Vaqueros will take on Cerritos in Golden State Bowl

SBCC received an invitation to the CCCAA football bowl party on Sunday and the Vaqueros will play Cerritos in the Golden State Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday in Norwalk.

It will be the Vaqueros' first bowl appearance since 1997.

Santa Barbara went 7-3 this year and finished third in the American Pacific League. The Vaqueros dropped their last two games to APL champion Santa Monica and Glendale.
 
"It's a reward for a very good season," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "We're looking forward to it and we're going to have some fun."

Cerritos went 7-3 and tied for second in the National Northern League behind Ventura. The Falcons' three losses were by a combined 10 points. They're ranked No. 11 in the state and No. 6 in Southern Cal. The Vaqueros are 20th in So Cal.

SBCC is the No. 5 seed in the Southern California Football Association's American Division. Cerritos is the sixth seed from the National Division. The teams had one common opponent this year in Hancock with the Vaqueros winning 33-27 on Sept. 13 in Santa Maria and the Falcons prevailing 19-12 on Oct. 18 at home.

The Vaqueros are 4-1 on the road and Cerritos is 4-1 at home.

Brandon Edwards, a freshman quarterback from Seattle, leads SBCC's no-huddle offense with 1,805 yards an d 17 touchdowns. Elijah King is the top receiver with 53 catches for 630 yards and seven TDs.

Sophomore Cedric Cooper leads the ground attack with 588 yards and six TDs. Cheroke Cunningham, a freshman from Santa Barbara High, has 354 yards and two scores.

Blake Levin has made 7-8 field goals and 31-33 PAT kicks. His 48-yarder in Week 1 was the third-longest field goal in school history. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky is fifth in Southern Cal with a 39.0-yard average and ranks No. 1 in the state with 27 punts inside the 20, including six downed at the 1-yard line.

Cornerback Jacob Girgle racked up 17 tackles on Saturday and leads the defense with 60 tackles and three interceptions. Brandon Nicastro has 51 tackles and Jay Terry has 50.

The Falcons are led by freshman quarterback Jimmy Walker (2,171 yards, 23 TDs) and receiver Domonique Young (50 catches, 921 yards, 9 TDs). They've won their last two games over Moorpark (43-33) and Canyons (27-21).

Tickets can be purchased at the game and cost $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors, students with current ID and children under 12.

The game will be broadcast on KZSB AM 1290 with John Martony calling the action. Click here to listen around the world on the Internet.