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College of the Canyons Earns #1 Seed in South,
Will Host #8 Chaffey College in WSC Bowl
The Commission on Athletics (COA) Bowl Game Selection Committee announced playoff pairings for the 2005 post-season play and #1 College of the Canyons (10-0, 7-0) will host the Western State Conference Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. against #8 Chaffey College (7-3, 7-1).
Canyons finished the season on top of the WSC North Division, earning its sixth consecutive conference championship, and picked up the No. 1 spot in Southern California, while Chaffey College finished in second place behind Grossmont College (9-1, 8-0) in the Foothill Athletic Conference, and earned the No. 8 spot in Southern California.
The Cougars have faced off with Chaffey College three times since 1999, - twice in bowl games - and hold a 2-1 advantage over the Panthers. The first game in the series came in the 1999 Southern California Bowl at Chaffey, and the Panthers went on to win 30-14. In the 2002 Southern California Championship game, the Cougars were victorious 52-27 at Chaffey, as the Cougars earned their first trip to the State Championship. The most recent game in the series was played this year on September 3 in the first game of the season for both teams. In the meeting, the Panthers scored just three points on a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter to lose 33-3 at Chaffey. The Cougar season started quickly as just 14 seconds into the game Marcel Marquez hit wide receiver Terrence Scott with an 80-yard touchdown pass to take a quick lead. Defensive back Ja’Vonte Holmes intercepted a pass and returned it for a 58-yard touchdown to end the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, linebacker Joey La Rocque recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown after adding five tackles on the night. The defense held the Panthers to 250 total offensive yards.
The Cougars finished the 2005 regular season with another perfect conference record, the fifth consecutive since the program was reinstated in 1998, and another perfect regular-season record, its third consecutive. The Cougars are led by quarterback Marcel Marquez, who has completed 148-of-244 passes for 2,416 yards and 21 touchdowns. Marquez has also rushed for 401 yards on 126 carries and 10 touchdowns, leading the team and conference in individual total offense. Defensive back Ja’Vonte Holmes is ranked No. 2 in the WSC in individual punt returns. He has caught 19 punt returns for 235 yards and one touchdown. Holmes also leads the conference with six interceptions this year for 53 yards and one touchdown. Linebacker Joey La Rocque leads the team in tackles with 76, 49 unassisted, and 11 sacks. The team finished the regular season with the best defense in the Western State Conference allowing 247.3 total yards per game.
College of the Canyons has played in the WSC Bowl four times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) prior to the 2005 season and hold a 3-1 record overall, the last loss coming in 2000 to Allan Hancock, 24-20. In post-season play, the Cougars are 7-5 overall since 1998. The team’s last loss was a 14-10 defeat against Grossmont College in the 2003 playoff semi-finals. Last season, the Cougars defeated Grossmont, El Camino and Saddleback colleges in the South and City College of San Francisco from the North to claim their first State title. This is the eighth consecutive season that the Cougars have competed in post-season play.
Chaffey had three losses this year, two in non-conference play (Canyons 33-3 and El Camino 34-24) and a loss to conference champion Grossmont, 38-31. Quarterback Casey Hansen completed 180-of-311 passes this season for 2,401 yards and 23 touchdowns. He is averaging 240.1 yards per game. The leading receiver in the conference belongs to Chaffey’s wide receiver Augustine Osuala. In 10 games, Osuala has 59 receptions for 693 yards and five touchdowns. He is averaging 5.9 receptions a game and 11.7 yards per catch. The Panthers leading rusher sophomore Bernard Payton is ranked No. 2 in the conference, carrying the ball 149 times for 1,208 yards and 12 touchdowns. Payton was one of only two running backs with 1,000+ yard rushing seasons in the Foothill Conference. The team leads the conference in team both rushing and passing defensive categories. In rush defense, the Panthers have held teams to 95.7 yards per game and in the passing defense, Chaffey has only allowed 147.5 yards per game.
The winner of the WSC Bowl will play against the winner of the Golden Empire Bowl (#5 Fullerton vs. # 4 Bakersfield) with the higher seeded team hosting the game. That game takes place at Bakersfield at 3 p.m.
Other Southern California playoff pairings include:
National Bowl – 6 p.m.
#7 Riverside (7-3)
at
#2 El Camino (10-0)
Southern California Bowl – 1 p.m.
#6 Glendale (8-2)
at
#3 Grossmont (9-1)
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