Joel Enriquez, running back for the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs, had the end zone in sight on Saturday night with the ball in his hands and the PCC defense behind him. A touchdown or field goal would place the game well out of reach for the Lancers football team, with only 1:18 left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
But Enriquez never reached paydirt.
“I had missed a tackle earlier which led to a touchdown,” said defensive back Dashon Wade, who had 17 tackles, 11 of which were solo. “I knew I had to do more than tackle [Enriquez], as I ran 30-yards down the field. I knocked the ball out of his hands at the 3-yard line and recovered the fumble.”
The most explosive and biggest defensive play of the season gave PCC its first victory, snapping a 7-game losing streak, with a final score of 19-17 at Righetti High.
“The defense played really well,” head coach Fred Fimbres said. “Wade went down there and got that huge stripped ball. It took a heart play to win the game.”
As the final whistle blew, the Lancers drenched Fimbres with the contents of a Gatorade jug. It was the first time since mid-season last year that PCC got to celebrate a win.
“They caught me unprepared,” Fimbres said. “It was such a nail-biter that they had to wait until the whistle blew. I’m just happy that the players and assistant coaches got to celebrate. They deserved it.”
Last year on Oct. 20, it was a different story when the Lancers took on the Bulldogs at Robinson Stadium. After PCC took the lead late in the game, the team allowed Allan Hancock to get a 50-yard kickoff return, which ultimately resulted in a Bulldogs touchdown.
“It was heartbreaking to lose that way last year,” Wade said. “I thought to myself, ‘we can’t lose like that again’. This time around, someone had to step up and make a big play late in the game. I had the opportunity and I took it.”
The Lancers put together an impressive 20-play, 69-yard series that lasted over 8 minutes in the first half, only to have to settle for a 22-yard field goal by kicker Brian Sanchez at the end of it. Although the Bulldogs scored a touchdown and got the extra point, PCC went into the locker room at halftime with a 10-7 lead thanks to wide receiver Jake Holguin.
“We really improved on offense this week,” Fimbres said. “Holguin went out there and grabbed 33-yard touchdown pass. This just goes to show that if we continue to execute on offense and defense, we can keep winning.”
The Lancers are on a bye week this week and will not play, but Wade thought that PCC would be able to keep its momentum from this game going into next week’s contest against Ventura College.
“The thing we can’t forget are the losses we have taken,” Wade said. “The bye week will give our injured players time to get better, but we need to remember the way this win felt and take that fire into the next game.”
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A homecoming victory would be an even bigger win. GO LANCERS