GORDON ERA BEGINS WITH A ROAD WIN OVER SAN BERNARDINO

First-year head coach Russell Gordon wasted little time in securing his first win as the new leader of the Antelope Valley College football program. The Marauders opened the 2025 season on the road with a 33-28 win over the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines.  

The Marauder offense dominated SBVC in total yards, 414 to 214, while AVC's defense caused 5 Wolverine turnovers, leading to a +7:00 minute time of possession advantage for the Marauders.

AVC piled up 20 points in the first quarter with Jaden Graham scoring 55 and 17-yard touchdown runs, and Shawn Irwin catching a 61-yard TD pass from John Sanders. Sanders kept the offense clicking in the second quarter with a 25-yard touchdown run to put the Marauders up 27-8. Daste Lee then capped off a 3-play, 27-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run.

After leading 33-14 at the break, AVC had to rely on their second-half defense as they failed to produce any points for the rest of the way. Despite a stalled offense and a handful of questionable calls, the Marauders played tough and stayed determined to deliver the win. "We started out fast offensively and defensively, in the first half scoring 33 points and only giving up 8. The second half, we struggled finishing offensively while staying stout on defense," said coach Gordon.

John Sanders finished 19-28 for 190 passing yards with 1 touchdown. He also rushed nine times for 83 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Graham led all rushers with 140 yards on 19 carries with 2 touchdowns. The freshman running back from Quartz Hill High School also hauled in two receptions on the day. Shawn Irwin had a game-high 73 yards receiving with a touchdown. Jevon Walker added 45 yards receiving, and Palmdale High School product Damario Jackson recorded 5 catches for 30 yards and 56 yards of kickoff/punt returns.

Defensively, AVC was led by Houston Brown's (Quartz Hill High School) 6 solo (8 total) tackles. Zyier Lane, Taron Smith, and Jacob Fraser all recorded interceptions, with Lane returning his for 59 yards. Peter Atallah had 4 tackles, 3 for a loss, including a 2-yard sack. Victor Aldape logged a 17-yard sack while Jayden Carrillo, Jacob Fraser, and Chance Beoranje added 4 tackles each.

"The change of culture here has been humongous. A lot of teams do well until adversity hits, and then they fold. Well, that's not who we are or what we continually preach in this program. We found a way to win," added Gordon.

The Marauders are 1-0 and will play their home opener against West LA College on Saturday, September 6, at 6:00 pm.