Football opens conference play vs. SBCC

Football opens conference play vs. SBCC

After two weeks on the road and last week’s bye, football is back home at Shepard Stadium for the start of conference play.

First up for the Brahmas in the American – Pacific Conference are the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros (1-4). The Vaqueros have dropped their last four games after opening the season with a 45-0 win over Compton College.

The Brahmas begin the conference schedule at 2-3 overall, coming off a thrilling 44-43 win against the College of the Desert Roadrunners. Running back David Kates scored three rushing touchdowns in the game, and cornerback Dimetri King had his conference leading fourth interception.

King is not the only Brahma on the top of leaderboards. Quarterback Jonathan Saavedra leads in yards per game (191.4), nearly 30 yards more than Pasadena City College’s Mario Bobadilla.

Saavedra’s top target, receiver Christian Graves, leads the conference in yards per game (67), and his 268 yards are 56 more than Pasadena’s Drew Pendleton and David Telles, despite playing one less game. Graves is also tied for the lead in receptions (16) with a third Pasadena receiver, Forest Fajardo.

In their out-of-conference schedule, the Brahmas averaged 27.6 points per game, allowing 36.6.

The Brahmas open with two games at home, hosting Pasadena City College (2-3) on Oct. 20. then they head down to LA Harbor College (2-3) on Oct. 27.

On Nov. 3 the Brahmas will be back home, hosting powerhouse Allan Hancock College (4-1) and their dominant rushing offense. Hancock averages nearly 300 yards per game on the ground, led by Ryheem Skinner, the number two running back in the state, averaging 135.8 yards per game. As usual with the Hancock game, kickoff will be earlier, at 4 p.m.

The Brahmas finish the regular season with a trip down to Santa Monica College (1-4) on Nov. 10 for an afternoon game at 1 p.m.