Week seven for the Vaqueros ended on a glorious note, with the team earning its first win of the season in a dominating fashion. At the end of four quarters, the score was 25-3 against Pasadena College on Saturday. In a dark season full of losses, Glendale has finally earned a win.
All season long, the Vaqueros have battled in every game, but have struggled to come out on top with a victory. Inconsistent plays from the quarterback position put too much pressure on the team. However, the running game has been tremendous with over 100 rushing yards in five games.
On Oct. 15 in the game against Santa Ana, the Vaqs were stopped 11 out of the 14 times they were faced with third downs. When the chains aren’t moving the chance of getting into the endzone is slim. Glendale had a chance to score a touchdown nearing the end of the first quarter, but failed to execute the plays the way they were drawn up. The drive resulted in a 12-yard field goal that gave GCC an early lead against their opponents and the Vaqueros lost that game 24 -17.
Throughout all four quarters of the game it seemed to be an even-keel battle. In the second and third quarter, the Vaqueros managed to answer each of the opponents’ scoring drives with one of their own. The Vaqs were outscored in the first and final quarter, which ultimately led to their demise.
The obvious strength of the entire team lays on the running game and it was a pivotal role in their win against Pasadena. The Vaqs rushed for 290 yards and averaged four-and-a-half yards per carry, their second best rushing average this season.
Running back, Torrence Brumfield, carried the ball a staggering 37 times for a total of 153 yards with one touchdown. Brumfield is currently ranked the second leading rusher in the conference with 290 yards and is ranked sixth in the conference in yards-per-carry.
One demoralizing fault that killed the Vaqueros, in the Santa Ana game, was the penalties. Santa Ana only had six penalties and GCC showed their its lack of discipline with an overwhelming number of penalties, a total of 12. The flags gathered to be 112 yards, which is more than the length of the field. However, against Pasadena, Glendale showed improvement, only drawing seven penalties.
The story of this team is highlighted in the cluster of penalties and successful running game. Another mindful statistic is: when the defense amounts more than 50 plus tackles, the games have been close. In the past three games the Vaqs have scored more touchdowns, six, than they did in the entire month of September, five.
On Saturday, Glendale will play its final home game against El Camino-Compton Center before playing their final two games on the road.
“I was happy for them. When you have lost your first 6 games it can be very demoralizing for your players,” said Athletic DirectorJohn Cicuto. “I respect our players and coaches for not giving up and preparing  for each and every game. The coaches and players have shown a lot of character during that losing streak.”