Game Preview: COS Giants vs. Sacramento City

The College of the Sequoias football team made a return into the state poll after being absent from it for one week. The Giants are ranked No. 19 in the statewide poll and 11th in Northern California.

COS welcomes the Sacramento City Panthers (No. 12 in Northern California and No. 26 statewide) to Giant Chevrolet-Cadillac Mineral King Bowl on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. This will be the last non-conference game for the Giants.

It is also homecoming for COS and there will be a free tailgate beginning at 10 a.m.

Here is a quick breakdown of each team:

Sacramento City Panthers (2-2)

Sacramento City is led by star sophomore running back Tyree Hanson. Hanson is averaging 121.5 rushing yards per game, which is good for second in the state. He leads the team in touchdowns with five and points with 32. Justin Yeaton is under center for the Panthers. The freshman quarterback has only one touchdown and three interceptions this season. Despite those numbers, Yeaton has 687 yards through the air with 355 of them going to wide receiver Jordan Moore.   

Defensive line is the anchor for the Panthers defense. Josh Johnson and Sai Taamu are tied for the team lead in sacks with four. The duo also has a combined 17.5 tackles for loss, 37 tackles total and one forced fumble. Sophomore defensive back Hayden Thornton makes an impact all over the field, leading the team in tackles with 26. SCC has three interceptions on the season.

Last week a touchdown inside three minutes was Sacramento City's downfall as they were defeated 17-14 by Santa Rosa.

COS Giants (3-1)

Quarterback Thomas Wilson is top 15 in the state and no. 1 in the CVC with an average of 229.3 passing yards per game. Wilson also has a team high nine touchdowns through the air and is tied with Elijah Porchia with four touchdowns on the ground.

Wilson's favorite target when looking at the numbers is sophomore wide receiver Sylwester Augustyn. Augustyn is at 210 yards receiving on 14 receptions and has four touchdowns this season.   

Jewison Dawkins and Legary Austin look to be more involved this weekend vs. SCC. The wideouts have played a vital role in Irv Pankey's offense this season but have struggled to find the end zone. Dawkins only has one touchdown, while Austin has none.

Last week Porchia did not score a touchdown for the first time in 2016. He did have a productive day on the ground, rushing for 95 yards to bring his total on the season to 445.

Despite giving up a ton of points, Sequoias defense has been a productive one. Ten Giants have recorded at least half a sack and sophomore defensive back Ron LaForce leads the state with four interceptions. LaForce has recorded an interception every game this year, and is also averaging nine tackles per game. Sophomore defensive back Logan Pierce looks to be a game changer again on Saturday. Last week he led COS with six tackles and one sack. Both Pierce and LaForce have a combined 48 tackles this season.

Broadcast

Saturday's game will be live-streamed in partnership with COS Athletics and "The Campus" Newspaper.