Cougars Set to Play in Southern California Championship Game
No. 3 Canyons (9-2, 4-1) will travel to take on No. 1 Riverside City College (11-0, 5-0) at Arthur N. Wheelock Stadium on Saturday Nov. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
No. 3 College of the Canyons will travel to face No. 1 Riverside City College in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Championship game at Arthur N. Wheelock Stadium on Saturday Nov. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Saturday's playoff game will also be live streamed to fans via the Riverside Athletics YouTube Channel.
General admission tickets are $12. Seniors over age 55 and children under 17 and Veterans are $8 as dictated by the CCCAA. Gameday parking on the Riverside campus is $5.
Canyons (9-2, 4-1) defeated No. 2 Saddleback College 58-53 in the opening round of the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs on Nov. 23 at Cougar Stadium.
The playoff victory was the first of COC head coach Ted Iacenda's career and comes on the heels of the Cougars' back-to-back Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League Championships. The Cougars won the Northern League title outright in 2018 and share their 2019 championship with Ventura College and Long Beach City College.
Canyons will be playing in a Southern California Regional Championship game for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2008.
In the program's previous five appearances (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008) the Cougars hold a 2-3 record with the last victory coming in the form of a 37-24 road win vs. the Colt Brennan led Saddleback Gauchos during the 2004 National Championship season.
COC also defeated Chaffey College 52-27 to win the program's first SoCal Regional title in 2002, before losing to Reedley College in the state championship game.
Riverside (11-0, 5-0) won the SCFA National Division, Southern League after a 56-25 road win over Saddleback in the regular season finale.
The Tigers then defeated No. 4 Mt. San Antonio College (7-4, 4-1) 48-0 in the other Southern California Regional Playoff game.
The victory, which was the 100th of RCC head coach Tom Craft's career, propelled the Tigers into a fourth straight Southern California regional championship game. Riverside has also produced 10 straight winning seasons.
Saturday's matchup between Canyons and Riverside will be the first in school history. The winner moves on to the CCCAA State Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Bakersfield College.
No. 1 San Mateo College (11-0, 5-0) is hosting No. 2 Modesto College (9-2, 4-1) in the Northern California Regional Championship game at 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30.
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.