2005 MISSION CONFERENCE
AMERICAN DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Game Stats | Season Stats
November 12, 2005
Football:
LBCC clinches division title; Aispuro passes for school-record 589 yards in 38-0 win
Needing a win on Saturday to earn at least a share of the Mission Conference American Division championship, Long Beach City College turned it up on both ends of the field to put together its best game of the season, a 38-0 shutout over Palomar College at Escondido High School’s Wilson Stadium in both teams’ regular season finale.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Aispuro (Jordan HS) had the biggest game of his career, passing for a school-record 589 yards. Aispuro completed 31 of 45 passes with five touchdowns and just one interception.
At halftime, Aispuro had already amassed 373 yards passing with three touchdowns. His 589 yards easily surpassed the former record of 460 yards passing set by former Viking and current assistant coach Neo Aoga in 1995.
His record-breaking performance led to another mark being shattered as the Vikings collected an all-time best 668 yards of total offense. The former record of 657 yards was set by the 1995 Vikings against Pasadena City College.
Long Beach wide receivers also had season-best games, with sophomore Stanley Franks (Downey HS) leading the way with a game-high 12 catches for 162 yards.
Freshman LaTroy Dinkins hauled in eight catches for a season-high 214 yards with two touchdowns. Not to be left out, freshman Ben Holloway had five receptions for 133 yards and two TDs, including a 75-yard fourth-quarter touchdown strike from Aispuro.
The offensive show nearly outshined the outstanding effort put forth by the Viking defense to shutout the Comets.
Sophomore defensive tackle Josh Tauanuu (Poly HS) was one of many defensive stars for the Vikings. He sacked Palomar quarterback Josh Somerville three times, totaled 4.5 tackles, and forced a fumble.
Sophomore linebacker Antonio Steele (Cleveland, OH) had a 22-yard interception return, totaled 5.0 tackles, and got in on one sack. Corner back Brian Williams (Las Vegas, NV) had 4.0 tackles and broke up three passes.
For Palomar (4-6, 1-4), Somerville threw for 179 yards on 18 of 37 passing with one interception. Clayton Cardenas led the Comets with five catches for 74 yards, while Darrick Jackson was Palomar’s leading rusher, running nine times for 11 yards.
Corner back Marvin Betts had a big defensive game, totaling 8.5 tackles. He had one interception, forced a fumble, and broke up a pass.
Long Beach closes out the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and went 4-1 in American Division play to capture its third division championship in the past four years.
The Vikings will learn their postseason fate on Sunday when the Commission on Athletics will announce Southern California playoff qualifiers and bowl game participants.
It is unlikely the Vikings will earn a postseason berth, but should receive a bowl game invitation. LBCC has made three bowl game appearances in the past four seasons.
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