Giants look to build on strong start Saturday at home vs. Santa Rosa
By Nick Giannandrea
For College of the Sequoias Athletics
A state-ranked community college football team will be in action this weekend at the Giant Chevrolet and Cadillac Mineral King Bowl.
And for the first time since 2013, that team will be College of the Sequoias.
The Giants, who entered the JC Athletic Bureau's Coaches' Poll this week at No. 25, are set to host Santa Rosa at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
COS (2-1) garnered its first state ranking in six seasons after a 36-16 victory at Siskiyous on Sept. 21. The Giants also sit just outside the California Community College Sports Information Association's Top 25 with 12 votes following a start to the season that opened with a 30-24 overtime victory against Feather River on Sept. 7 and a 38-6 loss at Chabot on Sept. 14.
"We're still a work in progress," second-year COS head coach Joe D'Agostino said. "Success is fleeting. We can be ranked this week and not next if we don't play well. We're just keeping our eye on the long-term goal, which is to change the trajectory of what's going on here, and being consistently competitive."
D'Agostino and staff are trying to change the trajectory of the program with predominantly with local players. The Giants' 73-man roster features 56 players who played at high schools between Madera to the north and Bakersfield to the south.
On offense, nine of the 11 starters are locals, including quarterback Gus Villareal (Dinuba), receivers Bryson Allen (Tulare Union), Sergio Pena (Selma) and offensive linemen Miguel Madrigal (Porterville), Nick Smith (Redwood), Henry Wong (Fresno) and Rigo Lopez (Tulare Western).
Defensively, seven starters are locals, including five of the team's top six tacklers in Judah Ruckman (Springville), Noah Beukers (Washington Union), Anthony Cervantes (Tulare Western), Noah Wright (Lemoore) and Mitch Maggini (Riverdale), and the team's interceptions leader in Bobby Peele (Edison).
"A big focus was to change the demographics, and I think we've done a good job with that," D'Agostino said. "The (coaching) staff has embraced the mission and we're definitely headed in the right direction.
"It's one thing to say we're trying to build around local kids, and then nothing changes. But for us to recruit these local kids and have some success and improvement, that's big for us. It's important to see the model working with local kids."
The Giants are preparing to host a Santa Rosa team that enters 0-3 following losses to state-ranked opposition in No. 5 (JCABC)/No. 4 (CCCSIA) Fresno City (35-17), No. 7/5 Butte (45-13) and No. 17/16 Shasta (24-17).
COS leads the all-time series dating to 1978 at 5-4, but has lost the last three meetings, including a 37-13 loss in Santa Rosa last season.
According to D'Agostino, the Giants are going to need a big night against the Bear Cubs from their rushing attack, which received a 103-yard, one-touchdown performance from Davonte Green (Hammond, La.) last week against Siskiyous.
"They are a challenge because they are big up front and can get after the quarterback," D'Agostino said. "The way to negate that is to run the ball. We have to win the line of scrimmage. If we can't control the line of scrimmage and we give up pressure, it's going to be a long night."
D'Agostino said the Giants will also need a repeat performance from their kicking game, which received field goals of 31 and 35 yards, and four extra points against Siskiyous from Tachi-Yokut Special Teams Player of the Week Dominic Hernandez (Tulare Western). Green and linebacker Marcos Moran (Los Angeles), who returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown, were the Giants' other Players of the Week.
"We took a huge stride in the kicking game last week," D'Agostino said. "The coaches and players have done a great job."
A victory Saturday would give COS wins in at least three of its first four games for the fourth time in the past seven seasons. But the Giants have only one winning record during that span, going 6-4 in 2013.
COS hasn't played in a bowl game since 2005, and last won a conference title in 1998.
"We're up against a history of poor results," D'Agostino said. "To fight through that, we've got to take it one week at a time.
"We want to continue to show growth. At the end of the season, you measure where you're at. It doesn't mean much to be 3-1 if you lose your last six."
