Vaqs in tie for first

GCC fotoballGlendale College wins wild overtime game against Citrus to move to top of standings. NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- There was Carlos Velasquez's 35-yard interception return for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Then, there was Darion Donnelly's 66-yard touchdown reception that seemed to assure the Glendale Community College football team a victory in Saturday's Western State Conference Southern Division game.

Not so fast, though.

Then, there were Citrus College's two scores in the final three minutes and 12 seconds that tied the score and sent an already remarkable game into overtime, where the dramatics continued.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Vaqueros seemed to be on the verge of moving into a tie for first place in the conference. But heading into overtime, one wondered if the Vaqueros had enough energy left, as the Owls regained the momentum and appeared poised to remain undefeated in the division.

In overtime, the Vaqueros proved they had more than enough fight left in them, winning a 40-34 thriller at Sartoris Field, where Glendale College moved into a first-place tie for the first time since 2001.

"We deserved this win," said Vaquero defensive lineman Jason Bonwell, who made another case for the Western State Conference's Defensive Player of the Year award, as he finished with 13 tackles and three sacks, giving him 18 1/2 on the season.

"We wanted it more than they did."

Bonwell's superb effort was one of many.

The teams' regulation performance had enough plays to fill several highlight reels. And Glendale College and Citrus made sure no fan was sitting during overtime.

Glendale College (5-2, 3-1 in division) -- which has won four straight, its longest streak since 2001, when it was victorious in six consecutive games -- had the ball first in overtime. The Vaqueros didn't stray from their gameplan, as they handed the ball off to Jamal Rashad three consecutive times before an injury forced the freshman out of the contest.

Rashad's efforts got the Vaqueros, who lost Brandon McCullough, the other half of their dynamic rushing duo, to an ankle injury in the second quarter, down to the four. Glendale College's fate rested on quarterback Steve Martinez's shoulders as Rashad, who had 236 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 35 carries, was being treated on the sideline.

"We want the ball in Steve's hands in a critical situation," Vaquero offensive coordinator John Rome said.