Bishop Apodaka

The Laney College football team has won the National Valley Conference and qualified for the Northern California state playoffs for the first time.

The Laney College football team has won the National Valley Conference and qualified for the Northern California state playoffs for the first time.

The Eagles (9-1, 5-0 NVC) won the title outright with a 34-8 victory over Chabot College in Hayward on Nov.  11.

Laney, fifth in the State Coaches poll and seeded No.4 in the NorCal playoffs, will travel to Sacramento to play top-seeded American River College (9-1) in a first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 18. Game time is 6 p.m.

If the Eagles prevail against the Beavers, they will play the winner of No. 3 College of the Siskiyous vs. No. 2 College of San Mateo the following weekend.

The current format for state playoffs has been in existence for four years and the Eagles have never qualified for it, but they have gone to bowl games, including last year’s 49-35 victory over City College of San Francisco in its own San Francisco Community College Bowl.

The victory over Chabot solidified Laney’s NVC championship. The Eagles defense turned in its best statistical performance of the season, holding the home Gladiators (2-8, 0-5) to just 57 yards of total offense.

Chabot had just three net yards rushing.

Noah Davis (Pleasant Valley HS) and Bishop Apodaka (Fremont HS-Oakland) each totaled had five tackles (Davis five solo; Apodaka four) and Jonathan Whittley (Castlemont HS) had three of Laney’s four sacks. Brandon Hill (Oakland Tech HS) had the other.

Offensively, the Eagles were led by running back Marcel Dancy, who had 142 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns.

Laney scored twice in the first quarter to take a 10-0 lead. Dancy scored on an 18-yard run and KC Onwuemeka (Hercules HS) kicked a 33-yard field goal.

The Eagles upped the lead to 24-0 when quarterback Noah Suszckiewicz scored on a 35-yard run and Dancy scored on a 10-yard run.

Laney capped an 11-play, 84-yard drive in the third quarter when Suszckiewicz threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Jake Ramsey (Dougherty Valley HS) with 5:57 left in the third quarter.

Onwuemeka’s 20-yard field goal in the fourth quarter completed the Eagles’ scoring.

By Scott A. Strain

Laney College Sports Information

If it is anything, this Laney College football team is resilient

If it is anything, this Laney College football team is resilient.

The Eagles (6-1, 2-0 National Valley Conference) came from behind three times to finally defeat a stubborn College of the Sequoias team 34-17 on Oct. 20 in Oakland.

Laney was down 3-0, 10-6 and 17-13 before scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Ahmari Davis (James Logan HS) rushed for 90 yards and scored the Eagles’ first touchdown on a 25-yard run with 13:46 left in the second quarter. Laney’s other first-half score came with 44 seconds left when Noah Suszckiewicz (Berkeley HS) threw a 22-yard pass to Devond Blair Jr. (Bunche HS-Oakland) for a 13-10 lead.

After the Giants (2-5, 0-2) scored on the first play of the third quarter, the Eagles got back on top for good when Blair Jr. caught a 24-yard scoring pass from Suszckiewicz with 5:31 reaming in the third quarter.

Quarterback Andrew Ve’e (Encinal HS) scored on a 3-yard run 44 seconds into the fourth quarter and Marcel Dancy (West HS-Oakland) added a 13-yard scoring run with 8:39 left in the game.

Laney took advantage of three turnovers and had eight sacks on defense. Defensive back Zach Zimmerman (Monroe HS-Monroe, LA) returned an interception 31 yards.

Linebackers Joseph Butler (Houston HS-San Antonio) and Bishop Apodaka (Fremont HS-Oakland) each finished with seven tackles. Butler had four solo tackles; Apodaka had four.

Butler also had three sacks and three tackles for losses (TFL). Apodaka had two sacks and two TFL.

Armani Turner-Jenkins (Berkeley HS) and Erin Austin (Heritage HS-Brentwood each had six tackles. Turner-Jenkins had five solo tackles; Austin had four solo tackles and two sacks; Turner-Jenkins had one sack.

Austin was credited with 3.5 TFL and Turner-Jenkins had 1.5 TFL.

The Eagles’ next game is at Fresno City College on Saturday, Oct. 28. Game time is 6 p.m.

By Scott Strain

Laney College Sports Information