DVC ended their four-game winning streak Friday, October 26, against College of the Siskiyous with a 34-27 loss.
DVC head coach Mike Darr gave a longer speech than usual after Friday’s game, stressing the importance of extreme focus by all 11 guys on the field and the daily intensity that winning a championship demands. He explained that the team is at a crossroads which will determine their opportunity for post-season play.
“We made some uncharacteristic, focus and technique mistakes that really haven’t occurred since the summer,” said Darr. “Both were good teams, evenly matched. I feel (Siskiyous) played with a little more consistency both in passion and execution. This allowed them to capitalize on some of our mistakes.”
The game started off promising for the Vikings, with the connection between quarterback Quinn Kaehler and wide receiver Andre’ Lewis allowing the Vikings to score within the first five minutes of the game. DVC missed the point after touchdown (PAT) to make the game 6-0 in favor of DVC. Neither team would score again in the first quarter.
The second quarter proved to be more eventful. The Siskiyous’ Eagles started the quarter with a 33-yard field goal, bringing the score to 6-3, DVC.
After failing to convert on third down the following drive, the Vikings were forced to punt. Two plays later, the Eagles threw a 66-yard touchdown pass. After a missed PAT, the Vikings trailed 9-6.
The second quarter also saw Viking running back CJ Best fumble on the DVC 15-yard line which was then recovered by the Eagles who took it into the end zone, changing the scoreboard to 16-6, Eagles. Although it looked as though Best was down before he fumbled, the play was ruled a touchdown.
One of the more exciting plays of the game came with 8:29 left in the second quarter. After two consecutive tackles for a loss by DVC sophomore linebacker, Kyle Egan, Siskiyous was forced to punt. However, sophomore defensive back Ray Roach had different plans for the Eagles who hoped to create some distance between DVC and the Siskiyous end zone. Roach blocked the punt before it was recovered by freshman wide receiver Brenden Eddy in the end zone for a DVC touchdown.
It seemed that whenever DVC made the game close, Siskiyous would respond with a touchdown of their own. After the kick return brought the ball to the Eagles’ own 31-yard line, Siskiyous running back Christian Reyes ran the ball 69 yards for a touchdown. Despite a penalty, the touchdown would stand, taking effect on the following kick off.
The first half ended in Siskiyous’ favor, 23-13.
The first score of the third quarter came from an impressive 44-yard field goal by the Siskiyous kicker giving the Eagles a 26-13 lead.
The next score would come in the fourth quarter with a Kaehler touchdown pass to wide receiver Diante Jackson, bringing DVC within six points of Siskiyous and the score to 26-20.
After Jackson’s touchdown, the ball was back with Siskiyous. However this would not last long, as freshman cornerback Marquis Hatcher intercepted a pass that led to a crucial score for DVC. On a first and goal from the 2-yard line, Kaehler sent a bullet between double-coverage to sophomore wide receiver Cameron Rowland for the touchdown, and Kaehler’s 31st of the season. The Kaehler-Rowland touchdown gave DVC their second lead of the game, 27-26.
The lead was short-lived however, as Siskiyous scored another touchdown just over a minute later. A successful two-point conversion made the score 34-27 and the scoreboard would not change for the rest of the game.
The Vikings next game will be at home this Friday, Nov. 2 against Sacramento City College.
“We are going to focus on our position fundamentals and taking advantage of the different scheme Sac City presents both offensively and defensively,” said Darr. “This will be another hard-hitting game with two defenses that fly around and two offenses that like to put the ball in the air.”
Had the Vikings won last Friday, they would have hosted a college bowl-game regardless of the rest of their season; however Friday’s loss makes it less likely unless they can win the rest of their games and teams that requested to host a bowl-game are ineligible. Should a hosting team not qualify, the home field advantage will go to the highest-seeded, non-hosting school.