No. 8 Rustlers look to keep winning streak going at San Bernardino Valley

No. 6 Nate Jimenez (Photo by Sean Sydnor)
No. 6 Nate Jimenez (Photo by Sean Sydnor)
October 20, 2023
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No. 8 state-ranked Golden West College will look to remain perfect in National Central League play when the Rustlers travel to San Bernardino Valley College for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday (Oct. 21).

GWC brings a 5-1 overall record and is 3-0 in Central League play following last Thursday's convincing 58-9 victory at Orange Coast College in the annual "Battle of the Bell" rivalry game. The Rustlers have now won four straight.

Sophomore wide receiver Nate Jimenez had a huge game on offense for Golden West while sophomore defensive back Marquis Brown was just as impressive. Jimenez led the Rustlers with just 3 receptions, but all of them went for touchdowns.

Brown was a force on defense, coming up with 3 interceptions in the contest. He had one of the biggest plays of the season, picking off a pass within his own end zone, running it back the length of the field for a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

For his efforts, Brown was named the SCFA Defensive Player of the Week.

Golden West will look to keep pace with Mt. San Antonio College, also 3-0 in Central League play. The two teams appeared destined to meet for the league title in their regular season finale on Nov. 11 in Huntington Beach.

But before looking that far ahead, the Rustlers will need to contend with a hungry San Bernardino Valley squad. The Wolverines are 1-5 overall and have lost four consecutive games. Their lone victory was a 53-40 triumph at Southwestern in Week 2.

After league losses to Long Beach (42-12) and Mt. SAC (39-14), SBVC was blown out by Citrus last Saturday by a final score of 42-7.

Golden West will look for a repeat of last year's meeting between the two squads. The Rustlers' defense dominated the Wolverines, forcing 8 turnovers on its way to 3 defensive touchdowns in a 46-18 win at SBVC. Linebacker Khilyn Neal led the defense with interception returns of 95 and 28 yards for TDs.