Cougars Football to Kick Off 2019 Season with Community Invites

The College of the Canyons football program will kick off the 2019 season at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Saddleback College, in the first of 10 regular season games. 

Once again, all Cougars home games will be live streamed to fans through a broadcast partnership with SoCalCollegeSports.com. 

Home games will also be replayed on SCVTV Channel 20 and SCVTV.com throughout the weekend.

In addition, COC head coach Ted Iacenda and the Cougars have announced a series of special FREE community group invites for each home game. 

On Sept. 28, the college will host a 50th Anniversary Homecoming celebration prior to the game vs. Cerritos College. Fans and community members are invited to enjoy pre-game family activities, food and concessions, music, photo opportunities, T-shirt and rally towel giveaways, and a special on-field half-time presentation. Festivities begin at 4 p.m., with kickoff scheduled at 6 p.m. Admission and parking are both free for this event.

A full 2019 schedule and invite list is included below (home games are in bold):

• Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Saddleback College
  6 p.m. — Cougar Stadium
  ALL SCV SCHOOL STUDENTS/STAFF ADMITTED FREE OF CHARGE (w/ valid ID)
  
  
• Saturday, Sept. 14 vs. Grossmont College
  6 p.m. — Cougar Stadium
  ALL FIRST RESPONDERS ADMITTED FREE OF CHARGE (w/ valid ID)
  
  
• Saturday, Sept. 21 @ Santa Barbara City College
  6 p.m. — La Playa Stadium
  
• Saturday, SEPT. 28 vs. Cerritos College
  6 p.m. —Cougar Stadium
  50th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration
  ALL FANS ADMITTED FREE
  Pre-Game Celebration w/ food, family activities, music & giveaways begins at 4 p.m.
  
  
• Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. Golden West College
  1 p.m. — Golden West Stadium
  
• Thursday, Oct. 17 @ Moorpark College*
  7 p.m. — Cougar Stadium
  SCFA National Division, Northern League Opener
  All SCV Youth Football & Cheer Teams Admitted Free of Charge (w/ uniform)
  
  
• Saturday, Oct. 26 @ East Los Angeles College*
  6 p.m. —Weingart Stadium
  
• Saturday, Nov. 2 @ Ventura College*
  6 p.m. — Ventura College Sportsplex
  
• Saturday, Nov. 9 vs Long Beach City College*
  6 p.m. —Cougar Stadium
  ALL VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY ADMITTED FREE (w/ valid ID)
  
  
• Saturday, Nov. 16 @ Bakersfield College*
  6 p.m. — Memorial Stadium

*Denotes Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League contest.

General admission tickets to all Cougar football games are $10. Kids under 10 and seniors over 60 are $5.

2018 Cougars Football

College of the Canyons completed a perfect 10-0 regular season and claimed the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League conference championship before returning to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Playoffs for the first time since 2013.

The conference title was the 12th in program history, second under head coach Ted Iacenda, and ninth since COC reinstated its football program in 1998. The perfect regular season mark was the fifth in school history.

The Cougars also finished the regular season as the No. 1 ranked team in both the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) statewide poll and the JC Athletic Bureau Head Coaches Poll.

COC averaged nearly 36 points and more than 436 yards of total offense per game, scoring more than 30 points in seven contests.

Defensively, the Cougars limited opponents to a state-best 9.5 points per game and surrendered just 10 touchdowns during the regular season. The Cougars held opponents to just 248.4 yards of offense per night, good for third in the state, while the 133.8 passing yards allowed per game was the state's best mark.

Canyons had won a state-best 15 consecutive games dating back to week six of the 2017 season before falling to Ventura College in the opening round of the 2018 postseason.

COC freshman linebacker Tariq Speights was named both the SCFA National Division, Northern League Defensive Player of the Year and Region III All-California Community College Defensive Player of the Year. 

Speights and freshman kicker Tanner Brown both earned California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) All-American Team honors. 

Iacenda was named conference Coach of the Year as 16 Cougars earned all-conference honors, including three unanimous First-Team selections in sophomore quarterback Wyatt Eget, sophomore wide receiver Brandon Pierce and sophomore defensive back Raeshawn Roland. Eget, Pierce and Roland were joined by Speights and Brown as All-State team selections.

Canyons also had 14 players named to the SCFA Scholar-Athlete team.

More than 20 players from the 2018 team have since transferred to four year schools.

In April 2019, former COC wide receiver Marquise Brown (class of 2016) was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 25th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

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 Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.