No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

FULLERTON — No. 21 College of the Canyons knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez. 

Canyons (1-1) held the Hornets to just 163 yards of total offense while forcing three turnovers and recording five sacks. The Cougars also benefitted from 100 yards of penalties assessed against Fullerton (1-1).

The host Hornets struck first, taking a 7-0 advantage with 11:38 to play in the opening quarter but did not score again until late in the fourth quarter. 

COC sophomore defensive back Dylan Flowers evened the score at 7-7 with a 35-yard pick six — his second in as many weeks — to answer back for the Cougars and help set the tone for the remainder of the evening.

Following a Fullerton special teams miscue Canyons started its next drive on the Hornets' three-yard line and was eventually able to cash in on a five-yard touchdown pass from Brady Welch to Chaz Hilst. Rodriguez' PAT put the score at 14-7 and continued what would prove to be an action-packed evening for the young kicker. 

Rodriguez went on to covert on four field goals (36, 32, 37, 27) in the first half as Canyons built a 26-7 advantage heading into halftime. The freshman out of Verdugo Hills High School added a 42-yard conversion in the fourth quarter to cap COC's first win of the season. 

Welch finished the night 14-of-21 for 96 yards. Cameron Bowen led the Canyons receivers with 33 yards on a pair of catches, while Joseph Saenz recorded five catches for 31 yards. Mckenzie Parks was the leading rusher with 27 yards coming on nine carries. 

Meanwhile, the Cougars' defense forced Hornets quarterback Tobey Schmidt to fumble on back-to-back drives in the second quarter. COC sophomore Roderick Colquitt got to Schmidt on a quarterback keep for the first. Later it was freshman Elijah Hall doing the same and scooping the loose ball up on the play.

COC freshman Sunia Maafu got to Schmidt twice, ending the night with a pair of sacks and a team-high eight total tackles. Tyrell Brown, JoJo Massey and Jackson Stein also recorded sacks in the game.

Adam Geukens was credited with seven takedowns including one for loss and a pair of pass break ups. Jackson Forté had six tackles including two for loss. 

In all, the Cougars has 11 tackles behind the line accounting for a loss of 63 yards. Domata Peko Jr., Tony Testa and Ajani Smith were all included in that effort.

COC freshman punter Josh Zammit recorded six punts in the contest for a total of 223 yards, including a long of 49, while thrice pinning the Hornets inside the 20-yard line. 

Fullerton's only other score came in a last gasp effort with 5:13 to go in the game when Jared Peters connected with Max Martin on a nine-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was halted leaving the score at 26-13.

Later, Rodriguez' final field goal of the evening made it a 29-13 final score.

Saturday's road win over Fullerton snapped a two-game skid vs. the Hornets. Canyons last defeated Fullerton in 2021, with the Cougars then falling to the Hornets during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Up next, Canyons remains on the road at Palomar College for a scheduled 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Sept. 21.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo courtesy of James McCormack