The Los Medanos College Mustangs brought the fire against the West Valley Vikings Sept. 29 conquering them 58-35 on there own turf.
As the sun began to set on Saratoga High School’s football field, the site of last weekend’s matchup, so did the Vikings’ chance of taking the game away from the Mustangs. Coming off a disappointing loss the previous weekend against the Monterey Peninsula College Lobos, Los Medanos College was not about to give up another loss.
“I gotta be happy at this point,” head coach Chris Shipe said, adding that it was nice “being able to bounce back from last week. Being 3-2 to going into the bye week” will set a positive tone as the team prepares for its next conference matchup.
LMC started the first drive of the game that ended when quarterback Mike Behr scored on a scramble. This set in motion the volley of scoring drives that the Mustangs put together throughout the game. With another tug-o-war start, the Vikings and Mustangs were neck and neck at the end of the first quarter tied at 14.
As the game ran on, it seemed as though WVC was going to stay in contention with LMC, answering each Mustang drive with an equally impressive scoring play, until the defense made a big turn-around play. Linebacker Anthony Bruce jumped in front of Vikings quarterback Nick Baity’s pass, giving the Mustang offense a chance to break the game open.
After the turnover LMC running back Shawn Vasquez a major players in the game, charging the ball all the way down to the one-yard line, then smashed it through the defense to score just one of his three touchdowns of the night.
“Our O-line did a good job opening up those holes and all I had to do was out run a couple of guys,” said Vasquez. “It was done in the trenches.”
Play after play, the Mustangs added to the lead. Whether with the pass or the run, the Vikings could not match the fire-power of Behr, Vasquez or the receiving corps.
“They got some athletes. The speed showed early on,” said Vikings head coach Jim Winkler. “We weren’t able to keep pace with them and they made the big plays when they had to and we didn’t.”
The second half showed a stellar Mustangs defense to compliment the offensive push. Walking away with four turnovers for the night and a stone wall that saw the opposing team give up a safety in their own end zone, LMC was walking tall.
“They definitely bounced back from the first half to the second half today,” said Shipe. “They gave up a little bit too much during the first half, but they got some things fixed at half time and played well in the second half. The four picks were huge and we defiantly won the turnover battle today.”
The win brings the Mustangs up from mediocre to above .500, giving them the first winning record in the last year. Knowing this brought a smile to players and coaches alike.
The Mustangs will be playing at home against Shasta College Saturday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m.
