“Give me three claps.”
That’s what linebacker Noche Nwofer shouted to his team before the Vaqueros took the field on Saturday afternoon in the tunnel of Sartoris field.
Three hours later at around 3 p.m., the Vaqueros added their third win in a row and overthrew the L.A. Valley Monarchs 28-11 in the last home game of the season.
Quarterback Sean Murphy completed 27 passes and spiraled three touchdowns. Isaiah Bernard led the team with seven catches and 123 yards. Glendale racked up over 100 points in the last three outings, with the help of a solid defense.
Slideshow Media Credit: Kathy Bakowicz
The Vaqs conceded only 20 points in the last two games. On Saturday, GCC caught four interceptions including a Dante Shipman take-away that led to a 63-yard touchdown pass to Bernard.
“Our defense plays so well in all facets of the game,” head coach John Rome said.
Going into the half, Glendale was up 28-3. The only points allowed came from a Monarch field goal in the second quarter, with only seconds to spare.
After a shutout third quarter, the Vaqs looked to steal the crown from the Monarchs. In the fourth, L.A. Valley was not ready to give it up.
The Monarchs put up eight points quickly in the fourth after a touchdown and two point conversion. L.A. Valley quarterback Emilio Rodriguez threw a 67 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Spencer Elrod.
Rome said its not rare for a defense to let a big lead slip away after halftime.
“We can’t do that against Santa Barbara,” Nwofer said.
Santa Barbara and Glendale share the same 3-2 standing in the conference. After a six game winning streak Santa Barbara has dropped the last two.
Last week the Vaqs trounced L.A. Southwest by 45 points and were consistent through all four quarters. GCC cruised to a 54-9 win over Santa Monica. Rome was showered with Gatorade when time expired. Rome didn’t mind the Gatorade bath.
“They usually don’t throw them on you when you lose,” he said.
The Vaqueros will walk 10 paces and look to make it four in a row on the road against the Santa Barbara Vaqueros in an old west shootout on Nov. 9.
