YORBA LINDA, Calif. - Despite trailing by just 11 points heading into the second half, the No. 5 College of the Canyons football team surrendered five straight touchdowns to No. 1 Fullerton College, eventually falling 56-17 in Saturday's National Bowl matchup at Yorba Linda High School.
Canyons (8-3) had won eight of its final nine contests heading into postseason play, but found Fullerton's (11-0) bruising offensive attack and dominant running game too much to contain.
The Hornets scored on the first possession of the game after a seven-play, 55-yard drive that ended in a 16-yard TD run.
On the ensuing drive, the COC offensive was off and running thanks to the combined efforts of sophomore running back Matt Bowen and freshman quarterback Tony Dawson.
However, after driving to the Fullerton 20-yard line, the Canyons drive stalled when Dawson had a pass intercepted at the one-yard line. The Hornets would net seven more points off of the turnover, putting together a 12-play, 86-yard scoring drive to extend the lead to 14-0.
Playing with a sense of urgency, Canyons quickly answered back with a nine-yard touchdown strike from Dawson to sophomore tight end Dan Vear. The PAT from kicker Eric Kreitz made it 14-7 and put the Cougars right back in the game.
That momentum would prove to be short lived, as the Hornets' ground game continued to chip away at the Cougar defense before breaking a 31-yard run that placed Fullerton on the COC 11-yard line. Four plays later the Hornets busted into the end zone with a one-yard scoring run, pushing the lead to 21-7.
Canyons would manage to score once more in the first half, when Krietz split the uprights with a 32-yard field goal, pulling the Cougars to 21-10.
In the second half Fullerton managed to steal any momentum the Cougars had been building by rattling off five straight scoring drives, including a 63-yard touchdown run that ended all hopes of a Canyons comeback.
Canyons quarterback Jake Dashnaw would eventually hook up with Vear on a five-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, proving that the Cougars had no intention going down without a fight.
In all, the Hornets racked up 642 yards of total offense - including 396 yards on the ground - while holding the Cougars to just 235 total yards.
Bowen took home Offensive Player of the Game honors in the losing effort, totaling 104 yards on 23 carries, for his fourth game with more than 100 yards. Bowen finishes his COC career with 1,219 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in two seasons of play.
Vear led all COC receivers with four receptions for 48 yards, including two touchdowns. Quarterback Dawson started the game, and finished 9-of-17 for 88 yards passing and one interception and 25 yards rushing, before giving way to Dashnaw. Dashnaw completed 5-of-7 passes with one touchdown.
Defensively, the Cougars were led by freshman linebacker Ryan McAleenan's 11 tackles and forced fumble. Sophomore linebacker Joey Cicoria added nine tackles, while freshman Kenneth Jacobs contributed eight tackles and 1.5 sacks.
First-year interim head coach Ted Iacenda and the College of the Canyons football team finish the 2013 season as the National Division, Northern Conference Champions, having qualified for the postseason playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season.
