SBCC Football was minutes away from its first win of the season, but the Vaqueros ultimately fell to No. 22 Allan Hancock by a score of 35-28 on Saturday at La Playa Field.
The Vaqueros (0-8) and Bulldogs (5-3) exchanged haymakers all night long in the annual North-South rivalry matchup, but Allan Hancock put together a game-winning drive in the final minutes to pull out the win.
Allan Hancock opened the game with a solid drive into SBCC territory, settling for a 30-yard field goal by Matt Koff to take a 3-0 lead with 8:39 in the first quarter.
The two sides then traded failed possessions in a messy opening quarter, as the Vaqueros threw a pair of turnovers and the Bulldogs coughed up a fumble.
The second Allan Hancock interception was returned down to the 15-yard line by Santiago Gonzales, setting up a Max Perrett rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 10-0 early in the second.
After both teams exchanged punts, the SBCC offense put together its best drive of the night.
Quarterback and Bishop Diego alum Tua Rojas led the Vaqueros down the field before connecting with Levi Cavalli for a 9-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 3:52 left in the half.
SBCC carried that momentum over to the defensive side of the ball, as Fissal Ahmed came up with an interception on the first play of the ensuing drive.
The Vaquero offense turned the pick into points, as Rojas found Aidan Woods from 7 yards out to give their team its first lead of the night at 14-10 with 42 seconds before halftime.
Allan Hancock then got some help on its final push of the first half, as a roughing the passer penalty by SBCC and a big pass play set up a 30-yard field goal by Koff to bring the Vaquero lead to 14-13 heading into the break.
That score held for the majority of the third quarter until the SBCC offense ripped off a 10-play, 6-minute drive down the field capped off by a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Oscar Anoai, another graduate of Bishop Diego.
However, the Bulldogs wasted no time striking back as Aidan Good took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to cut the SBCC lead down to 21-20 heading into the fourth.
The next Vaquero drive ended in a punt, but SBCC punter Ethan Aronson pinned the Allan Hancock offense at its own 1-yard line.
That proved to be crucial, as three plays later, SBCC’s Dominic Herrera jarred the ball loose from Bulldog quarterback Max Perrett on a sack, Nelson Smith scooped it up and scored to give the Vaqueros a 28-20 lead with 12:17 to go.
The Bulldogs responded to the momentum swing with a touchdown drive down the field that ended in a short rushing score by Trevin Young to make it 28-27 with 4:33 on the clock.
SBCC had a chance to put the game away with a slow drive down the field, but the Allan Hancock defense stood tall and forced a punt. The Bulldog offense got the ball back with just under four minutes left.
Allan Hancock got down the field thanks in large part to a 47-yard completion to Lawson Potter, and Cruz Palubicki rushed in a 3-yard touchdown to give the visitors a 35-28 lead with 1:31 remaining.
The Vaqueros made their way to midfield on their next drive, but the Bulldogs stood tall and forced a turnover on downs to clinch the win.
SBCC will look for its first win when it hosts Citrus next Saturday at 6 p.m. for Sophomore Night.
