Football: Vikings, Peabody set to open season vs. Moorpark on Saturday

The Long Beach City College Vikings host the Moorpark College Raiders in both teams’ season opener on Saturday. LBCC looks to snap a three-game losing streak on opening day. The Vikings last won its season-opener in 2010, a 20-14 overtime win over Golden West College at home.

Sophomore wide receiver De'Quan Hampton has already committed to play at USC next season. (Photo by John Fajardo)
Sophomore wide receiver De'Quan Hampton has already committed to play at USC next season. (Photo by John Fajardo)
Recap Box Score
September 5, 2014
TONIGHT'S GAME
The Long Beach City College Vikings host the Moorpark College Raiders in both teams' season opener. LBCC looks to snap a three-game losing streak on opening day. The Vikings last won its season-opener in 2010, a 20-14 overtime win over Golden West College at home. 

ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Head Coach Brett Peabody returns for his second season with LBCC and looks to improve on his 4-6 campaign from 2013. Peabody turned around a Long Beach program that went 0-10 in 2012 and was a blocked field goal and a returned PAT kick away from a 6-4 mark and a likely spot in a postseason bowl game. Last season, the Vikings ranked fifth in the state in total offense, averaging 511.5 yards per game. LBCC put up big numbers offensively throughout the season, but the defense couldn't keep pace, allowing 452.9 yards and 35.0 points per game. 

WELCOME BACK, POTTER
Leading the charge on offense last year and returning for his sophomore season is quarterback Kenny Potter. The second-team SCFA All-Central Conference selection was a dual-threat for LBCC as he passed for 2,808 yards and 25 touchdowns. On the ground, Potter rushed for 592 yards and 14 TDs. Two of Potter's favorite targets from 2013 also return in sophomore wide receivers De'Quan Hampton and Josiah Blandin. Hampton, already committed to USC for next season, caught 50 passes for 854 yards and 12 touchdowns. Blandin, who is committed to Colorado, wasn't far behind with 41 receptions for 627 yards and 4 TDs.

IN THE RANKINGS
Long Beach finds itself in unfamiliar territory, being ranked in a preseason national poll. In the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30, LBCC was ranked No. 21 in its preseason rankings. Long Beach was not listed among the state's top 20 in the California Community College Football Coaches Association preseason rankings. The official CCCAA/CCCFCA regional rankings are not released until after Week 4.

ABOUT THE MOORPARK COLLEGE RAIDERS
Moorpark and Head Coach Will Thurston are coming off a 5-5 overall record and 2-4 finish in the National Northern Conference in 2013. The Raiders return starting quarterback Nick Davis and standout wide receiver Raymond Bolden. Davis passed for 1,892 yards and 12 touchdowns while Bolden had a breakout season with 60 catches for 802 yards and 5 TDs.

IN THEIR LAST MEETING
At Vets Stadium in 2011, Long Beach erased a 12-7 third-quarter deficit by scoring 28 unanswered points in the fourth to pull out a 35-12 Central West Conference victory. Quarterback Ryan Craighead threw for 322 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown pass to Sean Morris, in leading LBCC to the win. In the previous year's meeting, the Vikings were shutout 34-0 at Moorpark back in 2010.