Share of League Title at Stake When No. 21 Hancock Football Battles Antelope Valley Saturday

A piece of the American Pacific League championship will be on the line this weekend when the Allan Hancock College football team travels to Antelope Valley College on Saturday, November 4. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on athletics.hancockcollege.edu .

Hancock, winners of its last three games, enters 3-0 in league play and 6-2 overall. The Bulldogs climbed two slots to No. 21 in the state poll. The Marauders, winners of four in a row, are also 3-0 in league and 5-3 on the season. A win would guarantee the Bulldogs at least a share of the American Pacific League title, which would be the team's first league title since Barney Eames' final season as head coach in 2000 and seventh overall in program history.

Hancock is coming off a thrilling 44-34 win at L.A. Pierce. The game was tied at 27-27 after three quarter. Freshman running back Ryheem Skinner (Clinton HS) rushed for 144 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 77-, 3- and 15-yards to become the first Bulldog to score a trio of rushing touchdowns in a game since Cameron Artis-Payne in 2012. Damon Whitmill, Jr. (N. Kansas City HS) added 80 yards on 16 carries to help Hancock rack up 261 rushing yards. Quarterback Kimmy Kelleher (Mac Arthur HS) connected with Laron Gilchrist (Western Harnett HS) on a 5-yard touchdown strike that gave Hancock the lead for good in the fourth quarter at 34-27. Sophomore kicker Jordan Pollard (Righetti HS), the reigning league Special Teams Player of the Week, became the first Hancock kicker to convert three field goals in a single-game in nine seasons. He hit a season-long 36-yard field goal, and a pair of 29-yarders. After LA Pierce grabbed a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter, freshman Markese Jackson (East Hall HS) returned the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, the first kickoff returned for a TD in six years. Defensively, sophomore safety Ben Willkomm (Arroyo Grande HS) led the Bulldogs with a career-best 15 tackles, while sophomore linebacker Basiru Jobe (Upper Room Christian HS) finished with 12. Osa Omokaro (Hillside HS) and Dominic King (St. Joseph HS) recorded two sacks each.

As a result of their memorable performances against LA Pierce, the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) named Skinner its Week 9 Offensive Player of the Week and Pollard the Week 9 Special Teams Player of the Week for the American Pacific League.

The Hancock offense leads the Pacific League by averaging 243.8 rushing and second with 382.9 total yards per game. The defense leads the state with 38 total and ranks fifth in the state by allowing only 63.4 rushing yards per game. Hancock's defense has forced 25 total turnovers, 13 via interceptions and 12 from fumble recoveries. The Bulldogs are +13 in the turnover department this season.

Individually, Omokaro leads the league with 10 sacks, while Jobe ranks first by averaging nine tackles per game. Kelleher ranks second in the league with 138.8 passing yards per game and third with seven touchdown passes. Skinner leads the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and sits second with a 98.7 rushing yards per game average. The freshman has 592 rushing yards. Whitmill, Jr. ranks second on the team with 466 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Pollard ranks second in the state with 11 field goals.

AVC is 3-0 in league and 5-3 overall. Statistics from the team's 37-14 win over LA Valley are not available yet. However, going into that game, the Marauders averaged 283 total yards, 152 passing yards and 23.4 points per game. AVC opponents averaged 220 passing yards, 323 total yards and 22.3 points per game.

During the win over LA Valley, the defense forced six turnovers. Kicker Dylan Moghaddam kicked three field goals for the Marauders. Quarterback Armani Edden threw two touchdown passes. His 16 touchdown passes rank No. 1 in the league and No. 12 in the state. Receiver Jordan Wayne caught five passes for 165 yards, including his league-leading seventh touchdown pass in the win. Defensive end Turan Rush earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles, four sacks and forcing one fumble.

Two weeks ago in the Marauders' 17-7 win over Santa Barbara City College, AVC running back DJ Payne rushed for 244 yards on 32 carries. The defense also recorded seven sacks.

Last year in the teams' first meeting since 1986, Hancock defeated AVC 38-17 behind 449 yards of total offense and 272 rushing yards.

Hancock will finish the regular season next weekend, Nov. 11, at home against Citrus. Kickoff will be at 2 p.m.