The562’s coverage of Vikings athletics is sponsored in part by Long Beach City College.
Two local rivals will square off on Saturday night at Vets as LBCC (3-1) hosts Golden West (3-1) for a 6 p.m. kickoff. It will be Homecoming for Long Beach City College, adding some extra pomp and circumstance to what should already be an exciting matchup.
The only loss for both teams came against Riverside College, with the Vikings suffering a 48-20 defeat on Sept. 10 in Riverside and the Rustlers suffering a 58-21 loss last Saturday in Huntington Beach.
Both offenses are averaging over 380 yards per game, and there will be explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball. LBCC’s Trenell Ridgely has been a stud this season, averaging 88 receiving yards per game while scoring 4 TDs so far. QB Will Madonna threw for three TDs in LBCC’s win at San Diego Mesa last week, continuing to battle with starter Qeanu Campbell-Caldwell for snaps.
Rustlers QB Malakai Martinez is averaging 183 yards per game and is also GWC’s leading rusher with 151 yards and 3 TDs this season. Nick Kennewell is his preferred target on the outside, averaging 97 receiving yards per game with 4 TDs on the season.
LBCC’s defense had four sacks and a pair of interceptions last week. If they continue to apply that type of pressure, they could help turn the tables and get revenge from last season’s meeting. Golden West cruised past the Vikings in 2021 with a 37-20 win–a game that LBCC head coach Brett Peabody surely hasn’t let his team forget about.
Follow along with our live score updates from the sidelines and come back to The562 for full coverage of the game.