Canyons Loses Late to No. 9 Fullerton in 20-10 Thriller

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

College of the Canyons tied the game at 10-10 in the fourth quarter in front of a boisterous Homecoming crowd but was unable to hold on in a 20-10 loss to No. 9 Fullerton College on Thursday. 

Canyons (1-5, 1-2) scored twice in the second half to keep things close including a two-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Jazel Riley IV that capped a five-play, 51-yard drive and knotted things up with 10:50 to go in the game. Justin Assadi's PAT officially made it a 10-10 ballgame.

Earlier in the half it was Dylan Gomez connecting on a 23-yard field goal to get Canyons on the board at 10-3 with 5:16 to go in the third quarter. 

The Cougars had been invested in a valiant comeback bid after Fullerton (5-1, 3-0) opened up an early 10-0 advantage in the first quarter.

The Hornets started the scoring with a 30-yard field goal that ended its opening drive.

Later in the quarter it was Logan Lester hauling in a pass from quarterback Jack Schierholz to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive for the Hornets' offense. Vatkin registered the PAT to complete the opening-round scoring sequence. 

Canyons won the time of possession battle but came away with just 264 yards of total offense in the game. COC was also 1-of-11 on third downs but remained in striking distance through the duration thanks to another strong defensive effort. 

Fullerton entered the contest averaging better than 50 points per contest but was largely held in check by the Cougars during the middle portions of the game. 

The Hornets were able to churn out 154 rushing yards with several key rushes coming down the stretch. Dominic Ancich and Mike Taffe both topped 50-yards rushing for Fullerton.

COC was credited with two sacks and five tackles for loss in the game. Jonathan Kanaley and Charles Milner both registered sacks.

Tony Testa fished with a team-high six tackles and a pass break up. He was followed by Adam Geukens with five tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

COC punter William Struyk launched six punts for 237 yards, an average of 39.5 per. He also pinned the Hornets behind the 20-yard line on three occasions and had a long punt of 48 yards. Struyk was named the Chick-Fil-A Valencia Player of the Game for his efforts. 

Riley finished 13-of-24 for 162 yards with an interception and the rushing touchdown. He also added 48 yards on the ground.

Isaiah Rameau was the team's leading rusher after finishing with 55 yards on 12 carries. Cole Crawford and Joseph Saenz tied for the team lead with 41 receiving yards.

Canyons continues league play Saturday, Oct. 18, with a 6 p.m. kickoff at East L.A. College.

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