Hancock Football Bounces Back with Win Over Antelope Valley

Allan Hancock College Football defeated Antelope Valley College 47-13 on Saturday, Oct. 12. Bulldogs running back DJ Whitmill led the team in rushing yards and linebacker EJ Barrera led the defense in tackles. The win extends the Bulldog's streak over the Marauders to four games and improves the all-time series record to 7-2. The Bulldogs overall record improved to 3-2 and the Marauders fall to 3-2.

On the second play of the Marauders first drive, running back Jaylen O'Neil hit a gap and ran down the left side of the field for a 70-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt went wide left, putting the Marauders up 6-0 with 14:13 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs answered quickly on the ensuing drive when running back Eddie Battle broke free outside for a 29-yard touchdown run. Kicker Edgar Zacarias's extra point attempt was good and put the Bulldogs permanently in the lead at 7-6 with 12:21 left in the first quarter.

Antelope Valley's next drive ended when linebacker EJ Barrera forced an O'Neil fumble and recovered the ball on the Marauder 48-yard line.

Early in the second quarter, Bulldog running back Maurice Smith ended an eight-play, 60-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run that put the Bulldogs up 14-6. That touchdown was the game-winning score for the Bulldogs. Two drives later, Battle scored his second touchdown of the game after a 13-yard touchdown run. The touchdown put Hancock up 21-6 with 3:01 left in the second quarter. Hancock spent most of the second quarter running the ball and controlling the clock to maintain their lead. Hancock marched the ball down the field, but could not convert on third down at the Antelope Valley seven-yard line. Zacarias came out for the field goal and made the 24-yard attempt, putting the Bulldogs up 24-6 going into halftime.

Hancock received the kickoff to start the third quarter. On the Bulldog's first drive, Zacarias once again came out for a field goal attempt and made it from 38 yards out, putting the Bulldogs three scores ahead at 27-6. With 5:58 left in the in the third quarter, Smith scored his second touchdown of the game after a one-yard run to extend the lead to 33-6. On the final drive of the third quarter, Bulldogs running back DJ Whitmill scored off a 17-yard run with 0:44 seconds left. Hancock's defense forced a quick three-and-out that gave the Bulldogs a shortened field at the Antelope Valley 18 yard line. The Bulldogs ended the quarter with a 40-6 lead over the Marauders.

The Bulldog's offense started the fourth quarter quickly, with Smith's third touchdown of the game. The touchdown put the Bulldogs ahead 47-6. The Bulldogs would not score again, but had scored points on six consecutive drives.

The Marauders scored late in the fourth quarter off quarterback Austen Breaux's 28- yard pass to Jaylen Miller to end the game at 47-13.

Whitmill ended the game with 138 yards and a touchdown. Smith ran for 76 yards and three touchdowns and currently leads the state in rushing touchdowns. Battle ended the game with 75 yards and two scores. Barrera finished the game with six total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and recovery. Defensive Lineman John Sniffen ended the game with five tackles, a sack, and two deflected pass attempts.

Hancock ended the game with 414 yards of total offense and held Antelope Valley to 253 yards. The Bulldog running game bounced back after an uncharacteristic performance against Citrus with a 350-yard game. The Bulldogs currently rank second in the state in rushing yards with 1,410, they lead with 282 yards per game, and lead in rushing touchdowns at 21. The Bulldogs only trail West LA by 42 total yards, but West LA has also played one more game than Hancock.

The Bulldogs will be at home in Santa Maria on Saturday, Oct. 19, when they open up conference play and take on the 2-3 Pasadena City College Lancers. Hancock defeated the Lancers 27-21 in overtime last year and currently leads the all-time series 8-3. Be sure to follow Bulldog athletics on the website or on social media at ahcbulldogs on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can watch the Bulldog's live at http://athletics.hancockcollege.edu/video/streaming.