No. 23 Hancock Opens Conference Play at Bakersfield Saturday

The Hancock football team opens Northern League play on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. at Bakersfield College. Hancock is 2-1 overall after a 24-13 win at home over Chaffey, the then-11th ranked team in the state. Hancock returned to the JC Athletic Bureau's state poll at No. 23 this week.

The Renegades are off to a 0-3 start, but all three of their losses were to teams ranked last week in the Top 10 in the state. They have lost to No. 1 Riverside (33-14), No. 9  Golden West (33-7), and No. 4 Long Beach (38-7).

Last Week:  The Bulldogs returned home last Saturday to upset then-No. 11 Chaffey 24-13 at Hancock Football Field. The Panthers scored a touchdown three plays into the game, but the Bulldog defense stepped up its game from that point on. Hancock forced five turnovers, including two interceptions in the fourth quarter.  Playing his first game at tailback, freshman Malik Williams rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries, and a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter that gave Hancock the lead for good 10-7. He also caught three passes for 17 yards. Jericho Worrell returned from an ankle injury that kept him out of the Santa Barbara game to rush for 57 yards on 12 carries. He scored an 18-yard touchdown that gave sealed the win in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Curry Parham (St. Joseph HS) completed 13 of his 23 passes for 105 yards. He threw a 23-yard touchdown to Chris Barganier (St. Joseph HS) in the third quarter to extend Hancock's lead to 17-7.  Barganier finished with five catches for 55 yards.

Defensively, sophomore DaMarion King and freshman linebacker Gregory Artis-Payne led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles apiece. Malik Pope (Righetti HS) and defensive end Kevon Perry had eight stops apiece. Perry had 3.5 tackles for loss, including a 15-yard sack to end the game. Elijah Holt (Arroyo Grande HS) and Bakari Davis each had one interception. Davis broke up three passes. Linebacker Josh Hawes stripped the Chaffey quarterback and recovered the fumble in the fourth quarter that led to Worrell's touchdown. 

The victory marked the second straight year Hancock upset Chaffey. The Bulldogs defeated then-No.10 ranked Chaffey 26-24 on the road in 2014.

A Look at the Numbers: Overall, Parham has completed 29 of his 57 passes for 326 yards. He has thrown three touchdowns and one pick. Worrell leads the team with 102 rushing yards, or 51 per game. Freshman tailback Justin Banks has 99 yards on the ground over three games. Banks and Davis have two rushing touchdowns. Williams leads the team with 12 catches for 145 yards with one score. Barganier has 11 catches for 118 yards and one TD.

King leads the team with 27 total tackles to go with four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown. Sophomore Rafael Arellano (Lompoc HS) has 26 tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Perry has 26 stops, two sacks and a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss. Holt leads the team with two interceptions.

History with Bakersfield:  The Bulldogs and Renegades will meet for the 25^th time since their series began in 1986. Last season, Hancock overcame an early 10-0 deficit to defeat Bakersfield 20-17. Morales converted a 48- and 50-yard field goal. Parham completed 21 of his 33 passes for 161 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown to Tristen Jeffries in the third quarter. Bakersfield leads the all-time series 17-7.

Looking at the Renegades: The Renegades are off to a 0-3 start, but they've played three undefeated teams ranked in the top 10 in the state. Bakersfield fell 38-7 last week on the road to No. 4 Long Beach. Bakersfield's defense allowed 499 yards of offense, while the offense was held to negative rushing yards, committed five turnovers and allowed eight quarterback sacks. Quarterback Tarek Yaeggi completed eight of his 14 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception. The sophomore has thrown five interceptions and two touchdowns his year. He is 39 for 70 for 380 yards. Sophomore running back Curtis McGregor leads Bakersfield's ground attack at 40 yards per game. Jayson Jackson leads the team with 11 receptions for 134 yards and one score. Faizon Knight, a sophomore, has 10 catches for 100 yards. Defensive back Dominic Frasch leads the team with 27 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception and two pass breakups. Jordan Nichols leads the team with 2.5 tackles for loss.

The game will be played in Memorial Stadium, which seats 19,000 people.

Live Webcast: Hancock will stream a live broadcast of the game featuring CJ Silas and Irvin Kiger.  The live webcast can be viewed at by clicking the WATCH LIVE button on the homepage at athletics.hancockcollege.edu .