COD Football will host the Patriotic Bowl this Saturday

Desert will play host to the East Los Angeles Huskies in the Patriotic Bowl on Saturday, November 19, kick off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Boone Field and tickets are $12.

Under veteran coach Jack Steptoe, in his 23rd season, Desert finished the regular season with a record 6-4 overall and 4-1 in conference. The Roadrunners started the season 0-2, but turned their fortunes around immediately, struggling only once in Conference play and recovering just in time to secure their first Bowl appearance since 2011.

The last time the Roadrunners faced off with East Los Angeles was in 2015, where Desert won, on the road, 21-20. The last time Desert won a Bowl game was in 1994, when the team defeated El Camino in a shootout, 59-48.

This is the fourth Bowl game for the Roadrunners since 2007 and Coach Steptoe looks forward to a competitive game. "We are excited to play in a Bowl game; it's a reward for everyone on our campus and the kids are excited" commented head coach Steptoe. "Opportunities to perform on this big of a stage do not arrive without the hard work and dedication of our coaches, the support staff and most importantly our student athletes."

Coach Steptoe continued, "We're helping to put the American Division-Mountain Conference on the map, making it one of the most competitive conferences around, with three teams in bowl games."

Last week, Desert recorded their sixth win of the season, knocking off the Victor Valley Rams, at home, 48-41 in overtime. The Huskies are riding a seven game winning streak, after hosting Glendale and knocking off the Gauchos last week 30-24. The Roadrunners Offensive line had a stellar game for Desert last week, as both Anthony Ellison and Reginald Macon combined for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

For East Los Angeles, their passing game proved to be the difference in their win, at home, against Pasadena City two weeks ago. Quarterback Jonathan Santos went to the air 19 times, completing 10 passes for 200 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Huskies operate in a "West Coast" style offense as they spread the ball around to 8 different receivers, and six different receivers on scoring plays. East Los Angeles sees the run game in the same way as 5 different rushers had four carries or more, totaling 205 yards and a score.

East Los Angeles is allowing 290.9 yards per game with 166.7 yards allowed through the air. Look for Desert quarterbacks Darius Hulsey and Kamone Best and their talented receiving corps to take advantage of that this week. The "double barreled" rushing attack of Ellison and Macon commands a lot of attention up front which should allow receivers to find the mismatches in the secondary. The hard hitting Roadrunner defense will need to make sure they lock down Huskies leading receiver and returner Cemaj Douglas.

Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.