No. 12 Canyons Battles in 26-24 Road Loss at Southwestern

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

CHULA VISTA — No. 12 College of the Canyons suffered a week one heartbreak at Southwestern College on Saturday, with the Cougars falling 26-24 despite having a chance to win in the closing moments.

Canyons (0-1) trailed 13-7 at halftime and was shut out in the third quarter before scoring twice in the fourth sparked by freshman quarterback Jazel Riley IV.

Riley scampered in from eight yards out for his first score of the game bringing the Cougars to within striking distance at 20-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Southwestern (1-0) fumbled the ball away on its next possession when COC freshman Seifanga Langi jarred a ball loose from running back Caleb Blocker with 10:25 to go in the game.

Six plays later Riley found wide receiver Joseph Saenz for a 40-yard touchdown connection that briefly put Canyons ahead at 24-20. Saenz enjoyed a productive day leading all receivers with eight catches for 111 yards.

The Jaguars answered right back with a grinding 11-play drive to march the ball 75 yards down the field and get back in the end zone on a one-yard quarterback keeper from Brayten Silbor. Langi made another impact play by blocking the Jaguars PAT attempt to keep the score at 26-24.

Silbor finished the game 27-of-38 for 287 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The Jaguars also received 92 yards on the ground from running back Jamarei Ashby-Phan.

Canyons started its final possession with 1:27 left on the clock and quickly moved down the field with Riley and company getting all the way to the Southwestern 29-yard line following an 18-yard reception from Dane Dunn.

A third down run from Riley then placed the ball at the Southwestern 11-yard line with six seconds remaining. Canyons lined up for the 28-yard field goal attempt from Justin Assadi but wasn't able to convert as time expired.

Riley finished the game 10-of-17 for 122 yards and one touchdown. He also led the Cougars rushing attack with 107 yards on seven attempts, including a long gain of 59 yards.

COC sophomore Logan Scarlett earned the start and shared time unde center with Riley throughout the contest. Scarlett ended his day 8-of-15 for 80 yards and an interception.

Assadi, who also plays on the college's men's soccer team, finished the game 1-of-2 on FG attempts. He connected on a 23-yard kick at the two-minute mark of the first half and was successful on all three PAT attempts.

The Cougars' first touchdown came in the form of a 10-yard touchdown from Dunn early in the second quarter. 

Dunn accumulated 49 yards on 13 carries to lead the COC backfield in carries. Isaiah Rameau was also involved in the run game with four carries for 37 yards, including a long gain of 25 yards.

Canyons generated 391 yards of total offense while possessing the ball for just over 25 minutes. The Cougars netted 189 yards on the ground and did not allow a quarterback sack.

Datavius Bledsoe led the Cougars' defensive unit with nine solo tackles, followed by Xavier Perry with six tackles and two pass break ups. Tony Testa added four takedowns.

Langi's forced fumble and blocked kick came alongside two tackles for loss. Canyons had eight tackles for loss in the game totaling 31 yards. Patrick Ward was credited with a sack with Canyons also marked down for a team sack.

COC began the season as the No. 12 ranked team in the state according to the JC Athletic Bureau's Top-25 preseason coaches poll. Southwestern entered the game unranked.

Canyons will next play at El Camino College at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. 

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Dylan Stewart/1550 Sports