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2004 MISSION CONFERENCE AMERICAN DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Game Stats | Season Stats
November 27, 2004
Football:
LBCC playoff run ends after 41-25 loss at Saddleback
Long Beach City College’s amazing late season surge finally came to an end on Saturday as the Vikings fell to Saddleback College 41-25 in the semifinals of the Southern California Regional Playoffs.
The Vikings’ season-ending game was played at a rainy Saddleback Stadium, nicknamed the Snake Pit.
“We played better than last time,” said LBCC head coach Jerry Jaso. “But not good enough to win.”
Jaso was referring to Long Beach’s 48-10 loss to the Gauchos on that same field during Week 5 of the season.
Following that loss, the Vikings won five of their next six games and captured a share of the Mission Conference American Division championship.
But on Saturday, the fourth-seeded Vikings couldn’t hold the Gaucho offense.
Saddleback, the South No. 1 seed, took an early 7-0 lead, but the Vikings tied up the game following a school-record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by freshman free safety Damion Porter (Lakewood HS).
The Gauchos pushed the lead to 20-7 in the second before the Vikings came back with a 56-yard TD reception by sophomore running back Richard Nichols (Jordan) from freshman QB Alex Aispuro (Jordan) with 9:17 left in the half.
Saddleback QB Colt Brennan tossed the second of three TDs to give them a 28-14 lead at the 6:28 mark in the second.
LBCC’s Jeffrey Hastings (Poly) nailed a 22-yard field goal to close the first half scoring and send the Vikings into the locker room trailing 28-17.
The Gauchos’ Derik Martinez hit two straight field goals of his own to extend their lead to 34-17 in the fourth.
The Vikings bounced back when Nichols scored his second TD of the game and team-high 15th of the season on a two-yard run with 11:41 left in the game. Following a two-point conversion run by freshman lineman Bert Johnson (Jordan), the Vikings trailed 34-25 and would get no closer.
Brennan sealed the game and a spot in the Southern California Championship game with his third TD pass to Jerard Rabb with 1:50 left in the contest to bring the final score of 41-25.
The loss brought LBCC’s season to a close with a 7-5 overall record, while Saddleback moves on at 11-1 this season.
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