Football Game Preview: COS vs. Modesto

The No. 22 College of the Sequoias football team will travel to play No. 15 Modesto on Saturday. Both teams are coming off a bye and the Giants (3-2) are looking to spoil the Pirates' (3-2) homecoming game at MCJ Stadium.

This will be the 48th meeting between the two teams, with the Giants owning the all-time series lead 25-20-2. Modesto has won the last four meetings. COS last won against the Pirates in 2005 (43-10).

Here is a quick breakdown of each team before the Valley Conference showdown:

COS Giants:

COS struggled to run the ball in their loss two weeks ago vs. No. 22 Sacramento City. Sophomore running back Elijah Porchia only had three rushing attempts for 19 yards. Expect Porchia to get the ball early and often for the Giants. He leads the team in rushing yards with 470.

With Porchia's work load expected to pick up, don't sleep on quarterback Thomas Wilson. He had three interceptions vs. Sacramento City but the sophomore from Elsinore can still spin the football. Wilson has 9 touchdowns, which leads the Central Valley Conference. He also leads the CVC in yards averaged per game at 224.2.

Sequoias spreads the ball pretty evenly across the board. Sylwester Augustyn leads the team with 217 receiving yards. Jewison Dawkins has 199 and Legacy Austin has 183.

Ron LaForce failed to extend his interception two weeks ago. He leads the team in interceptions with four. LaForce is still a force on defense, registering seven solo tackles vs. Sacramento City. The sophomore defensive back is averaging 8.2 tackles per game. The Giants defense is also led by Darren Hambrick. Hambrick has 20 solo tackles with 6.5 being tackles for loss. He has two sacks this season and looks to be improving every week in rushing the quarterback.

Modesto Pirates:

The Pirates offense is effective almost every time they step on the field. They average 36.2 points a game and are 71% in the red zone.

Modesto is led by quarterback Wyatt Clapper and running back Jay Green.

In the Pirates' 59-43 win against No. 18 Siskiyous, Clapper was 25-28 for 320 yards, and three touchdowns. He is second in the CVC in average yards per game with 189.

Green has the most touchdowns in the CVC with nine and two of those came two weeks ago vs. Siskiyous. Green averages 5.9 yards per rush and 108.2 yards per game.

On defense, linebacker Dennis Orzhekhovsky leads the team with 28 tackles and is tied for first with 1.5 sacks.

Defensive back Brandon Dabney will look to keep Sequoias' offense out of rhythm as he has two pass break-ups and leads Modesto with two interceptions.    

Broadcast:

The game will be streamed live on BAOSN.tv. Coverage will begin at 6 p.m.

*Rankings are from CCCAA State Poll*