After pulling off an upset against football powerhouse College of San Mateo earlier last month, the Vikings fought hard to defend their home turf against City College of San Francisco on Oct. 21 but were unable to reproduce the winning magic.

Diablo Valley College fell to the defending state champions 17-16 following a missed extra point in overtime.

Both teams now hold a 5-3 record, as San Francisco overtook DVC in the statewide rankings to reach #10. The Vikings, who previously held the #9 spot, dropped to #12.

It was a defensive showdown from the start. But the score opened up in the first drive as DVC quarterback Joey Aguilar and running back Gavin Cribb pushed their team up to field goal range. After nine plays and a combined 62 yards, Ray Vallee kicked the field goal from the 34-yard line to put the Vikings up 3-0.

The Rams’ sideline fired up their offense but, despite the hype, CCSF quarterback Jack Miller threw an interception to defensive back Jaden Price and the Vikings took over possession.

After two sacks on Aguilar, however, DVC was forced to punt, setting up San Francisco’s next drive.

In the second quarter, DVC and CCSF both faced pressure to punt close to their endzones, almost risking a turnover and a safety, respectively.

In San Francisco’s second drive of the quarter, Miller completed a pass for 55 yards to David Pierro to put the Rams in scoring position. DVC managed to hold them for three downs and CCSF settled for a field goal from Joseph Oliveira, tying the game 3-3.

But a costly mistake by DVC turned the tide in San Francisco’s favor when a fumble from kick returner Nasim Chin was recovered by the Rams. In the drive following that recovery, San Francisco only needed four plays for a combined nine yards to find the endzone. A rushing touchdown from Miller and the extra point from Oliveira put the Rams up 10-3.

The Vikings were quick to respond. In their next drive, Aguilar threw a 37-yard reception to Javoni Gardere followed by another 16-yard pass, again to Gardere, for a touchdown. Punter Nathan Price came on to kick the extra point, which sent the teams to the locker room at halftime with the score tied at 10-10.

The start of the second half was plagued by penalties for both sides, but DVC found some footing after Miller threw an interception to defensive back Malachi Ward in the second drive.

The Vikings produced a successful drive following Ward’s interception, moving 46 yards on 11 plays. Then, Vallee set up for a field goal from the 23-yard line, but the kick missed. The third quarter went scoreless for its remainder.

While the fourth quarter remained scoreless, it provided exciting moments for DVC, including plays for 4th down. Nevertheless, the Vikings could not convert on critical red zone plays and the clock ran down as their 44-yard field attempt was no good.

In overtime, San Francisco’s Shawn Allen rushed for 22 yards and Oliveira scored the extra point to give the Rams the advantage at 17-10.

Vikings QB Aguilar responded with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Nasim Chin for a chance to extend overtime, but it was not meant to be.

Price missed the extra point, ending the game and handing the win to San Francisco.

Diablo Valley College remains in playoff contention without having to wait on other teams’ results. The Vikings will close out their regular season on the road against San Joaquin Delta College on Nov. 12.

(Illustration by Ericka Carranza)