De Anza Football Dons lost their second game in a row at home to the College of the Sequoias’ Giants in a breathtaking 41-39 match Saturday Oct. 5.
Ranked No. 8 in their league, the Giants were the favorite with a 4-0 record. De Anza came into the game with a 3-1 record.
On a sunny day with temperatures in the high 80s, about 220 viewers watched a thrilling beginning of the first quarter and the first De Anza interception touch down from Mark Herscbeck. Shawn Henner completed a point-after-touchdown kick for
a 7-0 lead.
The Giants counter attacked with a 43-yard touchdown run by D’Wayne Childs and field goal for a 7-7 tie. They even extended their lead 20-7 when Kasra Hosseinpours kicked a 38-yard field goal.
The quarter ended with an impressive run over 50 yards by Dons Kaelum Harvey, but a fumble in the next play and recovery of the ball by College of the Sequoias.
The Giants dominated the field in the second quarter and continued scoring with a 12-yard touch down pass from Raul Alvarez, to Darius Chandler, followed by field goal from Hosseinpours for the 17-7 half-time lead.
De Anza came out of the locker room with a 63-yard touch down pass from Jack Singler to Bryan Fobbs, but missed the field goal for the follow-up score 17-13.
“We made some tweaks in the offensive line”, said Dons head coach Dan Atencio before the game. Showing that with great blocking, they prepared a 57-yard touchdown pass by the well-known Singler-Fobbs combination and incomplete two-point conversion for a 19-17 lead.
A blocked field goal attempt by College of the Sequoias, a fumble by De Anza and recovery by the Giants gave the guest team the opportunity to take back the lead with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Alvarez to Dylan Pakau, and field goal by George Ramirez for a 24-19 lead.
The momentum kept changing when De Anza’s line backer Brandon Martinez opened the last quarter with an interception, followed by a 28-yard touch down pass from the Singler-Fobbs combo. The extra point was missed again for a minimal 25-24 lead.
Giants’ running backs Alvarado and Childs counter attacked again and each scored a touchdown turning the score 36-25.
Not quitting yet, De Anza’s quarter back completed another long pass to Fobbs, preparing a goal-to-go on the one-yard line. Harvey finished the job running one yard for the touch down and the Singler-Fobbs combo completed the two-point conversion successfully catching up 36-33.
Another eight-yard touchdown pass brought back the Dons’ lead 39-36, but Henner’s extra point was blocked and returned by Giants’ Miguel Quinn, for a 98-yard extra point return and a new score of 39-38.
With eight seconds left in the game, College of the Sequoias’ Hosseinpours, kicked the game-deciding field goal finalizing the game 41-39.
Dons’ defensive coordinator Malik Jackson said, “We had a good game plan going in and with the young defense, we made some key mistakes. We have to finish drives because we had the chance to win, just didn’t do it.”
