Giants set for unique rematch with Antelope Valley

By Nick Giannandrea

COS Athletics

California community college football teams typically don't get rematches. 

And certainly not within two weeks of the first matchup.

But in a season radically altered because of safety precautions over the coronavirus pandemic, that's exactly what College of the Sequoias has on tap when it hosts Antelope Valley on March 27. 

Kickoff to the Giants' finale of a two-game season delayed six months and shortened from 10 games is scheduled for 2 p.m. from their campus field. Spectators are not allowed because of Covid-19 restrictions, but a live stream can be viewed at https://youtu.be/9ZbWouOllPo.

"To play a team, have a bye week and play the same opponent again, from a learning standpoint, it's a pretty unique situation for the guys," first-year Sequoias coach Travis Burkett said. "We're in a good spot. We've had a heck of a spring. We're excited for Antelope Valley to come to town."

There was good, bad and ugly during the Giants' season-opening 33-13 loss to Antelope Valley in Lancaster on March 13.

The good was highlighted by a defense that took the ball away four times, including an interception by Jayden Sullivan (Redwood High) and a fumble recovery by Brian Rangel (Redwood).

The bad saw Sequoias' offense go three-and-out, or worse, eight times, including on the first four drives of the second half as the Marauders turned a 12-6 edge into a 33-6 cushion.

And the ugly was a blocked punt at the end of Giants' first possession that Antelope Valley returned for a touchdown.

"Kudos to the defense for taking the ball away four times. But the flip side of that is we have to do a better job on offense," Burkett said. "We had too many three and outs. We were a little stagnant (offensively.) We know we need to not be fancy or cute, but we need to generate rush yards in a multitude of ways, and we need to stretch the field vertically."

The Giants hope to build off a defensive effort that limited Antelope Valley to 22 or fewer yards on 11 of 17 possessions during the first matchup. The defense was led by a collection of former local prep standouts, including safety Anthony Cervantes (Tulare Western), linebacker Elijah Garza (San Joaquin Memorial-Fresno), linebacker Anthony Guzman (Woodlake) and defensive back Lejuane Haynes (Hanford).

Offensively, converted quarterback Jaedyn Pineda (Mt. Whitney) had his moments during his first start as a college tailback, finishing with 53 yards on 23 carries. 

Quarterbacks Nathan Lamb (Tulare Union) and Tate Robards (Broken Arrow, Okla.) each led scoring drives, while Willie Neal Jr. (Fort. Myers, Fla.), Jayson Littlejohn (Sierra Pacific-Hanford), Bryan Cuevas (Woodlake), Anthony Valencia (Mt. Whitney) and Josh Williams (Roosevelt-Fresno) all made plays in the passing game. 

Neal Jr. also proved explosive on special teams, averaging 43.5 yards on kickoff and 12 yards on punt returns.

"We're not interested in minimum standards. We're interested in guys who want to exceed standards," Burkett said. "We expect great improvement on Saturday, and every day we do what we do."

The rematch with Antelope Valley will cap an unprecedented spring season that saw the Giants' 56 players -- all but nine hailing from high schools located between Madera and Bakersfield -- putting in roughly 80 improvement fostering training sessions. 

And it was all made possible by Sequoias' administrative decision to be one of only a handful of community colleges across the state to bring back fall and winter sports this school year.

"We've got the die-hards, the I-love-football guys," Burkett said. "Some guys have faded for a multitude of reasons and that's fine. I'm really proud of the guys who have sustained and finished. You can see in their eyes a sense of accomplishment. And you can see their improvement.

"We've got guys who are twice as good as when they started off, be it a specific technique or skill set or ability at a position. We've got guys who have transformed themselves as football players and people."