The Laney College football team won the National Valley Conference championship with a 40-33 victory over Modesto Junior College on Nov. 3 in Oakland.

The Laney College football team won the National Valley Conference championship with a 40-33 victory over Modesto Junior College on Nov.  3 in Oakland.

The Eagles (8-1, 4-0 NVC) finish their regular season on Saturday, Nov.  11 against Chabot College in Hayward. Game time is 6 p.m.

The Northern California playoff pairings won’t be decided until after this weekend’s slate of games are concluded.

But Laney, for the first time, is included.

The Eagles currently ranked No. 5 in the JC Athletic Bureau Coaches poll, pulled away from the Pirates (2-2, 4-5) after leading only 21-20 at the end of the first half.

Laney was held to 58 yards rushing in the first two quarters, but finished with 236 yards on the ground and a total of 469 for the game.

Marcel Dancy (West-Oakland HS) took charge in the first half, scoring the Eagles’ first two touchdowns. He ran 28 yards for Laney’s first score, then caught a pass from quarterback Noah Suszckiewicz and went 84 yards for a 14-7 lead with 13:21 left in the second quarter.

Suszckiewicz threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Robert Stern (De Anza HS) that gave Laney that 21-20 halftime lead.

Then it was Ahmari Davis’ turn. Davis (James Logan HS) scored Laney’s next two touchdowns, the first coming on a 21-yard run in the third quarter ad then a 51-yarder to start the fourth quarter as the Eagles took a 35-20 lead.

Modesto score the next touchdown, but Joseph Butler (Houston HS-San Antonio) picked up a blocked PAT attempt and ran the length of the field to give the Eagles two points and a 37-26 lead with 12:36 left in the game.

Laney’s final points came on KC Onwuemeka’s (Hercules HS) 18-yard field goal with 7:02 left.

Davis finished with 147 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. Dancy had 94 yards on 11 carries and one score. He also caught three passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.

Suszckiewicz completed nine of 18 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, linebacker Cameron Nathan (Antioch HS) had his best game of the season with 17 tackles (14 solo); Butler 10 tackles (8 solo); and Da’Meak Brandon (La Salle HS-Cincinnati) had an interception.

By Scott A. Strain

Laney College Sports Information

Laney College’s football winning streak reached four in a row after the Eagles dumped San Joaquin Delta College 40-7 on Oct. 14 in Stockton.

Laney College’s football winning streak reached four in a row after the Eagles dumped San Joaquin Delta College 40-7 on Oct. 14 in Stockton.

Running back Ahmari Davis (James Logan HS) rushed for 146 yards on 17 carries and Marcel Dancy (West HS-Oakland) had 83 yards on 15 carries as the Eagles (5-1, 1-0 NVC) piled up 504 yards of total offense. The stout Laney defense allowed the Mustangs only 168 yards.

It was the National Valley Conference opener for both teams. With the victory, Laney moved up to No. 7 in the JC Athletic Bureau coaches poll.

After the Mustangs (1-5, 0-1) took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Eagles quarterback Noah Suszckiewicz (Berkeley HS) threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Beejay Byrd (John Swett HS) with 4:48 left in the first quarter. Isaak Prada (Arroyo HS) kicked the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7.

But then it was all Laney. Davis scored his first touchdown on a 59-yard run with 12:17 left in the second quarter then added a 10-yard scoring run with 3:25 left as the Eagles drove 98 yards in 13 plays.

Laney led 19-7 at the half.

The Eagles added three more scores in the second half. Suszckiewicz threw a 45-yard TD pass to Robert Stern (DeAnza HS) and Dancy scored on a 1-yard run. Both came in the third quarter.

The Eagles’ final score came when quarterback Andrew Ve’e (Encinal HS) threw one yard to Keith Tracy (Antioch HS) for a touchdown with nine minutes left in the game.

Linebacker Joseph Butler (Houston HS-San Antonio) had his best game statistically with 12 tackles (eight solo), two sacks and five tackles for losses (TFL). Armani Turner-Jenkins (Berkeley HS) was right behind Butler with 11 tackles (eight solo) and three TFL.

The Eagles had four sacks for 27 yards lost.

By Scott Strain

Laney College Sports Information