Corsair Football Remains Undefeated with 43-14 Win Over Glendale Community College
The Santa Monica College Corsairs faced off against the Glendale Community College Vaqueros on Saturday Sept. 19, and won 43-14. The previous Saturday, the Corsairs defeated Victor Valley College in a double-overtime game.
Going into the game, head coach Kelly Ledwith discussed the importance of physical recovery for his players.
“Some guys were ready to go Monday. Some guys had to spend a little more time in the training room Monday. We had some guys that were really only doing walkthroughs all the way up until Thursday,” Ledwith said.
To start the game, the Corsairs got the ball at the 27-yard line. On the first play, starting quarterback Pierce Clarkson found running back Dylan Franklin for a gain and found Franklin again on the next play for a first down.
When the Corsairs’ offense snapped the ball, the Vaqueros sideline erupted with noise, attempting to create confusion for the Corsairs’ offense. Clarkson said he wasn't fazed by the noise.
“I mean honestly, it's something I've been doing for a long time, so pressure, I see it more as fun,” Clarkson said.
After Clarkson completed passes to receivers Braydon Sanford and Amir Smith, the Corsairs moved down the field. Wide receiver Lamont White caught a pass from Clarkson through the middle of the field and ran into the end zone to give the Corsairs their first touchdown of the game.
Kicker Jack Malloy completed the extra point kick to put the Corsairs up 7-0 with 9:40 left in the first quarter.
The Vaqueros moved down the field with an 11-yard run followed by a pass to Jerry McGee Jr. for two first downs. They failed to complete on the next pass and came up short of a first down. The Vaqueros' offense went for it on fourth down, but Corsairs linebacker Tyler Handford deflected the pass, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Later in the first quarter, with a little more than two minutes left, Vaqueros quarterback Tyler Soles passed the ball to receiver Caesar Aguila. The ball slipped through Aguila’s gloves, and Corsairs defensive back Darrick Huezo intercepted the pass and ran 24 yards before being tackled at the 11-yard line.
With 1:05 minutes left in the first quarter, Clarkson threw the ball to Sanford in the corner of the end zone. Sanford caught the ball despite defensive pressure to put the Corsairs up by two touchdowns. Malloy completed the extra point, and SMC led 14-0 to end the first quarter.
Before the game, Ledwith said, “If our guys will outrun them, out hit them, and stick together, we got ourselves a shot.”
The Corsairs ended the game with 131 net rushing yards, compared to the Vaqueros’ 33 net rushing yards.
Franklin led the team with 81 rushing yards. The Corsairs scored two more touchdowns and made one field goal in the second quarter to take a 31-0 lead into halftime.
The offensive line gave Clarkson time to make decisions and complete plays. Offensive line coach Jesus Moreno said he focuses on decision-making in addition to physical strength with his players.
“It's not always being angry and playing angry. It's contrary to what most people think, you know. I want them to be thinkers and if there's a mistake out there, assess, analyze, and what's the solution to the mistake,” Moreno said.
The Corsairs offensive line is led by sophomore captain Noah Devlin, as well as sophomores Xavier Ponce and Xavier Terry. Devlin described his individual goal as being perfect all the time.
“I also got blessed to be a captain so trying to lead my teammates to something, that's very important to me,” Devlin said.
At the start of the second half, the Vaqueros found wide receiver Timothy Johnson, who ran 80 yards for a touchdown after avoiding multiple SMC defenders. This was Glendale's first touchdown of the game. After the extra point was made, the score was 31-7, with SMC leading.
While trying to score, the Corsairs found themselves at fourth-and-goal on the 1-yard line. Clarkson handed the ball off to Franklin who was stopped by the Vaqueros’ defense for no gain and a turnover on downs.
With 8 minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter, the Glendale offense was tackled in their own end zone by SMC defense. This resulted in a safety and two points added to the Corsairs.
The Corsairs scored one more touchdown by Franklin and a 28-yard field goal from Malloy while Glendale scored one more touchdown. The final score was SMC 43, Glendale Community College 14.
The Corsairs now have an overall record of 5-0. Their next game will be against Los Angeles Valley College on Saturday, Sept. 26.