Vaqueros shut out Monarchs 14-0 in season finale

SBCC's defense came up big on Saturday night and Emmanuel Nwosu went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the Vaqueros' 14-0 football win at L.A. Valley.

Nwosu, a former Dos Pueblos High standout entered the game as the ninth-leading rusher in the state with 953 yards on 156 carries and a 5.8-yard average. He's the first 1,000-yard rusher for the Vaqueros in 47 years. Jerry Hughes set the single-season record of 1,235 yards in 1970.

The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Vaqueros. They end the season 4-6 overall and 1-4 in the American Pacific League. The Monarchs have the same records.

The Vaqueros took a 7-0 lead with a 57-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard run by Nwosu with 5:33 to go in the second quarter. Two plays earlier, QB Gerald Hickson hit Donald Lambert for a 33-yard completion. Lambert caught four passes for 64 yards.

Santa Barbara led 7-0 at halftime.

Valley came up short on a 45-yard field goal try on the first possession of the third quarter. On first down, Nwosu ran for 10 yards, putting him over 1,000 for the season. He carried 27 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Nwosu had six 100-yard games this year and his 1,080 yards ranks No. 2 on the Vaqueros' single-season rushing chart.

SBCC extended the lead to 14-0 late in the third quarter after an interception by Chase Elliott. Lambert took a handoff on a flanker reverse and threw a 26-yard TD to Cody Haines.

The Vaquero defense held Valley to 218 total yards and 92 on the ground. It was the first shutout in 18 games. The Vaqueros blanked L.A. Southwest 51-0 on Sept. 17 of last year.