Glendale Community College football emphatically ends losing streak

GLENDALE — When Glendale Community College’s football team hosted Los Angeles Southwest College, both came in on five-game slides that would end for one team while at the same time delivering an elusive Pacific Conference American Division win.

Saturday afternoon at Sartoris Field, it turned out to be a get-well-quick game for the Vaqueros, as they blew out the visiting Cougars, 63-6, to end their losing streak in a game that saw the home team rolling into halftime with a 35-0 advantage.

PHOTOS: Vaqueros gets back on the winning track against L.A. Southwest

“We are going to smile for the first time in seven weeks,” said GCC Coach John Rome, whose team had a bye two weeks ago, “and we are going to laugh and feel good about ourselves.”

For Glendale, which fell the prior week to Antelope Valley on the road for the Marauders’ first American Division victory, it was the second week in a row that the Vaqueros faced a divisional opponent also looking for its first divisional win. This time it was the Vaqueros’ turn, as Glendale (2-5, 1-3) also picked up its first win of the season on the home turf of Sartoris Field.

“Every Monday we have always have a ‘Tell the truth, this is where we are at [session],’” Rome said. “My challenge to them after that loss to Antelope Valley was that you can either quit or you can fight.”

The Vaqueros came out fighting and scored on their first three possessions of the contest. Quarterback David Arriaga had a strong showing in his second start since taking over the starting role. In the first half, the freshman was 12 of 15 for 111 yards and three touchdowns.

“We chose to fight on Monday,” Arriaga said. “Coach told us we are going to fight or going to quit. We chose to fight.”

He would play the first possession of the second half and his final throw was a 58-yard touchdown toss to Anthony McGinnis just 37 seconds into the third quarter. Mark Powell took over at quarterback after that for mop-up duty the rest of the way. Arriaga finished 14 of 17 for 171 yards and the four scores. McGinnis had four grabs for 104 yards.

“We play as a team,” Arriaga said. “When we play as a team, we are going to score.”

Arriaga’s first scoring toss was a six-yard connection to Dominique Bush with 12:18 left in the first quarter to cap Glendale’s opening possession. The drive started just 24 yards from the end zone thanks to a blocked punt by Vaquero Derrell David.

The Vaqueros defense then forced the second of five three-and-out possessions by Southwest (1-6, 0-4) in the first half to get the ball back to Arriaga and the offense. Glendale’s second drive then covered 55 yards and saw the hosts convert three third downs along the way. The payoff came on a one-yard touchdown run by Josh Martinez, who put his head down and pushed his way in for the score.

Glendale exploded for 22 points in the second quarter to blow the contest wide open. Arriaga found Bush again for another touchdown on the first play of the quarter. This one covered 14 yards.

Later in the period, GCC earned a short field when the defense forced a Southwest punt from the end zone that saw punter Richard Fitzgerald field a low snap and only get the ball out to the 11-yard line. On the next play, running back Tru Jarvis took a late pitch on the option from Arriaga and ran it in for an 11-yard score.

On the Cougars’ next punt attempt, Fitzgerald bobbled the snap and was smothered by Devon Olivarez and Derrell before he could kick the ball away. Two plays later, Glendale finished off the 15-yard drive when Arriaga threw a nine-yard scoring pass to Darrel Wannamaker for the quarterback’s third touchdown of the first half, after which the hosts held an insurmountable 35-0 advantage.

The onslaught continued in the second half as the hosts scored on their first four possessions. Now without Arriaga, who left after the first series of the third with his team up, 42-0, Glendale got its second touchdown of the third. It came with 5:39 to go on a four-yard rushing touchdown by Robert Jones, who went into the end zone standing up.

The Vaqueros would add two more touchdowns early in the fourth quarter in a span of 37 seconds. The first was a six-yard rushing touchdown by running back Travis Custis. The Cougars fumbled the ensuing kickoff back to the Vaqueros. Two plays later, Darius Jones scored the final touchdown of the contest for GCC on a six-yard run.

Southwest avoided the shutout, scoring the game’s final points. Sophomore Marquise Brown ran the ball in from three yards out with 5:22 to go.

The Vaqueros will look to start their first winning streak of the season as they go on the road to face West Los Angeles College at 1 p.m. on Halloween.