After getting its first football win in dramatic fashion, SBCC will try to make it two in a row on Saturday when the Vaqueros travel to Santa Monica for a 7 p.m. game.
With a bye last week, SBCC had two weeks to enjoy its first win — a 10-7 decision over L.A. Southwest on Oct. 4 that was decided by Riley St. Clair’s 50-yard field goal with 1:49 to play. The Vaqueros are 1-4 overall and one of six American Pacific Conference teams at 1-1. Antelope Valley, which defeated Santa Monica 28-6 two weeks ago, is the only APC team at 2-0.
“Two weeks of practice is always a good thing,” said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. “We had some guys get healthy and we had more time to prepare for our opponent.”
Austin Civita will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Vaqueros. In four games, Civita has completed 23 of 56 passes for 213 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Conner Rehage, the starter in the first four games, missed the Southwest game with a back injury but will be available this week.
Justin Leverette, the Vaqueros leading rusher and the fifth-best in the APC with 295 yards on 78 attempts, hurt his knee in Thursday’s practice but is expected to play.
The Vaqueros have struggled on offense this year with a league-low 8.0 scoring average and no touchdowns on the ground. They’ve also had their problems against Santa Monica, which leads the all-time series 15-1-1 and has won the last four meetings.
“They’re 1-4, just like us and they had a tough nonconference schedule like we did,” said Moropoulos. “They’re athletic and they’re big on defense.
“We need to stay balanced, to throw more effectively in early downs. And we have to stop the run and cut down on the big plays.”
Santa Monica (1-4, 1-1) had seven turnovers in its last game, including five interceptions on a windy night in Antelope Valley. Daron Bartholomew leads the APC in rushing with 533 yards, 5 TDs and a 6.7-yard average.
SBCC linebackers Logan Hurn and Nate Goldie rank 1-2 among conference tacklers with 46 and 45, respectively.
