It’s fourth and one with a minute and a half to play. Down by three, the ball rests comfortably on the 22-yard line. A kick could tie the game, but the temptation of glory is seductive.
The quarterback calls “hike!” and star running back Collin Keoshian disappears into a pile of jerseys.
Players are ripped from the scrum and the crowd forgets to breathe as line judges slowly drag their markers. The orange chain becomes taut, and there lies the ball, an inch short.
The Vaqueros lost to Santa Monica College 35-32 at home on Saturday night after a hard fought game which ended in disappointment.
Keoshian, however, continued his spectacular play as he carried the ball 38 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
Keoshian, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound sophomore, is a perfect fit for GCC football. A transfer student from Brigham Young University with a 4.0 GPA is impressive enough, but on Sept. 15, he set the school-record for single game rushing yards against San Diego Mesa where he went off for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
“He played at College of the Canyons last year and they wouldn’t let him carry the ball,” said coach John Rome. “I’m going to let him keep carrying the football,” he said as he smiled.
GCC dominated on the ground and had possession for the majority of the game, but two botched extra-point attempts and 173 yards in penalties cost them the game.
The Vaqueros accumulated 14 penalties total while the Corsairs escaped with only six.
Many GCC players became vocally frustrated with the officials; however Rome kept his players orderly, shouting at them “Put the blame on us, not the officials!”
With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, DeAndre Davis blocked a punt to set Glendale up in scoring position.
Glendale could have opted to kick a 39-yard field goal to tie the game with a minute left but chose to go for the win, and on fourth and one they came up an inch short.
“I know I crossed that line for the first down,” said Keoshian.
“Giving the way we snapped and kicked the ball tonight, my choice was to go for the touchdown,” said Rome, who does not regret the decision.
The Vaqs head into their bye week with a 2-3 losing record. They will have to finish strong if they want to contend for a playoff spot, but they have the talent.
Their next game will be against West Los Angeles College at home on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m.
