Cooper is State Player of the Week; Martin gets APL honor

SBCC running back Cedric Cooper has been named State Player of the Week by the JC Athletic Bureau.

Cooper, a sophomore from Seattle, Wash., ran for a career-high 168 yards on 30 carries and caught two passes for 17 yards in a stirring 46-44 double-overtime victory over Citrus. The Vaqueros trailed 28-17 entering the fourth quarter, then tied it at 31-31. They won it in the second OT when David Blevins blocked a Citrus PAT kick and returned it for two points, followed by Cooper's 8-yard TD run that capped the comeback.

Two running backs combined for 473 total yards in the American Pacific League game with Cooper gaining 185 and the Owls' David Floyd racking up 288 yards (219 rushing, one reception for 69 yards).

Vaquero linebacker Dallas Martin was named APL Defensive Player of the Week and Cooper was the Offensive Player of the Week. Martin, a 6-3 freshman from Foothill High in Pleasanton, Calif., had a season-best 16 tackles, including three solo.

The Vaqueros (6-2, 2-1) improved to 4-0 at home. They moved up to No. 26 in the state rankings and No. 4 in the SCFA American Division.

SBCC has the No. 4 rushing attack in the state (230.3 yards per game) and the No. 5 scoring offense (42.6 points).

The Vaqueros travel to Woodland Hills to take on L.A. Pierce (1-7, 0-3) on Saturday at 6 p.m.