Vaqueros get defensive in fifth straight win, 21-3

Brandon Edwards threw two touchdown passes to Osha Washington on Saturday night and SBCC's defense came up big in a 21-3 football win over L.A. Valley on the road.

The first-place Vaqueros, ranked No. 17 in Southern Cal, won their fifth straight game to improve to 5-1 and 3-0 in the American Pacific League. Valley, which featured the No. 1 defense in Southern Cal, fell to 3-3 and 1-2.

SBCC is tied for first in the APL with Santa Monica, which beat West L.A. 49-48 on Saturday.

The Vaqueros led 14-3 at halftime and put the game away with a 7-play, 74-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard Edwards-to-Washington connection with 2:21 to play. Cedric Cooper sprinted up the middle on SBCC's longest play of the night -- a 54-yard run on 3rd-and-5 -- to move the ball to the Valley 15.

Cooper finished with a game-high 93 yards on 11 carries and the Vaqueros piled up 210 yards on 42 attempts. Orion Prescott added 59 yards on 14 tries.

Safety Zach Arnell, who missed the last 2½ games with an injury, had an immediate impact as he intercepted Collyn Anderson's pass on the third play of the game. Arnell returned it 35 yards for a 6-0 lead. The PAT kick was blocked.

"I was really hungry before the game and (defensive coordinator Kevin) Almlie kept saying that we need to come out strong, we need to come out fast," said Arnell, a 6-3 sophomore from Rancho Bernardo. "We were in Cover 1 and I saw the ball come over the top. I just broke on it and made the play. Once I caught it, I wasn't stopping till I got in the end zone.

"It felt good coming back. I was a little out of shape after 3 weeks off and it hurts a little right now. It felt great being out there with the team again and winning and stopping the other team. We had a really good game plan and always had an answer for what they were trying to do."

Arnell and Khaliel Ahmed Shegog led the defense with seven tackles apiece.

Ellis Richardson replaced Anderson at QB after the first series. He led the Monarchs in rushing (51 yards in 10 carries) and completed 16-of-34 passes for 187 yards.

It's the first time in more than five years that SBCC has held an opponent without a touchdown. The last time the Vaqueros gave up only three points was Oct. 3, 2009 when they beat L.A. Southwest 28-3.

SBCC won the first-down battle 18-15 but the Monarchs prevailed in total yardage, 321-269. Valley hurt its cause with 16 penalties for 102 yards.

"We knew it was going to be a defensive battle," said eighth-year head coach Craig Moropoulos. "We knew their defense was solid, No. 2 in the state. Offensively, we had some trouble in the red zone and shot ourselves in the foot a few times with penalties. At the end when we needed to push it in, we did."

The Vaqueros only converted 2-of-13 on third down (15 percent) and had a pass broken up  in the end zone on a fourth-and-13 from the Monarch 14 in the third period. They did convert 3-4 on fourth down. SBCC was without talented field-goal kicker Blake Levin, who was sidelined by injury.

SBCC's defense was stout on Valley third downs, limiting the Monarchs to 2 conversions in 15 attempts.

Mitch Wishnowsky had a big game for the Vaqueros with four kickoffs, six punts for a 39.5-yard average (the last one was downed at the Valley 1-yard line), a PAT kick and a fake punt on a fourth-and-two from his own 46 in the third quarter. The freshman from Australia raced up the right side for a 25-yard gain and a first down.

"When he came off, I asked if he wanted to play quarterback," quipped Moropoulos.

The Vaqueros were held to 28 yards and two first downs in the first 22 minutes.

Tyler Higby returned a punt 19 yards to the Valley 45 with 7:17 to go in the first half. Cheroke Cunningham ran for 13 and 6 yards on the first two plays. Six plays later with three receivers bunched on the right side, Edwards rolled to his right and found a wide-open Washington for a 3-yard TD.

Santa Barbara went for a 2-point PAT and Edwards faked a pass to the right and threw back left to tight end Will Allen for a 14-0 lead with 4:35 to go in the second quarter.

Valley covered 78 yards on the next possession but the Vaquero defense held them to a 20-yard field goal by Ivan Gonzalez with five ticks left and the visitors led 14-3 at intermission.

The Vaqueros will host L.A. Pierce on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Brahmas got their first conference win in a big way with a 69-14 decision over L.A. Southwest.