Football demolishes Southwest, 56-28

GARDENA, Calif. –The College of the Canyons Cougars (3-1, 2-0) gathered a school record 711 yards Saturday afternoon against L.A. Southwest Cougars (1-3, 0-2) to post a 56-28 win in the second Western State Conference contest of the year. 

COC received a big boost from freshman running back Fred Winborn who garnered 256 yards on 20 carries, setting a school record that was held by Steve Smith who had 249 yards in a 2000 game. Winborn also added four touchdowns to his resume, tying the record for rushing touchdowns in a game.

The Cougars began their high-scoring afternoon with two easy points from a Southwest-induced safety. Canyons received the ball on the next possession and Winborn was in the end zone for his first score on a 6-yard run. The extra point from Paul Weinstein, who went 7-for-7 on extra points, was good and the Cougars jumped to a 9-0 lead.

COC's defense provided the excitement in the next drive as Southwest marched the ball to the Canyons' 7-yard line, but could not convert on fourth and goal. LASW attempted a 20-yard field goal, but it was blocked by defensive lineman Cedrick Hall who returned the ball to the COC 15-yard line, setting up another COC score.

Five snaps later, sophomore wide receiver Chris McClover caught his first pass of the season from quarterback Andrew Miramontes, which just happened to be a 27-yard touchdown reception.

LASW scored on its final drive of the first quarter, closing in on the COC lead, 16-6.

Winborn scored on the Cougars next possession, a 3-yard run, while Miramontes added his own 12-yard rushing touchdown, placing the Cougars up 30-6.

A 14-yard interception by sophomore defensive back Chris Black put College of the Canyons within scoring distance, and the team combined four plays with a 61-yard carry from Winborn for his third scoring run. The Cougars went into halftime with a 37-14 lead, after Southwest scored the final touchdown of the half.

College of the Canyons came out flat after the break, allowing Southwest to score 14 unanswered points and closing in on the deficit, 37-28. Those would be the only points scored by Southwest for the rest of the game, as COC held the team to 283 offensive yards on the day.

Miramontes reacted to LASW's two touchdowns with his second rushing score on a 6-yard run to end the third.

COC started the final period with a Weinstein 35-yard field goal and Winborn collected his fourth touchdown, a 67-yard carry, placing the Cougars up 54-28. Another safety from Southwest added two more points for College of the Canyons leaving the final score at 56-28.

COC held Southwest to 46 yards rushing and 237 yards passing, while Canyons earned 331 yards on the ground and 380 yards in the air.

Miramontes was 24-of-38 for 359 yards and one touchdown and wide receiver Hayo Carpenter had 11 catches for 178 yards.

The defense recorded eight sacks for a loss of 69 yards. Defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul had four sacks and four tackles, while Hall notched three sacks, a pass breakup and two blocked kicks.

The Cougars return to action on Saturday, Sept. 29 to host West L.A. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.