College Of The Canyons Looks For Win In Conference Opener

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. –The College of the Canyons Cougars (1-1) enter tonight's Western State Conference (WSC) Mountain Division game against the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros (1-1). This will be the first of eight WSC games for the Cougars.

Canyons holds a 7-0 advantage over the Vaqueros since 1998, with the closest game in 2005 when the Cougars won 28-12 at Santa Barbara. The largest margin of victory was in 2000 with a 54-10 rout of the Vaqueros at home. Last year COC posted a 36-6 win over Santa Barbara behind quarterback Andrew Miramontes' 12-of-20 for 210 yards and one touchdown night.

The Cougars come off a tough one-point loss to Fullerton (2-0), 32-31. The team lost an 18-point third quarter lead to its opponent, dropping its home opener when the Hornets produced 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter Saturday night. The loss broke the team's unblemished record when scoring 30+ points at home, lowering their record to 42-1. The Cougars took a 17-13 lead into halftime, followed by two touchdowns from running back Fred Winborn, who finished the night with 96 yards on 11 carries. But as the Cougars were able to hold Fullerton scoreless in the third, the Hornets did the same to Canyons in the fourth as they scored three touchdowns. Despite the loss, COC held Fullerton to 107 yards rushing on 37 attempts. Defensive back Rob Casselberry led with eight tackles (five solo) and 1.5 tackles for a loss of two yards, while sophomore defensive back Taiino Herrera added seven tackles (six solo) and two sacks for a loss of three yards. Miramontes was 19-of-32 for 236 yards and two touchdowns, which he earned Western State Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The Vaqueros used a 5-2 advantage in turnovers to beat Compton in their home opener last weekend, 37-15. The win marked the first victory of the year for Santa Barbara and was the first for new head coach Craig Moropoulos. SBCC dominated the whole game, holding the visitors to 45 rushing yards on 33 attempts and didn't allow a touchdown until the final two minutes.

Santa Barbara has a balanced offense that has produced 140 rushing yards and 166 passing yards for 306 yards total during two games. The Vaqueros are led by running back Chris O'Day who tallied 13 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns and wide receiver Hunt Easterling with six catches for 50 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Nick Acciani comes into the game completing 10 of 31 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown.

The Cougars offense has already established themselves as one of the better teams in the WSC. 2006 Second Team All-WSC honoree Miramontes is ranked third in the conference in passing with 41 completions on the year. Newcomer Raphael Reynolds is also No. 3 in rushing with 212 yards on 25 carries. Freshman wide receiver Hayo Carptenter notched 15 catches for 304 yards and is ranked third in the WSC. Along with the individuals excelling, as a team the Cougars have picked up 938 yards in two games for an average of 469 yards per game. COC is second in team offense, only behind Bakersfield, who is producing 540 yards a game.

Tonight's game will matchup two new head coaches. Canyons' Garett Tujague was the longtime assistant of Chuck Lyon since 1998 and is the fourth coach in the history of the COC football program. Santa Barbara's Moropoulos became the head coach in mid-June after former coach Reggie Bolton left for an assistant coaching position at Bakersfield College. Moropoulos served as offensive coordinator for the Vaqueros last season.

See the complete release for COC vs Santa Barbara City College here.