Antelope Valley College Football grabbed a piece of history with a 2025 Western State Bowl victory before a large home crowd on Saturday. The 26-14 win over the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines marked the first time the Marauders finished with a 10-1 record since 1974, a season in which they won their only outright State Championship.
AVC showed determination after falling behind early in a game that lived up to every bit of its anticipated drama. After a 7-0 first-quarter deficit, the Marauders struck back, scoring a 7-yard touchdown run by Jaden Graham late in the second period, to even the score 7-7 at halftime.
Antelope Valley's offense added to its momentum with a score on the opening drive of the second half. Damario Jackson capped off a 6-play 75-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from John Sanders. The Wolverines responded with a touchdown midway through the third quarter to even the game at 14-14. Led by Jayden Carrillo (8 tackles) and Houston Brown (7 tackles), the Marauder defense then stepped up to ensure that would be the last points they would give up for the season, while AVC's offense was just getting started.
Lucas Bailey gave AVC a 17-14 lead with a 24-yard field goal late in the third. He added another 28-yarder early in the fourth to make it 20-14. With the defense locked in, the Marauders sealed their historic season with a touchdown at the 5:13 mark in the fourth. Jaden Graham scored his second touchdown of the day with a 4-yard run. Isaiah Morgan led all rushers on the day, grinding out 91 yards on 22 carries, while Azim Bankhead had a game-high 94 yards receiving on 5 catches. Shawn Irwin also added 5 catches for 58 yards. John Sanders finished with 17 completions for 235 yards and a touchdown.
Tyler Hockman and Brian Burton Jr. recorded sacks defensively, while Peter Atallah and Demond Blanchard each had interceptions. With solid offensive line play, AVC torched the Wolverines for 384 yards of total offense, while the defense held SBVC to just 163 yards.
The Marauders ended their remarkable turnaround season with a 10-1 record under coach Gordon's first year.