No. 25 Giants football to host Delta at 11 a.m. Sept. 16
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
College of the Sequoias' and San Joaquin Delta's football teams enter their nonconference game this weekend in a similar position and mood.
Both are seeking first wins after playing a pair of close games against state-ranked opposition.
"I assume they are hungry after coming up short in the first two games," Sequoias coach Travis Burkett said. "And quite frankly, we're beyond hungry in terms of disappointment."
The Giants (0-2) are set to host the Mustangs (0-2) at 11 a.m. Sept. 16 at Sequoias Stadium, the college's now completed 3,000-seat campus facility. General admission tickets are $10 and $5 for seniors, veterans and college staff. Sequoias students and children 9 and under are free.
Delta opened the season with a 24-17 home loss against Contra Costa, which is ranked No. 19 in both the JC Athletic Bureau and California Community College Sports Information Association state polls, followed by a 45-38 loss in week two at Shasta, which is ranked No. 30 by the CCCSIA.
The Mustangs are led by 23-year head coach Gary Barlow and feature lineback Gkoby Winn, who leads the state with eight tackles for loss, and receiver Devyon Coleman (nine receptions for 220 yards and three touchdowns).
"We have a lot of respect for what they do and coach Barlow's body of work," Burkett said. "They are definitely a really good football team. We're excited to host them."
Sequoias, ranked No. 25 by the JCAB, is coming off a 49-21 road loss to reigning state champion San Mateo, which sits atop both polls.
The Giants were within a touchdown at 21-14 early in the third quarter Richie Diaz (Lindsay High) blocked a punt and Nick Nelson (El Diamante) returned it 19 yards for a score.
But the Bulldogs pulled away on a trio of big plays: Anthony Freeman's 59-yard punt return, and Anthony Grisby touchdown passes of 42 yards to Nico Caruso and 20 yards to Corey Le'aupepe.
Sequoias opened the season Sept. 7 with a 23-20 overtime home loss against No. 6 Butte, a game that saw the Giants rally from a 14-0 first-half deficit and force the extra period on a 46-yard field goal by Kurt Kawamoto (Honolulu, Hawaii) with 6 seconds left in regulation.
"We've left a lot of plays on the field and made a lot of unforced errors, and still be in the game against two quality opponents," Burkett said. "We're disappointed but not discouraged at all. I'm not sure I've ever been more encouraged. Our guys keep stacking quality days in terms of their work and preparation."
After averaging 222 yards a game through their first two, the Giants will be looking to get their offense on track against Delta.
In particular, Sequoias seeks improvement from its rushing attack, which has produced only 76 yards on 50 carries through two games. The Giants have allowed 229 yards rushing on 70 carries.
"It's definitely not COS football to have the rushing yardage differentials like we're having," Burkett said. "It's not up to our standards."
Defensively, Sequoias has been led by a pair of local products in linebackers Caleb Chenault (Hanford) and Cole Dias (Kingsburg), who have recorded 18 and 16 tackles, respectively. My'Quel Johnson (Las Vegas) and Juan
Rodriguez (Kerman) came up with the Giants' first two interceptions of the season last week.
Sequoias' special teams has been uneven to this point, balancing the good -- a 73-yard kickoff return by David Alcantar (Tulare Western), Kawamoto's field goals and the blocked punt return so far -- with the bad -- long kickoff and punt returns.
"Complimentary football is so important," Burkett said. "We have yet to synergize all three phases in one game yet. We're working to fix that."
Sequoias leads 27-16 in an all-time series against Delta that dates back to 1954, including a 45-17 victory last season.
Following the Delta game, the Giants play at Shasta at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 and return to Sequoias Stadium to host Diablo Valley at 11 a.m. Sept. 30.
Sequoias will open Valley Conference play at 1 p.m. Oct. 14 at home against No. 20 Fresno City.
