Palm Desert, CA — Marauder Football closed out its regular season, defeating College of the Desert, 38-28 on the road, to capture the Metro League Conference Championship Antelope Valley College Football closed out its regular season, defeating College of the Desert, 38-28 on the road, to capture the Metro League Conference Championship and secure a spot in the SCFA American Division playoffs. The Marauders delivered a balanced offensive performance, piling up 513 total yards, including 328 passing yards and 185 rushing yards. AVC came out firing, building an early 14-0 advantage in the first quarter behind a pair of rushing touchdowns. Isaiah Morgan opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run before Tyson Smith added a two-yard scoring carry to give the Marauders a two-touchdown cushion. The Roadrunners responded with 21 unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead in the second quarter, but the Marauders answered just before halftime when Smith connected with Shawn Irwin for a 12-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, tying it at 21-21 heading into the break. AVC regained the lead in the third quarter when Smith found Darrell Stanley for a two-yard touchdown, putting the Marauders ahead 28-21. The Marauders continued to build a lead in the fourth quarter as Naim Bankhead powered into the end zone from one yard out to extend the lead to 35-21. Lucas Bailey added a 21-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining to make it 38-21. Desert added a late touchdown following a fumble return, but AVC held on for the 10-point win. Smith led the Marauder offense, completing 22 of 40 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Stanley led all receivers with nine catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. Irwin also had a strong game with six receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Garner contributed four catches for 70 yards. On the ground, Morgan powered the rushing attack with 121 yards on 22 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, and scored once. Bankhead added 35 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. Defensively, the Marauders recorded four sacks and limited College of the Desert to 248 total yards. Darren Coleman led the pass rush with two sacks for 14 yards in losses and 2.5 tackles for loss totaling 16 yards. Josiah Lewis added a sack and six total tackles, while Grant Johnson and Aiden Preston each contributed half a sack. AVC's defense also generated 31 quarterback hurries. Bailey finished perfect on the night, converting all five extra-point attempts and connecting on his lone field-goal attempt to account for eight points. With the win, Antelope Valley finishes the regular season at 8-2 overall and 5-0 in conference play to claim the Metro League Championship and advance to the SCFA American Division playoffs. They will host Grossmont College in round one of a two-round playoff post-season to determine the SCFA American Division Champion. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Brent Carder Marauder Stadium. (from https://gomarauders.avc.edu/sports/fball/2026-27/releases/20261108zdtt3f)