Going back to the inaugural season of then Pasadena Junior College football in 1925, the program has faced 92 overall opponents, 55 of them California Community Colleges. Somehow in that long history, Pasadena City College had never faced Antelope Valley College on the gridiron despite the Marauders playing the sport going back to 1940.
On Saturday night, the two schools finally met up as host Antelope Valley took advantage of four first-half PCC turnovers to defeat the Lancers, 27-14, in a SCFA Non-League game. Pasadena dropped to 2-2 overall while the Marauders evened their record also at 2-2.
PCC trailed 7-0 after one quarter, and chased AVC leads of 14-0 and then 27-7 as the Marauders made the most of their offensive opportunities.
On the second play of the game, Cameren Carlisle intercepted Lancers quarterback Anthony Arnou's first pass and returned it 10 yards to the PCC 16. AVC turned the pickoff into paydirt on a 6-yard touchdown pass by Daryus Warren to Alijah Steele. The Marauders led 7-0 just 3:03 into the contest.
With 2:54 left in the period, Ivan Ostry lost control of a short pass by Arnou with AVC recovering the fumble at the Pasadena 16. On this occasion, the Lancers lucked out when Noah Schwartz blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by John Henderson.
Yet on the next series and the opening play of the second quarter, PCC again fell victim to a turnover as Antelope Valley's Ethan John intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards to the Lancers 13. Amir Bankhead made a tremendous dart to his left through PCC tacklers to score an 8-yard TD run that put the Lancers in a 14-0 hole.
Pasadena cut it to 14-7 with 9:46 left before halftime on a 2-yard touchdown run by Isaac Glover. Arnou completions of 19 yards to tight end Cameron Woods and 12 yards to Glover as well as two personal foul penalties on the same play v. AVC (accounted for 29 yards that brought ball to the 14) set up the score.
Later in the second quarter, a 20-yard catch by Woods put the Lancers in position for a 30-yard field goal attempt by Justin Vergara. Instead, holder Andres Talamantes took a high snap, rolled out on the fake FG but his pass to the end zone was intercepted by Dazhon Sanders as PCC came up empty.
In the third quarter, Nate Sanchez pinned the Marauders on a 44-yard punt that was downed at the AVC 1. The Marauders proceeded to go on an 8-play, 99-yard drive with Bankhead capping it on a 1-yard TD carry. Henderson's extra point advanced the AVC lead to 21-7.
In the fourth period, Que Allen turned a short pass from Warren into a 41-yard TD connection that upped Antelope Valley's lead to 27-7 with 11:15 remaining.
PCC responded with one of the few long plays of the game as Jakob Doolittle hit Ostry for a 38-yard TD pass with 71 seconds left on the clock. Too little and too late for a PCC comeback.
Pasadena makes another "first" as it will play a special Friday night home game on Sept. 30 against Moorpark. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.
PCC GRIDIRON NOTES: Ostry totaled 175 yards in all-purpose offense, including seven receptions for 77 yards and 89 yards on four kick returns...Glover led the PCC ground gain with 51 yards in 11 carries while Juaquin Elliott added 31 yards in eight attempts...Woods had two receptions for 39 yards...On defense, Mark Anderson III made seven solo tackles, Brian Payne seven tackles (six solos), including a sack, Roland "Kea" Rodrigues six tackles (five solos, a sack), Michelangelo Loretto a sack, and Secil Ackah had two tackles and forced a fumble...Ackah was SCFA Special Teams Player of the Week in PCC's victory over Santa Ana...PCC had minimized turnovers, just three over the first three games and only one interception before the three pickoffs made by Antelope Valley...Mario Luna, a 6-foot-1, 270 pound freshman defensive lineman, was moved to the starting offensive line for this game.
Noah Schwartz blocks an AVC FG attempt
