No. 14 Bulldogs Fall Short in Upset Attempt over No. 2 Ventura

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The No. 14-ranked Allan Hancock College football program fell short of completing the upset over No. 2-ranked Ventura on Saturday afternoon. | BOX SCORE

The Bulldogs (4-3, 1-2 NNL) scored early with a defensive touchdown after Antonio Fisher recovered a failed lateral pass for a 94-yard return. The Pirates (8-0, 3-0 NNL) responded with a pair of touchdowns on their next two drives before a 42-yard field goal by Colton Theaker closed the action-packed first quarter. Ventura stretched the deficit with a short 7-yard rush through the goal line in the second frame, but a successful 30-yard field goal attempt by Theaker and a short scoring pass from Mike McCoy to Joey Garza brought Hancock within one at the end of the first half. 

The Bulldogs opened the third frame with a 15-play drive that spanned 73 yards, which was capped off by a 1-yard rush through the end zone by Dior Kennedy. Zidane Thomas opened the final quarter with a 79-yard run after breaking through the line, but Ventura completed a late comeback surge with a pair of touchdowns down the stretch. 

Thomas led the rushing effort with 136 yards on the ground after 13 carries, followed by Kennedy's 58-yard total on 15 attempts. Adan Solis (39 yards, 11 carries), McCoy (38 yards, 5 carries), and BJ Jordan (32 yards, 9 carries) rounded out the top five rushers for the Bulldogs. Jaleel Walker led a trio of receivers with one completion that led to a 25-yard catch. Jordan Smith finished the contest with 128 return yards on five attempts, which included a career-long 40-yard hike. 

McCoy, who stepped in as the quarterback for the short-staffed position, finished the contest with a 3-for-11 completion rate. Theaker tallied 10 points for the offense after going a perfect 4-for-4 on PAT attempts and completed two of four field goal tries.

Jaquez McWilliams led the defensive effort with seven tackles, followed by LJ Vongsy and Sidney Jefferies who posted six apiece. John Sniffen continued his pressure in the pocket with a sack that resulted in an eight-yard loss and finished the game with four total tackles. He has now finished three consecutive games with a sack and is ranked 8th in the state with a total of 5.5 on the season thus far. Ronald Fuselier and Jesse Garza were also disruptive on defense with one interception each. 

The Bulldogs will hit the road for another league matchup at No. 23 Long Beach on Saturday, November 6, at 6 PM.