Giants close regular season at home vs. Sacramento City after loss at FCC

By Nick Giannandrea

COS Athletics

Fresno City College's football team remains the class of the Valley Conference.

But College of the Sequoias appears to be narrowing the gap on the Rams.

COS held Fresno City six points and 65 yards below its season averages during a 17-7 loss Nov. 9 at Fresno's Ratcliffe Stadium.

The JC Athletic Bureau state No. 9-ranked Rams, who beat COS 42-7 last season, secured at least a tie for the conference title for the third straight year and 12th time since the Giants' last one in 1998.

The silver lining for COS is it's already bowl eligible and delivered a solid effort against a Fresno City (7-2, 4-0) team likely to end up in the Northern California Regional playoffs for the second straight season.

The Giants (5-4, 2-2) can bolster their case for the program's first bowl appearance since 2010 with a victory Nov. 16 against Sacramento City (2-7, 1-3). Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Giant Chevrolet and Cadillac Mineral King Bowl.

COS fell behind 6-0 early against Fresno City when Novric Jackson returned the opening kickoff 43 yards, and eight plays later Jonah Johnson capped a 48-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

The Rams went ahead 9-0 on Jack Cooper's 24-yard field goal with 11:47 remaining in the second quarter.

The Giants responded two plays later when Gus Villareal (Dinuba High) connected with Bryson Allen (Tulare Union) for a 93-yard touchdown pass. COS' longest scoring play of the season, followed by Dominic Hernandez' point-after kick, cut the deficit to 9-7 with 10:53 left in the second.

COS, however, would venture into Fresno City territory only twice more the rest of the way, both throttled on failed fourth down plays. The Rams came up with a sack from their 29 on a fourth-and-9 play with 7:36 left in the third, and they forced an incomplete pass on fourth-and-7 from their 42 with 14 seconds left in the third.

Fresno City extended its lead to 17-7 with 7:01 left in the third quarter on a 53-yard touchdown run by Rico Rosario and Johnson's ensuing 2-point conversion pass to Michael Gates.

COS had a tough time containing Fresno City's pass rush, which sacked Villareal seven times for a loss of 42 yards. The Rams limited the Giants to 7 yards rushing. Returning all-conference running back Davonte Green (Hammond, La.) was held to 41 yards on 14 carries after rushing for more than 170 yards in COS' two previous games against West Hills-Coalinga and San Joaquin Delta.

Villareal completed 17 of 33 passes for 218 yards. Allen caught three passes for 129 yards, including a touchdown in his ninth straight game.

The Giants defense, which held the Rams to four or fewer plays on 11 of their 15 possessions, was led by Mitch Maggini (Riverdale), who finished with 11 tackled.

Bobby Peele (Edison), Judah Ruckman (Springville) and Corleone Peters (New Orleans) all had five tackles for COS.