The Bakersfield College football team (6-2 overall, 2-1 National Northern Conference) has won two straight games and is currently in second in the conference.

The Renegades played Cerritos College on Oct. 22 and won 28-21 on homecoming night at Memorial Stadium. The scoring didn’t get started until the second quarter when Derrick Vickers ran for a 4-yard touchdown to put BC up 7-0. Cerritos answered with an 8-yard touchdown run from Kishawn Holmes to tie it up 7-7. Dalton Gallis then threw an interception to Elijah Walker, who would return it 21 yards for a touchdown to put Cerrtios up 14-7. The Renegades switched quarterbacks after Gallis threw that interception. BC tied it on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cesar De Leon to Jasmit Thind. The score at halftime was 14-14.

Vickers put the Renegades back in front on a 23-yard touchdown run to cap off a 7-play, 72-yard drive that only took two minutes. Cerritos tied it early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run from Holmes. Vickers rushed for his third touchdown in the game on another 23-yard touchdown run to put BC up 28-21. Cerritos was driving down the field before fumbling the ball with 12 seconds left to seal up the win for the Renegades.

“You look at how we played and we played with a lot of spirit and a lot of heart,” said BC coach Jeff Chudy. “We said don’t let one play define you. We were resilient in the first half. I think we had four holding penalties and two inside the plus-50 where it stopped our drives. We had a big one on Derrick’s run; we actually overcame that. We made a mistake and they pick-sixed on us, so I can’t say enough of how our guys responded this week. These guys are a good football team and to come out and play like we played, my hat’s off to our Renegades and to Cerritos. We know we’re always going to be in for a dogfight, so we’re just happy to get it done.”

Vickers ran the ball 22 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns to help carry BC’s offense. “He’s a special player, and I’m glad he’s playing for us,” said Chudy.

Gallis went 7-for-11 passing for 94 yards and two interceptions before De Leon came in for him. De Leon went 7-for-11 passing for 84 yards and one touchdown. “Cesar did a great job. He did a great job earlier in the year. The biggest thing is our guys play hard. We feel completely confident whether it’s Dalton or Cesar, it doesn’t matter. They’re just one guy, I mean they get a lot of attention because they touch the ball every snap, but you know, my hat’s off to our guys,” said Chudy.

Oct. 29, BC beat Santa Monica College 26-14 on the road. Santa Monica scored first on a 24-yard pass from Weston Massett to Hakeem Zeb. BC would tie it up on a 4-yard run from La Meshio Hill. BC scored late in the second quarter on an 8-yard run from De Leon. The Renegades were up 14-7 going into the half.

Santa Monica tied the score on a 13-yard pass from Massett to Zeb. The Renegades scored early in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard pass from De Leon to Jakell Tomlin, but the extra point was no good, so BC only went up 20-14. BC would then score with 5:19 left in the game on a 1-yard run from De Leon to put them up 26-14.

De Leon went 11-for-21 passing for 123 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Hill would run the ball 21 times for 145 yards and one touchdown. Vickers led the team in receiving with four receptions for 55 yards. Jamil Iakopo had three interceptions for the Renegades.

BC has two games left in the season, both at home. The Renegades play Ventura College on Nov. 5 and then College of the Canyons on Nov. 12.

Ventura College is currently first in the National Northern Conference, so that game may determine who finishes first in the conference.