SBCC built a 28-17 lead in the third quarter on Friday night before L.A. Pierce roared back to secure a 39-28 football victory in an APC game at La Playa Stadium.
The first-place Brahmas (6-1, 4-0) outscored the Vaqueros 22-0 in the fourth quarter to secure their fifth straight win.
Freshman quarterback Jarred Evans accounted for four touchdowns for the Vaqueros (3-4, 2-2). He connected with Perry Pipken (14 yards) and Kyle Brown (36 yards) on 2nd-quarter scores, then ran for a pair of 1-yard TDs in the third period.
Brown’s TD gave SBCC a 14-7 lead with 26 seconds left in the first half. Pierce (6-1, 4-0), ranked 18th in Southern Cal, needed just two plays to tie it at 14 before halftime. The Brahmas scored on a 55-yard pass from Mike Adens to Jaelen Strong on the last play of the second quarter.
“It’s the second straight week that we couldn’t hold a second-half lead,” said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. “You can’t allow what happened on the last play of the first half. You have to keep everything in front of you.”
Strong finished with three catches for 162 yards and three TDs. Edens, playing in place of injured starter Nick Arbuckle, completed 11-of-21 for 221 yards and four TDs.
After falling behind 17-14, SBCC got a 48-yard kick return by Brown and a 42-yard run by Kevin Denis (12 carries, 84 yards) for a first-and-goal at the 2. Three plays later, Evans scored on a quarterback sneak.
Mitch Nelson intercepted a pass on the next play and returned it 17 yards to the Pierce 38. The Vaqueros needed seven plays to score and Evans was 4-4 for 30 yards passing. He sprinted to the right pylon for a 1-yard TD that gave SBCC a 28-17 lead with 6:55 to go in the third.
Pierce pulled within three on a 74-yard drive capped by an 11-yard pass from Adens to Joe Morris at the 7:45 mark of the fourth period. Adens ran for the 2-point conversion.
SBCC was backed up to its own 4 on the next possession and a 30-yard punt gave Pierce the ball at the Vaquero 34. Five plays later, Edens hooked up with Strong on a 38-yard bomb to make it 32-28.
The Brahmas need just two plays for their final TD — a 69-yard screen pass from Edens to Strong with 3:09 remaining.
Santa Barbara punted the ball 10 times and had 16 penalties for 118 yards.
Morgan Nevin led the defense with 13 tackles and three quarterback hurries.
“I’m proud of my team,” said Moropoulos. “I think sometimes we try too hard and that leads to mistakes.
“We just have to keep believing in ourselves. We had opportunities tonight. We just have to find a way to succeed.”
