickoff to the house, putting the Vikings back up by a score.

The Long Beach defense worked wonders early on, starting with a blocked punt from freshman linebacker Alex Grijalva (Lakewood, CA) that set up a 29-yard field goal off the foot of freshman kicker Sergio Garcia (Long Beach, CA). Freshman defensive back Bryce Turner (Lakewood, CA) mirrored the strong defensive play by picking off a potential Saddleback pass with 1:31 remaining in the opening quarter and setting up the Vikings with solid field position. Sophomore running back Tyree Harris (Pasadena, CA) promptly followed with a score by rumbling into the end zone for six. Garcia knocked through the PAT, giving the Vikings a sizable 24-7 advantage after the first quarter. 

The defense did a solid job in the second quarter by halting the Gauchos to a lone field goal in the closing seconds. However, after halftime, the Vikings hit a major roadblock on both sides of the pigskin by scoring just six more points and allowing 27 points en route to a difficult defeat. In seven drives in the final two quarters, the Vikings mustered just two successful scoring drives with the other five ending in a punt or forfeiting the ball on loss of downs.

Garcia remained the best option for Long Beach on the offensive end by nailing four field goals with his long being 35 yards. Furthermore, he knocked in three PATs.

Maier finished the day by going 26-for-40 through the air with a touchdown and an interception. He found four of his receivers five times on the night, with Watson being his most effective target. He hauled in five receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman wide receiver Cedric Byrd (Los Angeles, CA) had a nice game by surpassing the century mark with 103 receiving yards off five grabs. Freshman wide receiver Jabari Minix (Compton, CA) and sophomore wide receiver Jacob Welch (Huntington Beach, CA) had five catches as well.

Harris handled the bulk of work on the ground by carrying the ball 17 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he averaged 5.1 yards-per-carry. Sophomore running back Jason Floyd (Compton, CA) rushed for 46 yards on 11 carries as well.

Collins was dynamic in special teams play by returning a 92-yard kickoff for a touchdown. He finished the night with four kickoff returns for a total of 127 yards.

Freshman linebacker Manu Tui-Enesi (Carson, CA) led the defense with nine tackles. He recorded a half-sack and a six-yard tackle for a loss. Sophomore linebacker Isaia Rosten (Long Beach, CA) backed Tui-Enesi's efforts with eight tackles, while sophomore linebacker Josias Amisone (Carson, CA) recorded seven stops.

The Vikings (1-1) will look to regain momentum by facing off against Moorpark away at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 17.