APTOS — Pushing a regional power to its limit might have been something to be proud of in previous years at Cabrillo College, a program that has not had a winning season since 2006.
That is no longer the case.
“There are no moral victories in this thing,” said head coach Darren Arbet, who is in his second year with the Seahawks.
In Arbet’s regime, a loss is a loss. And a loss like Saturday night’s heartbreaking 50-44 double overtime defeat against Hartnell College, only served as a sobering jolt of reality to start the American-Golden Coast Conference season.
Cabrillo (2-1, 0-1) had a chance to notch its first 3-0 start since 1997, and its first win over Hartnell (4-0, 1-0) since 2011. But the upset-minded Seahawks could not outgun the rival Panthers in a game the featured 1,071 yards of total offense.
“It’s a hard one to swallow,” said Cabrillo freshman quarterback Josh Barron. “We’ll put the work in next week. We have to move on to Reedley.”
The Seahawks erased a 28-16 first-half deficit, and scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
The two teams traded scores in the first OT, but Cabrillo’s offense stalled in the second and Hartnell’s freshman quarterback Isaiah Ariolla-Randalle tossed the game-winning touchdown to freshman receiver Duante Moore.
“All game were struggling offensively,” Ariolla-Randalle said. “We got a couple of good passes, and when it came down to the wire we just executed.”
Ariolla-Randalle shredded Cabrillo’s defensive backfield for 401 yards and four touchdowns while completing 21 of his 40 passing attempts.
Cabrillo kept pace with the Panthers’ explosive passing offense behind its mammoth offensive line and speedy stable of backs. Freshman running backs Ladell Combs and Cory Glasgow combined for 274 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Barron, a backup to start the season, also did his best to keep the Seahawks in the game by completing 10-of-40 passing attempts for 205 yards and a 17-yard touchdown to Glasgow.
Freshman receiver Ramon Gordon was Barron’s top target, hauling in three balls for 100 yards. Freshman receiver Romello Cook made three grabs for 41 yards, and sophomore receiver Jamarr Porter caught two passes for 58 yards, while also punching in a 2-yard rushing score to tie the game at 37-all with 5:28 left in the fourth quarter.
“He put us in position to win the football game,” Arbet said of Barron, who also ran for a touchdown. “That’s all you can ask for.”
Cabrillo had a chance to win in regulation after making a stop on fourth down deep in its own territory with 2:06 left to play, but a penalty-heavy, 12-play drive ended harmlessly at the Hartnell 44.
Hartnell had the first possession of overtime, and Ariolla-Randalle wasted little time in finding Moore for a 9-yard touchdown pass to put the pressure on the Cabrillo offense.
The Seahawks answered with their running attack, as Combs converted a third-and-1 situation and scurried around blocks for a 15-yard touchdown to force a second OT.
Cabrillo’s offense stalled at the Hartnell 8-yard line, and Kieran Woodley pulled a 25-yard field goal attempt wide left to leave the door open for a Hartnell win.
The missed field goal was inconsequential in the end. Ariolla-Randalle hit Moore with the game-winning 22-yard touchdown pass just two plays later.
“You play to win the game, and you play to get into a bowl game,” Arbet said. “[Hartnell] played well tonight, and hopefully we’ll get an opportunity to see them again.”
QB QUANDARY
Barron had his ups and downs throughout the night, but the good outweighed the bad in what was easily Cabrillo’s best passing performance of the season so far.
Still, Arbet was not willing to say that Barron was his starter going forward.
Sophomore quarterbacks Kendall Williams and Devon Daich are both expected to be ready for action next week, according to Arbet.
Williams got the start in the Seahawks’ first two wins of the season. He completed 4-of-13 passing attempts for 33 yards, and also had 84 yards and two scores on the ground before exiting the team’s 23-6 win over Los Medanos College on Sept. 15 due to injury.
Daich has yet to play this season because of an injury to his non-throwing hand. Last season, he passed for 1,898 yards and 13 touchdowns at Hartnell.
UP NEXT
Cabrillo heads to Reedley College on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.
