Giants to host rival Fresno City in Valley Conference football opener

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

College of the Sequoias football coach Travis Burkett will tell anyone who asks that his program's ultimate team goal is to win the last game of the season. 

Not just the last game of the regular season, or a bowl game, but the California Community College Athletic Association state championship game.

And the Giants can't get into that game without winning the title of the Valley Conference, one of Northern California's four power conferences that advance its champions to the state playoff tournament.

The Giants' quest to win the Valley Conference begins at 1 p.m. Oct. 14 at Sequoias Stadium when they open against rival and defending champion Fresno City College. General admission is $10, with seniors (62 and older) and students $5. 

Sequoias has not won a conference championship since 1998. 

"We've set the standard that we play football in December at COS," Giants coach Travis Burkett said. "That's the standard. We understand it doesn't get handed to you. It starts in earnest this weekend."

Fresno City (2-3) is unranked and coming off a 28-6 victory over Laney on Sept. 30, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Sequoias (3-2) enters ranked No. 16 in the state by the JC Athletic Bureau and No. 21 by the California Community College Sports Information Association -- up from Nos. 20 and 22, respectively. The Giants beat Diablo Valley 28-14 on Sept. 30 before having a bye last week.

Sequoias has won three straight after opening the season with consecutive losses to No. 5 Butte (23-20 in overtime) and No. 7 San Mateo (49-21).

Despite being on the program's longest winning streak since 2015, Burkett said the Giants are far from satisfied.

"We have a group that is pretty disgruntled with our resume so far, and they know we're responsible for it," Burkett said. "We're not excited about the body of work we've put on video. And the only thing we can do about that is to rectify that on the next video."

Fresno City and Sequoias have met at least once for 76 straight seasons, one of the longest running streaks in the state.

The Rams have won the past 11 meetings -- including a 21-13 triumph last season -- and lead the overall series 47-27-3.

Fresno City has been the class of the conference under 25th-year coach Tony Caviglia, winning or sharing 13 titles.

"We have a lot of respect for their program," Burkett said. "We're very keenly away of not only their past, but our past. Where we have erred in the past at this point of the season and against this opponent. What can we do in regards to playing them that will help the 2023 team.

"Each team is different, but the past will predict the future if you don't learn from it. In terms of the 2023 COS football team, we're excited to matchup against them. We feel like we have a good group of youngsters, and we're excited to hash it out between the lines."

The Giants will face a Fresno City offense that has been led by quarterback Alec Trujillo, who started his prep career at Exeter High before transferring to San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno.

Trujillo, a 22-year-old who has made college stops at San Jose State, Iowa Central Community College and Fresno State, has completed 71 of 123 passes for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. He is coming off his best game, where he passed for 193 yards and four touchdowns against Laney.

The Rams also feature a pair of running backs who average more than 4.5 yards per carry in Zavier Ali and Naomas Asuega, a big-play receiver in Jaylen Garrison (15.7 yards per catch with three touchdowns) and a defense that receives 5.5 tackles per game from linebacker Quinton Johnson.

"They can pass the ball," Burkett said. "They can run the ball. They have a multiple defense. They have good team speed. Their team plays hard. They're physical. They're a heck of a football team."

Reilly Garcia directs a Sequoias offense averaging 354.2 yards per game, 192.4 passing and 161.8 rushing. The sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., has passed for 887 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 5 more scores.

Dylan Gurule (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Kenroy Higgins (Oakland) have emerged as the Giants' top running backs, combining for 389 yards and four touchdowns, while Nick Nelson (El Diamante High) has been the team's top pass catcher, hauling in 14 passes for 166 yards. 

Defensively, the Giants have been led by local recruits Caleb Chenault (Hanford), Julian Espinoza (Tulare Union), Cole Dias (Kingsburg) and Will Henderson (Immanuel-Reedley), who all have made at least 20 tackles, making at least four stops a game. Rhett Sarvela (Vancouver, Wash.) has been a disruptive force defensively, with three sacks and 7 ½ tackles for losses.

"We're excited to be opening with our rival. I think it's going to be a heck of a deal. But our mentality doesn't change in terms of going 1-0 against whoever we're playing."