News: Defense Comes Through To Give Football First 2012 Win, 17-9 Over GWC

(Costa Mesa) – It took the dynamic duo of Pasadena City College defensive back Trayvon Watson and defensive lineman Gary London to end the Lancers’ nine-game program losing streak Saturday night. Watson twice intercepted passes in the fourth quarter thanks to explosive hurries by London as PCC defeated Golden West, 17-9, in a SCFA non-conference game. The game was played at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

The Lancers improved to 1-5 and Golden West dropped to 2-4. The last time the Lancers won was in week 6 of last season against Fullerton.

With 12:13 left and Pasadena leading 10-9, Golden West drove to the PCC 10. After a sack, Rustlers’ quarterback Ryan Watson was pressured by London as his end zone pass was picked off by Pasadena’s Watson.

The Lancers continued to hang on to the slim one-point line as Golden West started a possession following a blocked field goal with a little more than three minutes remaining. From the Rustlers’ 18, London drove the GWC quarterback out of the pocket and forced him into throwing another interception into the hands of PCC’s Watson along the sideline at the 19.

Moments later, PCC capitalized on a 15-yard touchdown run by Marciss Grigsby. Martin Magana’s extra point made it 17-9 with 2:45 left in the contest. Grigsby finished with 95 yards in 20 carries.

The Pasadena defense had to defend one more time as Golden West advanced to the Lancers’ 30. But Ryan Watson’s fourth down pass to the end zone was overthrown, ending the series with 46 seconds to go. Cornerback Keyon Austin provided blanket coverage on the final throw.

PCC quarterback Justin Posthuma played his best game of the season in completing 18 of 26 passes for 186 yards. Although his first pass was intercepted setting up a Golden West touchdown in the opening minute, Posthuma was efficient the rest of the way. He engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive late in the first half. His 17-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Tairen Owens gave PCC a 10-7 lead with 54 seconds before intermission. It was the first time the Lancers had led at halftime this year.

Magana’s 37-yard field goal 5:12 into the game marked the first time all season that PCC scored points in the first quarter.

The PCC defense made big plays throughout the win. Linebacker Steven Williams totaled a game-high 10 tackles, made two sacks, broke up a pass and had one hurry. Watson added eight tackles. In the third quarter, Dwayne Reed recovered a fumble to end a Golden West threat inside the PCC 20.

The Lancers limited Golden West to 215 yards offense, 44 yards through the air.

"We played a whole game, and I can't say enough about our defense stepping up and making big plays," said PCC head coach Fred Fimbres, relieved that the losing streak was finally over. "We deserved to win. We fought on both sides of the ball. So many good things to take away from this game. I think, the young players learned how you have to work hard, play hard to win."

Next Saturday, October 13, the Lancers host Moorpark College in a National Northern Division game. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Robinson Stadium.

PCC Gridiron Notes: The Lancers were a strong 6-for-13 on third down conversions, a huge improvement from their first five games...Magana had an up-and-down evening, including a miss from 35 yards and a blocked field goal from 26 yards. However, he may have had the most powerful tackle of the evening. In the first quarter on a kickoff, Golden West's Seth Roman raced 45 yards toward midfield but Magana stopped Roman cold in his tracks for a touchdown-saving tackle...Bruising fullback Steve Dinov (6-foot-2, 255 pounds) was a regular participant on most of the team's offensive plays as the team has increased its blocking on rushing plays. Dinov also caught two short passes from Posthuma...Zach Sinclair, a sophomore transfer running back, has become a weapon on offense. He had two carries for 24 yards and led the team in receiving with four catches for 45 yards...Fimbres changed up the team's mindset by having the Lancers wear all white jerseys and pants. The team had worn black pants in previous road games. "It's better to look good than to feel good," he said in reference to comedian Billy Crystal's long-ago Fernando character on Saturday Night Live.

[Photo--Trayvon Watson (10) goes up for the first of his two interceptions during PCC's 17-9 win over Golden West at Orange Coast College's LeBard Stadium Saturday night, image by Richard Quinton, sports information photographer.]

Release Date: 10/07/2012
Contact: Robert Lewis , Sports Information
Phone: (626) 585-7018
Email: rmlewis@pasadena.edu

Headlines
PCC in the News News: Defense Comes Through To Give Football First 2012 Win, 17-9 Over GWC (Costa Mesa) – It took the dynamic duo of Pasadena City College defensive back Trayvon Watson and defensive lineman Gary London to end the Lancers’ nine-game program losing streak Saturday night. Watson twice intercepted passes in the fourth quarter thanks to explosive hurries by London as PCC defeated Golden West, 17-9, in a SCFA non-conference game. The game was played at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium. The Lancers improved to 1-5 and Golden West dropped to 2-4. The last time the Lancers won was in week 6 of last season against Fullerton. With 12:13 left and Pasadena leading 10-9, Golden West drove to the PCC 10. After a sack, Rustlers’ quarterback Ryan Watson was pressured by London as his end zone pass was picked off by Pasadena’s Watson. The Lancers continued to hang on to the slim one-point line as Golden West started a possession following a blocked field goal with a little more than three minutes remaining. From the Rustlers’ 18, London drove the GWC quarterback out of the pocket and forced him into throwing another interception into the hands of PCC’s Watson along the sideline at the 19. Moments later, PCC capitalized on a 15-yard touchdown run by Marciss Grigsby. Martin Magana’s extra point made it 17-9 with 2:45 left in the contest. Grigsby finished with 95 yards in 20 carries. The Pasadena defense had to defend one more time as Golden West advanced to the Lancers’ 30. But Ryan Watson’s fourth down pass to the end zone was overthrown, ending the series with 46 seconds to go. Cornerback Keyon Austin provided blanket coverage on the final throw. PCC quarterback Justin Posthuma played his best game of the season in completing 18 of 26 passes for 186 yards. Although his first pass was intercepted setting up a Golden West touchdown in the opening minute, Posthuma was efficient the rest of the way. He engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive late in the first half. His 17-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Tairen Owens gave PCC a 10-7 lead with 54 seconds before intermission. It was the first time the Lancers had led at halftime this year. Magana’s 37-yard field goal 5:12 into the game marked the first time all season that PCC scored points in the first quarter. The PCC defense made big plays throughout the win. Linebacker Steven Williams totaled a game-high 10 tackles, made two sacks, broke up a pass and had one hurry. Watson added eight tackles. In the third quarter, Dwayne Reed recovered a fumble to end a Golden West threat inside the PCC 20. The Lancers limited Golden West to 215 yards offense, 44 yards through the air. "We played a whole game, and I can't say enough about our defense stepping up and making big plays," said PCC head coach Fred Fimbres, relieved that the losing streak was finally over. "We deserved to win. We fought on both sides of the ball. So many good things to take away from this game. I think, the young players learned how you have to work hard, play hard to win." Next Saturday, October 13, the Lancers host Moorpark College in a National Northern Division game. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Robinson Stadium. PCC Gridiron Notes: The Lancers were a strong 6-for-13 on third down conversions, a huge improvement from their first five games...Magana had an up-and-down evening, including a miss from 35 yards and a blocked field goal from 26 yards. However, he may have had the most powerful tackle of the evening. In the first quarter on a kickoff, Golden West's Seth Roman raced 45 yards toward midfield but Magana stopped Roman cold in his tracks for a touchdown-saving tackle...Bruising fullback Steve Dinov (6-foot-2, 255 pounds) was a regular participant on most of the team's offensive plays as the team has increased its blocking on rushing plays. Dinov also caught two short passes from Posthuma...Zach Sinclair, a sophomore transfer running back, has become a weapon on offense. He had two carries for 24 yards and led the team in receiving with four catches for 45 yards...Fimbres changed up the team's mindset by having the Lancers wear all white jerseys and pants. The team had worn black pants in previous road games. "It's better to look good than to feel good," he said in reference to comedian Billy Crystal's long-ago Fernando character on Saturday Night Live. [Photo--Trayvon Watson (10) goes up for the first of his two interceptions during PCC's 17-9 win over Golden West at Orange Coast College's LeBard Stadium Saturday night, image by Richard Quinton, sports information photographer.] Release Date: 10/07/2012 Contact: Robert Lewis , Sports Information Phone: (626) 585-7018 Email: rmlewis@pasadena.edu
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Revised August 1, 2012 by rmlewis@pasadena.edu