BOWL BOUND: Football Stuns El Camino on Sophomore Day, 56-20

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College football team stunned the league-leading El Camino College Warriors in a thrilling 56-20 upset at Sophomore Day on Saturday afternoon. The two programs now sit at 4-4 on the all-time series record, dating back to 2001. | BOX SCORE

After upsetting the lone undefeated team in the league, Hancock closed out the regular season tied with Bakersfield for the fourth place slot in the final conference standings. They earned a non-playoff bowl game bid and will face Golden West College on Sunday, November 24th, at 12:30 PM, in Huntington Beach at the Southern California Bowl. The hosting Rustlers finished as the runner-up in the National Central League with an overall record of 8-2 (6-1 NCL).

Hancock's kicking unit had a busy day of action across the board. Chris Sapey finished with a perfect 8-for-8 mark on point-after attempts while Jordan Orcutt placed two of his three punts inside the 20 en route to a 98-yard showing. Blake Smith, who also saw action on the defensive side, recorded 406 yards off the tee after nine swings. 

ALLAN HANCOCK (6-4, 4-3) vs EL CAMINO (7-3, 6-1)

QUARTER 1: AHC 28 | ECC 0

El Camino opened the contest by receiving a kickoff from Blake Smith but saw the drive end early after Connor Wiles forced and recovered a fumble on the first snap of the day. That turnover sparked a scoring frenzy as the hosting Bulldogs went on to score on the next four consecutive possessions before the first frame came to a close. 

AJ Vele sparked the frenzy with a 21-yard rushing touchdown before Hancock's defense forced an ECC punt after Jaaden Matthews and Sekiel Seuamlo registered negative yards for the visitors with a sack behind the line of scrimmage.

Caden Harris broke free with a 60-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the ensuing drive. Vele and Makai Puga matched that distance on the next possession with a 60-yard completion to score after a series of short carries by Dominic Soares, Anthony Tucker, and Harris.

The final score of the quarter came on a seven-play drive that covered sixty-nine yards and ended with a 44-yard completion from Vele to Puga in the endzone.  

QUARTER 2: AHC 14 | ECC 7

El Camino made it on the board early in the second frame after using nine plays to march down the field, ending that effort with a 17-yard touchdown heave.

Offensive progress stalled for both sides after back-to-back punts before Vele managed to connect with Roling Davis for a 40-yard completion to score with five minutes remaining. 

The Bulldogs notched one final scoring effort with 19 seconds remaining after a series of short rushes ended with a two-yard carry by Harris past the goal line.  The Warriors nearly matched that effort on the ensuing possession, but a tackle by Justyce Roserie on the three-yard line as time expired stopped the scoring attempt. 

QUARTER 3: AHC 7 | ECC 0

The lone touchdown of the third frame came on the opening drive and was highlighted by a 35-yard streak from Semaji Carmichael. That drive came to a close with another Vele-Puga connection for a 20-yard touchdown.

QUARTER 4: AHC 7 | ECC 13

Carmichael opened the final quarter with another 10-yard scoring carry, but the visitors from El Camino matched that effort on the following series. 

The Warriors scored once more with just under three minutes remaining after a 10-play drive ended with a two-yard touchdown toss. 

LEADERS

Tackles: Jack Gentile (7); Dylan Heath (6); Nayshawn Corley (5)
Sacks: Connor Wiles (1); Zekiel Seumalo/Jaaden Matthews (0.5)
Receiving Yards: Makai Puga - 155 yards (6 catches, 3 TD)
Rushing Yards: Caden Harris - 130 yards (2 TD)
Passing Yards: AJ Vele 200 yards (8-11, 4 TD)

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