Valley Star

Issue date: 11/16/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dan Villasenor COUGARS ATTACK - Valley freshman quarterback Troy Jackson is mauled by a pack of Cougars in the team's last game of the season, losing 51-0 to College of Canyons.

They were too big, too strong and too good. The College of the Canyons' football team proved why it's the number-one ranked team in California and why they have hung six-straight Western State Conference title banners at Cougar Stadium. Valley College proved just how far the team is from contending for that title.

The Cougars defeated the Monarchs 51-0 in the team's final game of the season on Saturday. The Cougars earned their 24th consecutive victory to date, a streak that dates back to the end of the 2003 season. The Monarchs finished the season 2-8.

"They showed why they're the champs," said Monarch head coach Jimmy Sims. "I tip my hat to the Cougars' coaching staff. They were well prepared and demonstrated why they've gotten to the level they have."

The Monarch defense came out aggressive, putting pressure on starting quarterback Marcel Marquez. Defensive backs Kirifi Ofagalilo and John Fonua, and lineman Aaron Nevels led the charge, holding the Cougars to one offensive first-quarter score-a 28-yard field goal by place-kicker Jonathan Johnson. It would be Valley's only highlight of the evening. The field goal and a special team's touchdown made the score 10-0 at the end of the first.

The Cougars' defense made itself known early. Valley quarterback Corey Jones was picked-off on his fourth passing attempt by linebacker Shiaphan Lewis for a 16-yard touchdown. Monarch quarterbacks completed 7 of 38 passes for a meager 38 yards and were sacked five times.

Meanwhile, the Monarch defense would grow weary, and Marquez would begin to exhibit why he was named conference player-of-the-month for October. Marquez finished with 222 yards passing and two touchdowns-the first a 26-yard pass to running back Sean Edwards, and the second, a 37-yard pass to wide-receiver Terrence Scott.

The Cougar running game was also effective. Three Cougars combined for 201 yards on the ground.

"We just didn't show up tonight," said Monarch wide-receiver Antoine Palmer. "We didn't perform, so we got beat. It's that simple. We weren't concerned about their record, their [win] streak, the ranking. We just wanted to go out there and compete, but we couldn't step it up."

The cougars finished the game with 419 total offensive yards with an average of 6.5 yards per play. The Monarchs could only compile 27 yards total, with an average of a half yard per play.

"It's time to lift hard, run, and keep the focus," said defensive captain Bryant Barrientos on his plans for the off season. "We're going to keep the chemistry together, and with more experience we should be a much better football team next year.

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