It turns out that the Golden State Warriors are not the only team capable of bringing a national championship to the City of Oakland.
It had been 52 years since Laney College had claimed both a mythical state and national title, after the Eagles defeated an OJ Simpson-led City College of San Francisco team in the 1966 Prune Bowl, one year before the CCCAA began holding annual state championship games. This time, Laney did it on the field, and though the NJCAA does not recognize teams from California in their national rankings, the Eagles have a strong claim to the top spot, having survived the gauntlet of the California state playoffs, by far the deepest across the nation.
Laney bolted to a 23-point lead over Ventura during the first quarter of the state title game, but the Pirates were not going away easily, and the victory was not secure until the Eagles’ defense stopped Ventura quarterback Brock Domann’s scramble at the Laney 13-yard line as time expired in the game for a thrilling 40-35 victory, at Sacramento City College.
“There is a lot of pride associated with this, seeing all of our hard work pay off in achieving our ultimate goal – a state championship,” said Laney head coach John Beam. “During the game, we showed our resilience and fought hard as Ventura tried to come back, and we never quit. Eagles never back down, they just soar.”
Laney wasted no time at all in taking an early lead in the game. Ventura netted just one yard on its opening drive, and Balewa Byrd (John Swett HS) then blocked the Pirates’ punt, setting up a short field for the Eagles’ offense, which capitalized with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jordon Brookshire (Cardinal Newman) to Quintus Hall.
A bobble on the ensuing kickoff forced Ventura to start on its own three-yard line, and the Laney defense took advantage when Oregon State-bound defensive tackle Jordan Whittley (Castlemont) broke through the line to drop Thomas Duckett in the end zone for a safety and a quick 9-0 lead. Byrd then returned the ensuing free kick to the Ventura 40-yard line, where Laney used a quick seven-play drive to score again, capped by a six-yard touchdown run from Brookshire.
“We were so excited to be playing in the state title game, so we came out with a lot of energy, and it translated to an early lead,” Brookshire said. “Our offense was able to continue that throughout the game and keep making progress. This is something that will always be special.”
Before the first quarter was even complete, Brookshire extended the lead to 23-0, this time with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Angelo Garrett (McClymonds). The second quarter saw Ventura begin to recover, scoring on a pair of touchdown passes from Domann to Brandon Jordan to make the score 23-14, but the Eagles pushed the lead to 12 points at halftime with a 16-play, 63-yard drive, getting a field goal from Isaak Parada (Arroyo) to make the score 26-14 at the break.
The second half featured back and forth action, with the Pirates repeatedly narrowing the gap to one score, but the Eagles were always able to respond and create another cushion. A 32-yard scoring run by Duckett was followed by a one-yard plunge from Brookshire, which capped a nearly eight-minute drive and made the score 33-21. Another Domann to Jordan connection made it 33-28 at the end of three quarters, but Laney went on another long 13-play drive to open the fourth quarter, capped by another Brookshire to Garrett pass to make the score 40-28.
The final touchdown of the game was a six-yard pass from Domann to Dominic Benson, with 6:18 left in the game, but the Eagles again responded with a long drive, as Brookshire and John McDonald (Lincoln-Stockton) mixed it up on the ground before giving the ball back to Ventura with just 58 seconds remaining.
“It was a crazy game, with an even crazier finish. We knew we were facing a really good offense and it was going to be a great challenge,” said Laney defensive coordinator Josh Ramos. “The guys really stepped up at the end and closed the game out. It was an amazing feeling and I am just so happy for our guys and our program.”
McDonald was named Player of the Game after running for 217 yards, part of a 288-yard rushing effort for the Eagles. Brookshire added 50 yards rushing, to go with 127 yards through the air, as Laney had 415 yards of total offense. Sophomore offensive lineman Tanner Robinson (El Cerrito) was named the Offensive Player of the Game after paving the way for the big effort on the ground.
Byrd led the Laney receivers with five catches for 39 yards, while Garrett had four catches for 36 yards, and Hawaii-bound Jared Smart (Dublin) added a 19-yard grab.
Linebacker Cameron Nathan (Antioch) had eight tackles to lead an all-around defensive effort for Laney, while Josh Bolding (Alameda) had seven tackles, including one for a loss. Levon Barnett, Armani Turner-Jenkins (Berkeley), Da’Meak Brandon, Imani Moore (Dublin) and Whittley all broke up passes during the victory.
