Giants' football gets singular spotlight in Valley Center Bowl vs. Merced

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

The timing couldn't be better, nor the spotlight any brighter for College of the Sequoias' football team.

When the Giants (5-5) step on to Merced's Stadium 76/Don Odishoo Field on Dec. 2 to face the host Blue Devils (6-4) in the Valley Center Bowl, it will be the only game -- high school or college -- being played that night across the Golden State. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

"It was really important for us to not only qualify for the postseason, but to get selected to play in a bowl, and for everyone at Merced and at the state level to let the game be at 6 p.m. Thursday night," said Sequoias coach Travis Burkett, whose team became bowl-eligible with a 27-26 victory at Shasta on Nov. 20 in a game that was postponed from Sept. 25 because of wildfires in the Shasta region. "This gives recruiting coaches who are out on the road a chance to evaluate us and Merced in person."

Not only will it give recruiters the opportunity to see Sequoias in person, it will allow them enough time to return to their respective campuses in time to host official campus visits for potential recruits this weekend.

It will also free up the time for Giants' players to take official recruiting visits.

And, it will allow Sequoias' coaching staff to get out on the recruiting trail themselves and evaluate prospective players in person at California Interscholastic Federation Regional playoff games Dec. 3-4.

"If you are a recruiter evaluating guys, you want to see how they play when it matters most," said Burkett, who recruited players on the West Coast during his previous stops as an assistant coach at Bucknell, Cornell and UNLV. "You want to see a guy against what you perceive to be their best opposition. This is a great opportunity for our guys to compete and showcase their individual talents."

Burkett said he expects anywhere between one and three of his players to sign with NCAA Division I programs during the first signing day Dec. 15. He said the Giants are likely to move at least 10 players on to the four-year level by the second signing day of Feb. 3 and beyond.

The NCAA Division I coaching carousel -- which has seen Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC, Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU and Kalen DeBoer leaving Fresno State for Washington in recent days -- will have a trickle down effect for California community college players as coaches at new locales evaluate their rosters and bring in players who better fit their systems later in the spring. 

"A lot of guys may have an opportunity to go through the recruiting process and continue to cultivate options beyond the Feb. 3 signing date," Burkett said. "The coaching changes alone really inhibit recruiting. I don't know if anyone who made a coaching change will be ready to give away a scholarship. Guys are going to have to be patient."

Sequoias will be playing in its first bowl under Burkett, who was named the 22nd coach in program history in April 2020, and their second straight bowl during a complete championship season.

The Giants lost 38-28 to Butte during the 2019 Gridiron Classic.

Then the 2020 season was essentially canceled because of safety precautions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Giants did play two official games in March against Antelope Valley as Sequoias was one of a handful of California community colleges to bring sports back as pandemic-related restrictions across the state eased. 

Sequoias has not won a bowl game since a 40-27 triumph over Siskiyous in the 1991 Pepsi/Sequoia Bowl. The Giants are 0-7 in bowls since 1991.

Eight All-Valley Conference selections will lead Sequoias against Merced: sophomore quarterback Nathan Lamb (Tulare Union High), sophomore receiver Bryson Allen (Tulare Union), sophomore tight end Jayson Littlejohn (Sierra Pacific-Hanford), freshman offensive lineman Jakob Guzman (Corcoran), freshman defensive lineman Rhett Sarvela (Vancouver), freshman linebacker Isaak Guzman (Porterville), freshman linebacker Lonnie Wessel (Golden West) and freshman defensive back Michael Wessel (Golden West). 

"We're really proud of the players and coaches for everything they have put in since we started," Burkett said. "Now they get to lay it on the line one more time and breathe life into everything we believe in."