The Brahmas lost the last home game of the season to the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs 44-34 to drop 3-5 in the season.
In the first quarter, the Bulldogs led with the first touchdown of the game, a 77-yard run, making the score 7-0.
The Brahmas responded as Kyshawn Richards scored on a 38-yard run (7-6), while Oscar Gonzalez scored the extra point to tie the game.
The Bulldogs scored again with a 36-yard field goal, making the final score of the first quarter 10-7.
The Bulldogs kicked off the second quarter with another touchdown, which extended their lead by 10.
Sterling Salguero reduced the deficit on a 3-yard touchdown run, making the score 17-14.
Wesly Touze scored a touchdown for the team on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Saavedra to make the score 24-21.
The Bulldogs had 27-21, until Joseph Branch received a 29-yard pass from Touze, and tied the game at 27.
The Bulldogs broke the tie in the start of the fourth quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass to make the score 32-27.
Touze responded for the Brahmas with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Steven Frost in the fourth quarter.
An onside kick cost the Brahmas the game. The Bulldogs ultimately scored the game-winning touchdown, making the final score 44-34.
Quarterback Jonathan Saavedra said he is proud of his teammates despite the loss.
“I’m proud of our team and how we fought,” Saavedra said. “We fought to the end. Sometimes things don’t go our way, and sometimes the ball doesn’t go the direction we want it to. And that was the case today, but I’m proud of our guys.”
Saavedra said the team needs to improve on their finishing.
“I think we just got to make plays down the stretch,” Saavedra said. “That’s the main thing. We have to finish. We’ve done a good job staying in games, but we just haven’t been able to finish. At the end of the fourth quarter, late in the game, we got to be able to make plays and put ourselves in positions to win. And we just didn’t do that today.”
Running back and receiver Richards said that the game was heartbreaking.
“Emotions were running high before the game,” Richards said. “Everybody was excited. Trying to keep our home safe, but you know, we tried. It didn’t happen.”
Interim Head Coach James Sims said chances were there for the Brahmas to win.
“The team played well. I’m proud of them. That was a tough team we played,” Sims said. “I would just like to make the score different. That’s all, but the way they played, I’m proud of them.”
Sims said he wants the team to finish the season strong with their two upcoming games.
“The next two games we will finish strong,” Sims said. “We should win both of those, and finish the season 5-5, and that’s an accomplishment for a team that went 1-9 last year. And for a team that had to face losing their coach this year, it should still be a good accomplishment for us.”
Sims said the team won more home games than they lost.
“We finished three and two,” Sims said. “We won more at home than we lost. We would of liked to finish five and zero, or four and one. But we still won more than we lost. It was a good accomplishment.”
Sims said his team fought hard and should be satisfied with their performance during the game.
“I’m proud of all of them,” Sims said. ”Everybody came here, and they gave everything they had. And like I told them, ‘When you give everything you have. You have to walk out of here with your head up.’”
Richards said losing to the Bulldogs was unfortunate.
“We played a hell of a game,” Richards said. “We fought as hard as we could on both sides of the ball.”
Saavedra said losing at home was hard for the team.
“It’s difficult,” Saavedra said. “We’ve actually done better at home. But today it was hard, because it was our homecoming game. We just wanted to pull out the win for everybody, and for the crowd, but we just couldn’t get it done. But it just sucks that it had to end like this.”
The Brahmas’ next game will be against Santa Barbara City College on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m.
