Conference rival Diablo Valley College racked up 592 total yards of offense and five touchdowns, two coming in the fourth quarter, to hand De Anza its second loss of the season at Viking Stadium in Pleasant Hill on October 21.

“Offensively it was one of our best performances since I took over in 2007,” Diablo Valley Head Coach Mike Darr said.

De Anza struck first with a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joshua McCain to wide receiver Glyn Boreal. After Diablo Valley scored on two long drives, the Dons struck again late in the first quarter. McCain connected with Boreal on a 78-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left.

After McCain left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, the Dons were unable to find the end zone. Injuries created “a different kind of atmosphere,” De Anza head coach Dan Atencio said.

De Anza kicker Blaze Vela added field goals of 20 and 21 yards in the second quarter and Diablo Valley scored one more touchdown,  leaving De Anza 20, Diablo Valley 21 at the half.  Diablo Valley was shut out in the third quarter but came back to score twice in the fourth quarter to get the win.

“The two final drives were [a] great way to finish the game,” Diablo Valley coach Darr said.    

Diablo Valley (6-1, 1-1 Golden Gate Conference) gained 239 total yards on the ground, led by running back Dozie Iwaugwa with 162 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Vince Ferrante added 58 yards on eight carries, including a 12-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Diablo Valley quarterbacks combined for 353 yards passing, completing 21 of 36 passes, and throwing for two touchdowns. “[We] gave up yardage on crucial pass plays, completions and getting beat deep,” Atencio said. 

De Anza (5-2, 1-1 Golden Gate Conference) had 318 total yards of offense. Running back Shawn Mezaros led the Dons running attack with 79 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Joshua McCain completed 3 of 5 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns before getting injured. Quarterback Nick Marra completed 6 of 15 passes for 55 yards, and was sacked four times.  Wide receiver Glyn Borel had three catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Omar Al-Helew led De Anza’s defense with nine tackles and two sacks.

“We are not going to give up. It’s a teaching situation,” Atencio said about the loss.

Last home game of the season is Nov. 12 against Chabot College. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.