Omar Sanchez-Berrara scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns and defensive back Oscar Gladden recovered three fumbles to ignite the Vaqueros to a 42-27 victory against host L.A. Southwest College in a season-ending Pacific Conference American Division contest.
"All I can do right now is smile," GCC Coach John Rome said. "I told them before the game that they had a choice. They could either go 0-10 or go down with one win and appreciate it the rest of the way. For one night, they can feel like a champion."
Glendale (1-9, 1-5 in the division) ended a string of futility, which included losing all five of its previous division contests by seven points or less.
"It wasn't easy all year and we very easily could have won five games," Rome said. "We kept working and they learned some valued lessons that if you worked hard, good things will happen."
Sanchez-Berrara, a freshman, rushed for a team-best 118 yards in 15 carries to turn back the Cougars (4-6, 2-4). The Vaqueros surely needed Sanchez-Berrara, who gave them some breathing room when he scored on an 11-yard run to give the Vaqueros a 35-27 lead with 14:23 left in the game.
"It feels good to have a career night and help the team win," Sanchez-Berrara said. "I feel like there's a weight off me.
"I'm tired of losing and we wanted to go down swinging. It wasn't easy."
Glendale raced to a 7-0 on its first possession, which covered nine plays and 63 yards. Running back Ra 'Shon Harper went the final 17 yards for a rushing touchdown to make it 7-0 with 11:11 remaining in the opening quarter.
