Valley Sticks It to the Brahmas in Piercing Performance, 80-20

It didn’t figure to be close . . . but this?

Powerful Valley College demolished Pierce, 80-20, in a Western State Conference interdivisional game Saturday night at Pierce that highlighted the huge gap between the programs.

The Monarchs (5-1), ranked ninth in the state, kept pouring it on with their vastly superior personnel until virtually the final whistle.

Valley outgained Pierce, 529 yards to 358, and outplayed the Brahmas (0-5) in every facet of the game from the get-go.

The Monarchs even had two players reach team and national milestones.

Sophomore running back Marcus Harvey, who finished with 14 carries for 95 yards, moved into second place in the school’s all-time scoring list with 162 points. He scored on runs of 20, two and 16 yards, and on a 60-yard punt return.

Matt Kohl’s 11 extra point kicks set a national junior college record. He tied the record last year and shared it with four others.

Valley has defeated the Brahmas four consecutive times and keeps the Victory Bell that goes to each year’s winner.

It was the most points scored by the Monarchs in a game this season.

The worst drubbing absorbed by Pierce this season, which has lost 13 consecutive games, was a 34-19 loss to Rio Hondo in the opener on Sept. 14.

The Monarchs scored before the offense touched the ball.

Pierce was forced to punt on the opening drive but linebacker Jacques Desir blocked Jacob Guy’s kick and Semisi Umufuke recovered in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Valley padded the advantage to 14-0 on a 10-yard pass from David Lins to tight end Willie Perryman with 8 minutes 40 seconds to play in the first quarter and to 21-0 on Harvey’s 20-yard run with 47 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Pierce struck back with an 80-yard touchdown run by Jaalam Roberson 13 seconds later.

The Monarchs increased the lead to 38-7 at halftime on a 20-yard pass from Lins to Perryman, a 32-yard strike from Lins to Joey Orlando and Jose Cortez’s 37-yard field goal.

Pierce’s Dan McMullen, who completed six of 12 passes for 49 yards, was knocked out of the game when Desir leveled him on a blitz early in the second quarter.

McMullen was checked for a possible concussion and remained on the sideline. He was replaced by Jim Landress, who was six of 24 for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

Lins was 23 of 33 for 194 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, his first of the season, while playing a half. He threw 163 passes without being intercepted.

The Brahmas got scoring pass plays of 48 and 50 yards from Landress to Leon Weathersby in the fourth quarter. Weathersby had three receptions for 105 yards.