The LBCC football team suffered a heartbreaking loss that was also incredibly encouraging for the Vikings and their fans on Saturday night. Playing on the road against No. 1 Riverside–the top-ranked team in the nation–LBCC led for most of the second half until falling on a touchdown pass with 25 seconds left, losing 31-28.
“Very proud of our guys’ effort, we’ve gotta finish,” said Vikings coach Brett Peabody after the game. “This one hurts bad.”
LBCC trailed 14-0 early in the game and 17-14 at halftime, but scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to take a 28-17 lead with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Jacob Barclarge’s first touchdown pass for the Tigers made it 28-24 early in the fourth, and after a series of stands by the LBCC defense, he finally broke through again with 25 seconds left to give Riverside the win.
There were bright spots all over the field for the Vikings, notably their receivers. Poly alum Zion Bowens had 7 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns, and Julian Woodward had 5 for 98 and a score. DeAnthony Jones had nine tackles, two sacks, and two pass breakups for the Vikings.
LBCC (2-2) will host Cerritos in the Crosstown Cup rivalry game this Saturday at 6 p.m.
