Vikings Fall to Southwestern Despite Strong Second-Half Push
The Vikings football team showed flashes of momentum but ultimately fell 38-14 to Southwestern College.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
14 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Team Stats
Southwestern
| Game Statistics | Southwestern | Long Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 215 | 331 |
| Rushing Yards | 167 | 76 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of Poss. | 25:44 | 34:16 |
The Long Beach City College football team showed flashes of momentum but ultimately fell 38-14 to the Southwestern College Jaguars on Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
After a slow first half that saw the Vikings (0-2) trail 14-0 at the break, Long Beach battled back in the second half behind quarterback Allen Fernett, who threw for 297 yards on 24 completions and connected with Owen Tomich for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings' first score came midway through the third quarter when Devin Samples powered in from two yards out, capping off a 10-play, 75-yard drive that cut the deficit to 21-7. Fernett later orchestrated an 86-yard drive in just over a minute, finishing with the strike to Tomich to make it 31-14.
Long Beach outgained Southwestern through the air behind Fernett's strong performance, but couldn't overcome the Jaguars' early surge and scoring drives.
"Our guys showed fight in the second half and that's something to build on," said Acting Director of Football Operations and Head Coach Marques Cooper. "We need to start faster and put together four complete quarters, but I'm proud of the way our team responded after halftime and kept competing. Allen did a good job leading the offense, Owen and Devin made plays for us, and the defense had stretches where they battled. We'll take the lessons from this one, get back to work, and be ready to take another step forward next week at Santa Barbara."
The Vikings will look to regroup next week as they move on to their first conference game at Santa Barbara City College on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m.
