When SBCC opens a two-game football homestand against Santa Monica on Saturday at 6 p.m., coach Craig Moropoulos hopes to see something special.
“We need to be more efficient in special teams,” said Moropoulos, whose team had a bye last week. “We really focused on that this week. Covering kickoffs and punts, kick returns, punting, field goals … we spent a lot of time on those things.”
The Vaqueros (2-3, 1-1 APC) had their biggest win of the season two weeks ago. John Uribe completed 23-of-28 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns and the defense was stout in a 28-3 win at L.A. Southwest. Santa Monica (0-5, 0-2) was blanked by Antelope Valley 55-0. The Corsairs have the second-worst defensive average in Southern California, allowing 48.4 points a game.
“I don’t pay attention to that,” Moropoulos stated. “They’re a talented team that’s hungry and would like nothing more than to upset us. We’re taking them very seriously.”
Vaquero sophomore Oscar Medina caught 13 passes for 137 yards on Oct. 3 and came within three of the school record for single-game receptions. He leads the American Pacific Conference and ranks fifth in Southern Cal with 33 catches for 368 yards.
Starting quick guard Rick Aversano, one of SBCC’s best offensive linemen, will miss Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle.
