Kiyomi Kikuchi
The Brahmas entered the fourth quarter of play down 21-5, but stormed back with 20 points to vanquish the Cougars of Los Angeles Southwest College, 25-21, in the game’s final minutes last night at Shepard Stadium.
After hooking up with receiver Jonas Matos for 21 yards to convert on fourth down and 18, quarterback Taylor Budd found Kenny Davis in the end zone for the game-winning 13-yard touchdown with only 1:08 remaining in the game.
“[This game] potentially could have destroyed our season, and now potentially it could make our season,” said Martinez after the game, “If we lose, ‘bowl game or bust,’ it’s done.”
The night began on a promising note for Pierce as freshman lineman Patrick Kevorkian recovered a fumble on the Cougars’ second play from scrimmage, but the Brahmas wasted no time in giving the ball right back as it slipped out of the hands of Eddie Gomez.
Deadlocked in a scoreless game as the clock wound down on the first quarter, Pierce finally broke through. After the Brahma defense nearly brought down quarterback Torrey Harkness in the end zone for a safety on the Cougars’ third down attempt, sophomore fullback and special-teams player David Mahoney got a hand on the ensuing punt. The ball rolled into the end zone and then out of bounds, giving Pierce their safety and a 2-0 lead.
In the second quarter, it was the Cougars’ turn to strike. Harkness helped to kick-start the offense, connecting with receiver Jeremy Sutherland for 51 yards. Later in the drive that began at the Cougars’ 10 yard-line, running back Brandon Malliard emerged from an abyss of Brahma tacklers and ran 20 yards into the end-zone, giving the Cougars a 7-2 lead which would stand up at the half.
Tension began to rise both in the stands and on the sidelines, fans and players alike frustrated during the Brahmas’ offense-deprived first half, but as the team broke from the locker room, some of that tension seemed to have been relieved.
“Usually we’d be arguing and bickering in the locker room,” said Davis, “But everybody shut it up and we just went to work.”
Getting back to work seemed like no easy task for Pierce, as the Cougars’ aerial attack came out of the half firing on all cylinders. After kicker Bradley Borreson drew the Brahmas within two with a 34-yard field goal, a 71 yard touchdown strike from Harkness to receiver Esau Bauknight followed by a 23 yard touchdown by Bauknight on the very next possession, Pierce found themselves buried in a 21-5 hole as the game reached its final quarter of play.
Patrick Donahue returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards, giving Budd and the offense the ball deep within enemy territory. However, the Cougar defense was able to contain Pierce, setting up a fourth down and 12 at L.A. Southwest’s 25 yard-line.
Budd’s pass over the middle found Davis who picked up the first down, but was hit hard and the ball popped loose. A sea of players dove to recover the loose football, but it rolled out of bounds at the 13 yard-line, giving the Brahmas just what they needed to convert. Budd connected with Matos in the end zone on the very next play, and after a failed two-point conversion, Pierce had drawn within 10.
The Brahmas managed to get a stop on the Cougars’ next drive, but Taylor Budd’s first pass from scrimmage evaded intended receiver Jayson Washington’s outstretched arms and instead landed in the secure grasp of Cougar linebacker Kenneth Parker who was dropped at the Pierce 21 yard-line. A missed field goal, however, kept it a 10 point deficit as the Brahmas received yet another break.
“Sometimes, in order to be good, you have to be lucky, so we’ll take it,” said head coach Efrain Martinez of the gifts his team had received.
The Brahmas took that luck and ran with it – 57 yards down the field on a Dejaune Adams punt return, and 36 yards into the end zone on a pass to running back Joe Sims. The Cougar lead was now 21-18, but only 4:33 remained in the game, and L.A. Southwest had possession of the football.
With Pierce desperately seeking a turnover, defensive lineman Robert Williamson delivered, forcing and recovering a fumble at the Cougars’ 30 yard-line.
On second down and 10, Budd was sacked for a loss of eight yards, and after a thwarted third down attempt, the Brahmas faced fourth down and 18 with just under three minutes to play.
Budd dropped back and hit Matos again for 21 yards, not only giving Pierce the fourth down conversion, but spotting them well within field goal range with just a three point deficit to overcome.
The Brahmas would not play for the tie, though, as a few plays later, Budd hooked up with Davis from 12 yards out for the game winner.
“I went deaf,” said Davis, “The ball went in the air, I went deaf. I caught it, turned around, and saw the fans going crazy.”
After a failed fourth down try by L.A. Southwest, one kneel-down sealed the victory, and seemingly erased the frustration of the half-season past – if only for one night.
“This win is a big accomplishment to us,” said Davis, “It opens up everybody’s eyes because everybody thought we lost two in a row. People thought we were just going to go down, but we fought toe-to-toe. We did not give up.”
Said Budd of the momentum boost the team received, “It turns the season around completely. Now being 2-4, we can really make a run at the conference crown.”
The Brahmas, currently second in the Western State Conference to Antelope Valley, continue their quest for a championship Saturday at 7 p.m. against Santa Barbara College in the friendly confines of Shepard Stadium.