Bulldogs Win Back-and-Forth Battle in Final Seconds at San Bernardino

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Colton Theaker's 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in regulation capped a 13-point comeback effort as the Allan Hancock College football team survived in a 37-34 decision at San Bernardino Valley College. | BOX SCORE

SBVC (1-1) struck first in the opening frame after a five-yard rush found the endzone, but failed to complete a two-point conversion. The Bulldogs (2-0) responded early in the second quarter when Maurice Smith crossed the goal line on a five-yard run and took the lead after a successful PAT from Colton Theaker. A lengthy 45-yard gallop down the field by the Wolverines at the end of the first half and a successful two-point conversion gave SBVC a 14-7 advantage at the intermission.

San Bernardino extended its lead midway through the third frame on a 54-yard run to the endzone before failing to complete another two-point conversion attempt, which left the Bulldogs trailing 20-7. Momentum swayed in favor of Hancock on the next drive after Christian Erickson took an 87-yard kickoff return to the house and Theaker completed the extra point attempt. A steady defensive showing forced a three-and-out performance for the Wolverines, which led to a 22-yard scamper through the endzone by Zidane Thomas on the next drive that put Hancock on top. 

The Wolverines scored once again in the final two minutes of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs bounced with five seconds gone in the fourth frame after another touchdown on the ground from Smith. Hancock faced a 34-27 deficit with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation after SBVC recorded a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Hancock marched down 45-yards down the field after putting together a six-play drive that ended with a four-yard run through the endzone by Zidane Thomas, which knotted the score at 34-34 with just over a minute remaining.

Hancock's defense took the field with 76 seconds on the clock and no timeouts but a sack from Loto Manogiamanu, a pass breakup from K'Hari Upshaw, and a tackle for loss by Jesse Garza put the Wolverines in a fourth and long scenario on their own 25-yard line with just 11 ticks on the clock. Hancock took over on downs after San Bernardino opted for a pass play instead of a punt, which was smartly batted down to stop the time with two seconds remaining by Vic Garnes. Theaker, who was the hero of last week's overtime thriller, stepped in to seal the victory. 

On the offensive side, the Bulldogs recorded 329 total yards on the night (159 passing / 170 rushing). Smith and Thomas led the ground attack with two touchdowns each. Smith finished the contest with 97 rushing yards, including a season-long 60-yard showing, while Thomas recorded 57 yards on eight carries. Jaleel Walker led a group of five receivers in the contest after notching 65 yards on six catches. Esekielu Storer quarterbacked the offensive squad and finished the contest with 159 passing yards after going 12-for-20 through the air.

Defensively, Hancock registered a season-high of six sacks in the game for a loss of 43 yards. The defensive squad was led by Jesse Garza's 11 tackles, which included 2.5 tackles for loss and .5 sacks. Andrew Lauritzen was next in line with six tackles, followed by five defenders that finished with five: EJ Barrera, LJ Vongsy, Adreian Stevenson, Jordan Fields, and Justus Makainai. Barrera and Jacquez McWilliams also recorded one interception each in the game. 

Theaker finished the contest with 385 kicking yards, 162 punting yards, was 4-for-4 on PAT's, and was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts. 

NOTABLES:

• The Bulldogs now hold a 5-3 all-time series record over San Bernardino, which dates back to their first face-off in 1983.
• This marks the first contest between these two teams since the 2018 season.
• Tonight's victory marks the second consecutive game-winning field goal for Hancock and Theaker. 

NEXT UP:

Hancock is set to face Cerritos College on Saturday, September 18th, at home. Single-game tickets for the 2 PM kickoff contest are now available for sale and can be purchased by clicking here.