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California college promise brings free tuition and hope for more

Idalia Gonzalez
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California college promise brings free tuition and hope for more

Filed as Assembly Bill No. 2, the California College Promise (CCP) was approved by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 4, 2019, which would waive fees for first-time full-time students for two academic years. 

Currently, Long Beach City College offers a similar opportunity for students who have attended a Long Beach Unified School District high school and plan on enrolling soon after graduating. 

Through the Long Beach College Promise and Promise 2.0, students are eligible to receive two years of free tuition at LBCC for Fall and Spring terms with access to the Promise 2.0 which guarantees a transfer admission pathway to Cal State Long Beach under 10 majors. 

With the state now offering two years of tuition for free, it could potentially allow for further funding by the LBCC foundation to be directed towards other student needs outside of tuition costs. 

The LBCC Foundation currently funds student scholarships, faculty and staff programs and other initiatives which include the Long Beach College Promise and Promise 2.0.

The Long Beach Foundation receives money through community donors, estate plan money, and alumni who direct their donations to programs at LBCC they choose to support.

“We’re looking at how to use some of those funds to correct these situations to keep students at school,” said Executive Director of the Long Beach Promise Paul Kaminski on what the foundation’s plans are. 

“This year will be giving $450,000, and that’s just this year. It’s all dependent on the number of students in the program,” Kaminski said.

Recently, the foundation has granted students part of the Long Beach College Promise –  including those who are disproportionately impacted – eligibility to receive a bus pass using Long Beach Transit transportation services under the LBCC “Strong Beach” Bus Pass Pilot Program for the entirety of the Fall 2019 semester. 

Transportation is a barrier many students face, which can prevent them from being successful in school, along with textbooks and access code costs, this creates more obstacles for equal education opportunities. 

Even with financial aid being provided, textbook costs alone create unwanted stressors for students who struggle to pay for high-priced books they’ll only use for a semester. But the CCP could potentially allow for funds from the foundation to be directed elsewhere based on student needs. 

“Eventually my number one goal would be to partner that great work, in terms of free tuition and free bus passes, with free or discounted textbooks. So we’re working very hard to see if we can come up with a plan to help students defray some of the costs of textbooks,” said President Reagan Romali. 

“We don’t have any details on it yet but we’re trying to figure out a way because we know that textbooks are so expensive for students,” Romali said.

Mike Munoz, the Vice President of student support services explained how funding can be allocated from the CCP to further serve LBCC students.

“We have a lot of flexibility on how we want to leverage those dollars so it’s not exclusively just for tuition. We can use some of those dollars for transportation, textbooks assistance, childcare costs, a meal program if we want.”

“At this point in time, I’m thinking probably if there are some leftover reserve funds after we’ve fully funded all our commitments then those funds would be used to help support students with basic needs,” Munoz said.

Although funding for discounted textbooks and other student needs would be a positive for LBCC students, the main focus of the foundation is honoring the commitments they have made publicly like the two years of free tuition and the “Strong Beach” Bus Pass Pilot program.

“They were a beautiful family:” Community mourns the loss of the Awaida family

Sebastian Angulo
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“They were a beautiful family:” Community mourns the loss of the Awaida family

Around 400 community members gathered at Los Cerritos Park on Thursday to mourn the loss of three Long Beach residents, Joseph Awaida, Raihan Dakhil and their 3-year-old Omar Awaida.

The Awaida family was struck by a driver who was under the influence on Halloween night, near the site of the vigil. They were only 100 steps from their condo, according to the Long Beach Post.

The ceremony began with a trio of musicians, and then various community and family members spoke, saying prayers and expressing sentiments of how beloved the family was to their community. 

“I brought my nieces over because the night that it happened, they were standing in the same corner. They saw the whole thing,” community member and attendee Daniel Echevarria said.

“One of my nieces stayed at home, she’s 15, she didn’t want to relive it. I’m here for the support for my nieces and of course as a resident of Long Beach. I was just shocked that it happened- for this to happen is tragic. You never expect this to happen to you or to someone else, but you never know.” 

Long Beach City Mayor Robert Garcia spoke to the captive and emotional audience, “I’m incredibly proud for how you’ve come together as a neighborhood and as a city to stand with this family. It has been a reminder that this is a loving and great community.” 

“This city is 100% behind this family and we will do everything we can within our power to ensure this family is taken care of and that we honor their three amazing lives, not just here but in the things they loved and gave themselves to.”

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn addressed the family of the victims, “We stand with you tonight and we pledge to stand with you every day going forward.”

“We’ve had some tragedies in the last week,” Hahn said, referring also to the October 29th mass shooting that killed 3 and injured 9.

“Tragedies that do remind us you can be in a friend’s backyard at a birthday party, or doing a tradition that everyone has engaged in, trick or treating, and your life can be taken away from you. It’s a tragedy that reminds us to love each other a little more. There’s so much bitterness in the world right now. Maybe this will remind us to be kind.” 

Hahn shared an anecdote from her last weekly board meeting, “We in the county of Los Angeles have an opportunity every Tuesday when we end our board meeting, we can end it in honor of someone. I ended our meeting in the memory of Joseph, Raihan and Omar. We want the family to know that in a county as large as 10 million, we stopped for a moment to remember these three beautiful souls.”

Megan Kerr, a board member for LBUSD Board of Education said, “In my 46 years [in Long Beach] I can’t remember such sadness in our city. It feels so heavy in the air that it seeps into our skin, with the light that has gone out with these three beautiful people. They made differences in the lives of thousands of children around this district in the last 15 years. I’m inspired by the love.” 

The ceremony concluded with a call from the priest to give somebody next to you a hug and squeeze their arm. 

“We’re all family,” said one man to another, amongst a crowd who were wiping away their tears during the night of healing and dedication to the family lost. 

The driver, identified as Carlo Navarro, was initially released on bail after the crash, has since been rearrested on Tuesday due to unrelated misdemeanor charges from an earlier suspected crime, according to reports by Press Telegram.

“We can not and will not tolerate impaired driving. As of today the suspect remains in custody and I promise you we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he’s held accountable for his role in this tragedy. Your presence really makes a difference to all of us. It’s a reminder that if we as a community can come together, we can get through anything,” Chief of Long Beach Police Robert Luna said at the event.

Ahmad Awaida, Joseph’s uncle said “I feel sad. They’re going to be missed. They were a beautiful family.” 

Faisal Dakhil, Raihan’s father, said, “With the support of the community here, I feel some joy. The love is outpouring, we feel it. We smile and we thank our two children in their departure, they brought the community together, and they make us proud that the community all loved them, they must have done something.”

A Night of Sonatas: LBCC pianist professor takes the stage

Anyssa Staine
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A Night of Sonatas: LBCC pianist professor takes the stage

The piano and cello recital ‘The Evening of Sonatas’ serenaded audience members with a myriad of symphonies for students, faculty, and families at the Liberal Arts Campus.

Pianist and LBCC faculty Hannah Yi collaborated with cellist Fransisco Vila Haas in the Ruth Todd Concert Hall during the sonata that evening.

The two met in a workshop called the LA Conducting Workshop at Glendale Community College. Yi expressed how she has always wanted to collaborate with Haas and decided to take the opportunity on her first faculty recital.

“I’m faculty here, so I’ve been wanting to do a faculty recital but didn’t want to play by myself. So he was like, ‘Let’s collaborate’ and I was like ‘Sure.’ That was a perfect time to collaborate and I’ve been wanting to play a recital and he’s amazing,” Yi said.

Haas travels from LA to Boston once every month because he has a full-time teaching position at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Cellist Fransisco Vila Haas performing Chopin’s Sonata in G minor at the Evening of Sonatas recital at the Liberal Arts Campus. Photo by Arlene Hawkins.

Cello has been part of Haas’s life since he was eight years old. He chose the instrument to play when he was in a music class.

“Since I was eight. What happened was that I started in elementary school and they used to have public programs back then for music. Orchestra class they used to call it. On my first day, I was eight years old, I think it was fourth grade for me, they had us choose an instrument and I chose the cello. And it stuck ever since,” Haas said.

For the performance, Haas played with a cello that was gifted to him ten years ago by a patron of his. The cello was made in London in 1790 by Vincenzo Panormo.

Hannah Yi is a piano professor at LBCC and teaches piano for beginners and advanced students. She teaches full-time and took the position four years ago when she saw the position open.

Yi has been playing the piano for 34 years and her mother wanted her to play the instrument when she was younger. Playing the piano allows Yi to give a euphoric performance for her audience.

Fransisco Vila (left) and Hannah Yi (middle) and Carolina Rodriguez (right back) going over the sheet music during practice before the Evening of Sonatas recital at the Liberal Arts Campus. Photo by Arlene Hawkins.

“The ability to express myself, and have other people feel what I feel and to kind of take them on a journey away, just for that little hour for them to check out and experience beautiful music, whatever it takes them,” Hannah Yi said.

Before she stepped out on stage, Yi gave her insight on what she hoped for the performance.

“I’m just hoping that people really enjoy our music making and see that we really enjoy playing this music for people and that they receive it well and that they go home leaving an impression on them,” Yi said.

The pair played 2nd Sonata by Beethoven in G minor and also Sonata by Chopin in G minor. Haas came up with the idea to play both the Sonatas as he plans to play them for a performance he is planning for later this year.

Throughout the performance, the audience was entranced by the two instruments playing classic pieces and gave a well-received a round of applause after each Sonata.

Fransisco Vila Haas (left) and Hannah Yi (right) bow to their audience after performing the Evening of Sonatas recital at the Liberal Arts Campus. Photo by Arlene Hawkins.

“They were very in tune with each other which is very beautiful to see and tell a story back and forth, it was beautiful. And the fact that he’s playing on that instrument that’s so old, it’s so rich and there’s such history there and we were really intrigued,” Drew Schuffman said, a friend of Yi’s who attended the recital.

No further dates on an upcoming performance have been released, however, Haas is planning for performances next year.

‘Pink Game’ victory holds special meaning for LBCC’s backup quarterback

Isaiah Zuniga
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‘Pink Game’ victory holds special meaning for LBCC’s backup quarterback

The football team’s blowout win against the visiting East Los Angeles Huskies was a sweet victory, but for backup quarterback, Jacob Shaw, playing in the ‘Pink Game’ was a special honor and homage to his grandmother, Deborah Shaw who is a breast cancer survivor.

“Being able to play brings a smile to everyone’s face,” Jacob Shaw said about his family.  “They love to watch me play. That time when my grandmother was going through chemo was a dark time for the family, so when we all come together for a game like this, it makes the moment even greater.”

Shaw, however, was not the only player who played in honor of someone special.

Freshman outside linebacker, Lobenduhn Ume, sporting a pink towel and breast cancer ribbons on the heels of his cleats, like Shaw, played in honor of this grandmother.  The difference, Ume’s grandmother was not present at the game and is still battling the disease and undergoing treatment.

“I feel blessed to have the chance to be fighting with her,” Ume said. “This game means everything to me.”

Prior to the ‘Pink Game,’ Ume recognized Deborah Shaw as the grandmother of his teammate.  She regularly attends games and attends practices on occasion.

It was at this game that Ume discovered Deborah was a breast cancer survivor and shared with her that his grandmother is battling the disease.

Photo by Crystal Parker/Viking Staff. Covered in pink, Deborah Shaw, a breast cancer survivor and paternal grandmother of backup quarterback, Jacob Shaw, watches LBCC’s ‘Pink Game’ from the sideline Saturday night at Vets Stadium.

Embellished from head to toe in an assortment of pink breast cancer paraphernalia, including pants with the word “Believe” up the left leg, Deborah compassionately told Ume, “Just tell her to do what the doctors say.”

From the sideline of the football field, Deborah smiled and recalled her experience with the disease.

“God was so good to me,” Deborah Shaw said.

Deborah, now 62 years old, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 55 and battled it for a year and four months before becoming cancer free again.  She has remained cancer free for seven years.

“It wasn’t sad,” Shaw said when asked about her treatment journey which included chemotherapy and radiation.  “I just did what the doctors told me to do.”  

Deborah remembered being strong throughout most of her treatment journey but becoming tired towards the end.

Aside from her own faith, she attributed the love and support of her family as the strength and motivation that kept her spirits high during her bout with cancer.

Deborah urges ladies to be sure to get their mammograms and insists that early detection makes a world of difference.

Hopeful foster parents gather at LBCC hoping to expedite the process

vikingnews
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Hopeful foster parents gather at LBCC hoping to expedite the process

A Different Kind of Love hosted attendees on Saturday, November 2nd in the GG building at Pacific Coast Campus, all with the hopes of expediting the process to become a foster parent.

The event was held in partnership with LBCC’s Foster and Kinship Care department, along with the Department of Children and Family Services and various other foster care agencies. An informational session, an orientation with the Department of Children and Family Services, and assistance for beginning the process to qualify as a foster parent were held. 

LBCCD Superintendent-President Reagan Romali spoke at the event about her own experience as a child in foster care, along with her recent experience of adopting children from an orphanage in China and becoming a foster parent herself. 

“You will fall so madly in love with them, you’ll want five, six, or seven,” she said, laughing. She included some parenting tips, namely the need for structure and how crucial it is to make foster children feel safe and loved. 

Superintendant-President Reagan Romali speaks about her experience becoming a foster parent on Saturday, November 9th at PCC, urging attendees to move forward with the process. Photo by Tess Kazenoff/ Viking News.

Dr. Claudia Garcia, Program Manager of Foster and Kinship Care Education spoke about Long Beach’s specific need for foster care resources and outreach to prospective parents.

Long Beach is one of the “cities with highest retention of removal of children from their homes. At this campus, is where we see the retention, in comparison to other parts of Long Beach,” said Garcia.

“We wanted to put in an effort in recruiting families that are prepared and can nurture and provide safe and healthy homes for children, and have the hopes that those children can stay in their communities.”

According to Dr. Garcia the process can even take 3-4 months at the college, potentially even longer during the holidays. The goal of A Different Kind of Love is to expedite the process of becoming a foster parent, which can often take at least 2-3 months.

 “[We are] hoping they can finish the process within a month. We’re hoping to keep individuals engaged and interested in the process by expediting how they complete the requirements to complete the process.”

The event speakers included were, Dr. Edwina Lewis of the Department of Child and Family Services, Lisa Campbell-Motton of the L.A. County Probation Department, and Sandy Nash of ChildNet. 

Each offered their own perspective of the foster care system, answering audience questions and walking attendees through the process of becoming a resource parent.

Lou Moore, the Executive Director of Foster All said,  “I was a foster parent, then me and my husband adopted. If you feel you’re ready to move forward, we’re here.”

It is a relatively involved process becoming a foster parent, including background checks, a home assessment evaluation, and a psycho-social assessment.

Around 20 individuals attended the preliminary orientation session, and it is estimated that between 200-300 families attended the main informational event. 

Garcia urged those not necessarily ready to become a foster parent to still get involved. 

“There’s many ways to help those in foster care. There are so many ways they can assist children through their lifespan. We will be providing those options. Individuals can reflect and determine what their strengths are and determine what they have the capacity to do.”

Information on mentorship programs such as CASA was also provided, for those who want to be involved but are not ready to house any children. Programs such as CASA essentially works as a program similar to Big Brother or Big Sister, acting as a mentor and stable figure in a child’s life.

“It’s the most beautiful thing you can do,” said Romali. “It changes you as a human being, and it changes the world.”

Free flu shots administered at LAC on Tuesday

vikingnews
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Free flu shots administered at LAC on Tuesday

Students in the nursing program at California State University Long Beach were available from 10am-2pm Tuesday at LAC to administer free flu shots.

The supplies were provided by the Long Beach Health Department, according to Student Nurse Caren Ly. 

“We are all certified under supervision of our instructor, who is a registered nurse. We’re just hoping to help protect the city,” said Ly. 

Ly explained that various symptoms can occur as a result of the shot, and a new vaccine is provided each year. “This is the best time of year to get it done,” she said, also explaining that it is crucial for students to get the shot each year.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “immune protection from vaccinations declines over time,” requiring an annual vaccination. 

Additionally, flu viruses are always evolving, so vaccinations are updated each year to best combat each individual strain. It takes about two weeks following the administration of the shot for the necessary antibodies to develop.

The CSULB nursing program visited various locations administering free flu vaccines, and this is their last stop. Other locations previously visited included the Long Beach Health Department as well as  California State University Long Beach. At CSULB, they were able to administer 550 shots, according to Macie Hedrick, another student nurse at the event. 

The arrived at LAC with 200 shots ready to administer. As of 11:30 am, around 50 had been administered, Hedrick reported. “We’re hoping to see as many people as possible.”

A view of the Free Flu clinic event where students can recieve their shot during the Free Flu Clininc at A quad on November 4, 2019. Photo by Jorge Hernandez.

“Everyone should be protected against the flu,” said Student Nurse Katie Ochoa. “A lot of people we’ve seen today have never even had the flu shot before.” She said that amid the recent controversy surrounding vaccinations, she urged students to be aware and take advantage of the resources available. 

“It’s a common misconception among college students, that we all think we’re so healthy,” said Hedrick. However, “There are a lot of people that aren’t able to get the vaccines, such as babies, and the elderly. It helps everyone from getting compromised.” 

Ochoa explained that while the vaccine can not completely reduce the risk of getting the flu, “it won’t be nearly as bad as if you hadn’t gotten it.”

Hedrick has noticed that a lot of people do not think of the flu as a large threat, but “it kills more people a year than from breast cancer. If there was a shot you could take for breast cancer, people would be lining up.”

Father-Con aims to inspire fathers and father figures alike

Sabriyya Ghanizada
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Father-Con aims to inspire fathers and father figures alike

Father-Con, a convention with the aim to uplift and support fathers, father figures, and fathers to be in the 21st century, will host its second annual convention on Saturday, November 9 in Downey at Earl Warren High School.

Held at Long Beach City College a year ago, the convention will be treated as a communal conversation featuring presentations, including one from LBCC’s Dr. Claudia Garcia Marroquin of the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program. 

Last year there were 10 breakout workshops but not all attendees were able to be present for each workshop.

“We wanted to do something different [this year] because all the information the presenters are giving is valuable,” Father-Con’s Founder Patrick Erlandson said.

“We will have shorter presentations by seven presenters. Most targeted at men, except for one,” Erlandson added. 

Among the presenters will be Alan Smyth, Executive Director of Saving Innocence – a non-profit contracted by the Los Angeles County to intervene in cases of child trafficking. 

“I have both a daughter and a son. For this case my presentation will focus on the father-daughter relationship and how to help potential human trafficking victims, which are mostly young girls… exposing some of the lies our little girls are exposed to by pop culture and media and give some practical tools that fathers can give to their daughters,” Smyth said. 

Erlandson found that fathers and father figures alike play a significant role in the formative years of a young girl’s life. 

“Girls are growing up who have never tasted a healthy male love and they become vulnerable to predators and trafficking,” Erlandson said. 

Along with the men in their lives, mother’s have a responsibility to their daughters as well. 

“What we find with human trafficking is they are running from home because of abuse or the mothers boyfriend. Women are bringing men home not just for themselves, but a man for the lives of their children,” Erlandson added.

Instead of focusing solely on the negative aspects of fatherhood, Erlandson said he hopes that Father-Con will get men excited about the responsibility it takes to be a father. 

“As much as we ring the alarm of the negative, we want to uplift good dads. Fathercon is not just biological fathers. It’s uncles, neighbors, and so on, each hold an important responsibility,” the founder proclaimed. 

Founder of mentor group Paving Great Futures, Armand King is a former human trafficker who now uses his experience to educate others as a consultant on Domestic Human Sex Trafficking and Gang relations. 

“I went to the school of life. I come from experience. Not just myself but eight of my closest friends, most of which are no longer living, most of them have been killed from homicide,” King shared.

“Most of what we know has been learned on the streets… Now that I’ve lived through it hopefully people don’t have to suffer the same consequences and don’t have to bump their heads as many times.”

“It’s one thing to not have a father in the house but to set a wrong example. Because the kid is going to take on the patterns and lifestyle of that father,” King said. 

King will present the impact that an absent father has on the life of a child and the connection between fatherlessness and sexual exploitation. 

Erlandson hopes Father-Con will appeal to a broad range of attendees and inspire them to be present, engaged and active parts of their children’s lives.  

“We also really hope young guys who are not fathers yet participate. Father-Con is not just for current dads but those looking to be dads in the future. What an incredible opportunity we have as fathers. Especially with today’s modern challenges,” Erlandson said.

“The 21st century is a whole new challenge. We want to inspire men and get them ready to be the dads they want to be and our kids need them to be,” Erlandson said. 

King’s life is chronicled in his book “Raised in Pimp City”. 

Smyth also runs the blog, www.myfatherdaughter.com, which has resources and community tools for fathers. 

Father-Con is a free event that starts at 9am on Saturday, November 9 at Earl Warren High School. Registration is at eventbrite.com.

Open mic comeback for the English Majors and Minors club

Alexis Turner
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Open mic comeback for the English Majors and Minors club

Long Beach Community College’s English Majors and Minors club made a comeback with their Halloween themed open mic for volunteers to share poetry with the audience while dressed in costume. 

The open mic was held at LAC in a festively decorated room in honor of Halloween with treats for attendees and goodie bags for volunteers. 

English Majors and Minors club adviser, professor Jason Casem, addressed the situation concerning their previous open mic with the importance of respecting the code of conduct implemented by the college. 

“When you’re up on stage just remember that your words transcend time and space. We’re here for fellowship and we’re not here to demean or use any derogatory language and statements towards anyone,” said Casem as a reminder to potential volunteers. 

Volunteers began to read their poetry and the event commenced without issue, which lead into a promising event hosted by the club despite their last readings scandal.

Volunteer third-year student Gavin Gagna dressed as the Star-Lord, a fictional superhero from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. 

Gagna kept to the theme of Halloween and read an original poem entitled “Shining in the Moonlight,” a poem about a character who commits an immoral act that leads to his punishment. 

Gagna said, “I wanted to do something dark for Halloween.” 

He said he used turmoil in his social life to fuel the inspiration for his poem.

Others used original material they wrote from a class assignment or exercise like student Henry Mattson who dressed as a Victorian era vampire, top hat included. 

Mattson’s poem entitled “Blooms” came from an exercise in his creative writing class where they were challenged to write in second person. 

“I just really liked what I wrote because it captured something that I feel a lot, you know just that existential boredom,” said Mattson. 

The open mic ended with the arrival of another class but allowed for many club members and student volunteers a chance at performing their own poetry or prose for the audience. 

Club adviser Professor Casem thanked everybody for their participation and closed the event with a reminder for their next open mic which will be taking place sometime in November.  

Read about the last open mic event and hear the excerpts at: https://lbccviking.com/2019/10/two-students-present-sexually-charged-material-at-open-mic

$3 million grant for LatinX STEM program

Sebastian Angulo
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$3 million grant for LatinX STEM program

Long Beach City College has received a $3 million federal grant on October 24, as funding for a STEM program focused on LatinX students of Long Beach under the DESTINO program.

The grant money comes from a Title V federal grant and will be distributed to LBCC over five years, as the school creates the structure required to implement the policies within the grant.

“We’re given all this money that we can actually use to support students with science, technology, engineering, and math whereas our state funds limit what we can do,” said Board President Vivian Malauulu.

The school will also begin utilizing the newly constructed buildings on campus and fill them with support staff and faculty they plan to hire. 

“We’ll be hiring a STEM counselor to help students just in that field. Also, we’re going to be hiring a coordinator to open our science resource center,” said Vice President of academic affairs Kathleen Scott.

The structure of the program will be developed within the first two years, requiring the school to begin the hiring process of support staff and faculty to act as a point of contact between the school and students in the program.

“We will designate faculty and we will have that science resource center be a hub. Different faculty will be there, we’ll have tutoring that comes out of there, workshops for students,” said Scott.

The school will also begin introducing the DESTINO program to local high schools and begin working alongside future students with financial literacy classes, academic workshops, and implementing a STEM-focused version of the viking summer voyage.

“We’re gonna look at teaching strategies, helping the faculty be trained in equity concepts and teaching practices, making the classroom as welcoming as possible for all students, particularly Latino and Hispanic students in relation to this grant, ” said Scott.

The long term plan for the DESTINO program is to expand on the ideas and concepts proposed under the grant and provide the same quality of academic excellence to future students.

But current students will likely be transferred or graduated by the time the program is extended to include students other than current highschool students.

“I’m the first in my family to go to college, and I wouldn’t be here without forcing myself to ask for help,” said Airline technology major and LBCC student, Aldo Valdez.

LBCC Vikings puts up 58 in victory vs the Moorpark Raiders

Isaiah Zuniga
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LBCC Vikings puts up 58 in victory vs the Moorpark Raiders

Long Beach City College Head Coach Brett Peabody reached his 50th career win Saturday night as the Vikings came out on top in a dominant victory over the Moorpark Raiders, Vikings advance to a 6-2 overall record and are undefeated in conference(3-0).

The Vikings got off to a hot start in the first quarter with wide receiver Zion Bowens getting back to back touchdowns and 70 yards receiving in the first quarter, one of them being the longest completion of the night on a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback West.

The Vikings were leading 21-0 after one quarter.

The Moorpark Raiders did make a push for a comeback as they got on the scoreboard in the second quarter making it a 21-7 game, but it wasn’t long until the Vikings came back with another touchdown of their own from wide receiver Zack Leets off a 23 yard pass from West to hold the lead 28-7.

The Raiders answered with a drive of their own going 4 plays for 71 yards scoring another touchdown off a 29 yard run from running back Tyree Morrison making it 28-14.

Viking linebacker D’Anthony Jones shined as he recovered a Raider fumble in the end zone resulting in a Viking touchdown with 5 minutes to go in the half. Jones touchdown gave LBCC a promising 38-14 lead.

“We just gotta clean up the little mistakes and the penalties, stuff like that and I think we’d dominate these next two games,” Jones added after the game. 

With 1:53 left to go in the half, the Vikings scored again with a 7 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julian Woodard going up 45-14, the Vikings offense was clicking.

Photo by Syan Haghiri/Viking Staff. Zack Leets catches the 23 yard pass from Quarterback Derrach West on Nov. 2 vs Moorpark at the Veterans Stadium. West ended with 210 passing yards. The Vikings won 58-35.he Vikings won 58-35.

“We just gotta keep coming out executing and not giving up turnovers,” Quarterback West added after his season-high performance racking 5 touchdowns along with 210 passing yards. 

Despite the final score being 58-35 Vikings, the Raiders actually did lead the game in time of possession 32 minutes to LBCC’s 27.

The Viking defense had 3 interceptions as well as 8 sacks on Saturday, but Coach Peabody still believed they didn’t scratch the surface of what the defense could potentially be.

“I think we have one of the best defenses in the country and, to me, we didn’t quite meet that standard.”

The victory over the Raiders marked win number 50 for Coach Peabody and the team congratulated him for it after the game.

“The goal when we came here was to get this program back in contention and I feel like we’ve done that for the most part. The goal that’s still out there is that state title that the college hasn’t won since ‘95 and that’s the ultimate goal.”

The Vikings will be playing this Saturday Nov. 9 at Canyons with the conference title on the line.

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