By Henry Severson
Long Beach, CA -- On a Patriot Day Saturday evening in lovely Long Beach, the Vikings took the field against the Tigers from Riverside. With Veterans' Memorial Stadium filled to 25% capacity, Long Beach suffered a 24-6 defeat at the hands of the Tigers.
Going in, Long Beach knew they would be tested, facing the 2019 State champions. Although early in the season, this game might have pitted the Vikings against their most troublesome opponent of the season. However, Long Beach fought with heart and character to give Riverside a worthy challenge.
The Vikings most notable player tonight was freshman RB Rodney Clemente, Jr. from Chandler, AZ. Clemente, Jr. amassed 62 rushing yards on only 4 carries, with a major chunk coming on a 45-yard scamper on the Vikings' opening drive. The RB also contributed in the passing game, catching 2 passes for a team-high 43 yards, with a long of 37. Sophomore WR Zach Leets from Torrance caught a team-high 3 catches for 27 yards. To round things out, sophomore WR Zach Martin, from Millikan, supplied 2 catches for 24 yards.
The game included a revolving QB carousel for both teams. Four QBs were featured for LBCC, with returning sophomore Derrach West and Paramount High alumnus Kingston Hala seeing the majority of snaps. West completed three passes for 26 yards, while Hala went 4-9 with 68 yards, including a long of 37 yards. Freshman Blaze McKibbin from Marina del Rey and the dual-threat Freshman Tyon Harvey out of Jordan High School also saw action.
Freshman Kicker Ryder Padilla continued to impress, providing all the scoring for LBCC. Padilla drilled a 42-yarder on the opening drive in the 1st quarter, and added a 31-yard boot in the 3rd quarter.
The defense was stout to open the game, but had difficulty staying off the field in the second half. Freshman defensive lineman Corey Martin accumulated 1.5 sacks and fellow freshman DL, Allen Parrish, contributed a sack of his own. Martin led the Vikings with 5 total tackles.
Long Beach hits the road and travels to Rancho Cucamonga to face Chaffey College next week, Saturday, September 18th at 6:00 PM.
