The Laney College football team won the National Valley Conference championship with a 40-33 victory over Modesto Junior College on Nov. 3 in Oakland.
The Eagles (8-1, 4-0 NVC) finish their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 11 against Chabot College in Hayward. Game time is 6 p.m.
The Northern California playoff pairings won’t be decided until after this weekend’s slate of games are concluded.
But Laney, for the first time, is included.
The Eagles currently ranked No. 5 in the JC Athletic Bureau Coaches poll, pulled away from the Pirates (2-2, 4-5) after leading only 21-20 at the end of the first half.
Laney was held to 58 yards rushing in the first two quarters, but finished with 236 yards on the ground and a total of 469 for the game.
Marcel Dancy (West-Oakland HS) took charge in the first half, scoring the Eagles’ first two touchdowns. He ran 28 yards for Laney’s first score, then caught a pass from quarterback Noah Suszckiewicz and went 84 yards for a 14-7 lead with 13:21 left in the second quarter.
Suszckiewicz threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Robert Stern (De Anza HS) that gave Laney that 21-20 halftime lead.
Then it was Ahmari Davis’ turn. Davis (James Logan HS) scored Laney’s next two touchdowns, the first coming on a 21-yard run in the third quarter ad then a 51-yarder to start the fourth quarter as the Eagles took a 35-20 lead.
Modesto score the next touchdown, but Joseph Butler (Houston HS-San Antonio) picked up a blocked PAT attempt and ran the length of the field to give the Eagles two points and a 37-26 lead with 12:36 left in the game.
Laney’s final points came on KC Onwuemeka’s (Hercules HS) 18-yard field goal with 7:02 left.
Davis finished with 147 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. Dancy had 94 yards on 11 carries and one score. He also caught three passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Suszckiewicz completed nine of 18 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, linebacker Cameron Nathan (Antioch HS) had his best game of the season with 17 tackles (14 solo); Butler 10 tackles (8 solo); and Da’Meak Brandon (La Salle HS-Cincinnati) had an interception.
By Scott A. Strain
Laney College Sports Information
