Love hurts – Hornets sting the Cougars in dominant win

Love hurts – Hornets sting the Cougars in dominant win Love hurts – Hornets sting the Cougars in dominant win Josh Love leads the charge while Corin Rynder delivers under center in a strong showing for the Hornets. Nathan Tabio, Staff Reporter October 9, 2026 Deegan Lucero Receiver #17 Talan White-Hatch tiptoes the sideline for a 14-yard reception. Freshman running back Josh Love delivered an anchoring performance in a high-scoring win for the Hornets on Oct. 8 against College of the Canyons. Love shined with 129 yards on the ground, 48 yards in the air, and 2 rushing touchdowns in a dominant 40-22 win. Hornet’s sophomore quarterback Corin Rynder dazzled the crowd in the pocket, remaining calm under pressure by delivering strike after strike. Rynder would finish the game with a nearly perfect quarterback rating: 321 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 62 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. “He’s been on a heater; he’s playing with confidence… We’re happy to be seeing his progression and watching him become a great quarterback,” said Fullerton College Football Co-Head Coach Phil Austin after Rynder’s performance. Story continues below advertisement The Hornets came into this matchup hoping to extend their win streak to three games, while the Cougars looked to fight for their first win of the season. With 15 minutes on the clock, Rynder handed the ball off to Love for a 65-yard housecall, stinging the Cougars on the first play of the first drive. “I just wanted to get the team started and get momentum on our side. We’ve had a tough few weeks, but these last few weeks we’ve been trying to fix our issues and find our rhythm,” Love said when asked about his galvanizing run. Gallery • 4 Photos Deegan Lucero Receiver #17 Talan White-Hatch dives for a 27-yard reception on the sideline, putting the Hornets in the red zone. Love described his play perfectly, charging up the Hornets on the opposite side of the ball as freshman cornerback Tyron Tinner recorded his first interception of the season on a diving catch. The second quarter was plagued with flags for both the Hornets and Cougars, slightly slowing the game down. Seven flags were thrown against the Hornets in the first half, and at least five against the Cougars. A roughing passer penalty spoiled Fullerton’s third-down stop against the driving Cougars. With six minutes to go in the second quarter, Canyon’s quarterback Braden Luedeker proceeded to tie up the game with a 12-yard zip pass to wide receiver Friedrich Koch and a one-yard throw to tight end Ryan Conley for the touchdown. With momentum up for grabs, the Hornets went into the locker room at half with a 10-7 lead. Clearly unsatisfied with their performance, the Hornets would enter the second half with a much more aggressive approach. Fullerton started the half gunning, setting themselves up for a one-yard walk-in Rynders touchdown. The Cougars weren’t giving up without a fight. Luedeker showed immense grit with a 42-yard run to put the Cougars into a position to tie. However, he proceeded to throw a 40-yard bomb down the field to Anthony Seragusa on the next play. The Cougars were down 17-13 with plenty of time remaining in the third quarter. For a moment, the game seemed like it was shifting in Canyon’s favor until both the offense and defense of the Hornets began to take control of the field. A quick shovel pass to wide receiver Harlem Harris, a quick sack by linebacker Caleb Collins on second down, and a third-down stop had put Fullerton in a position to capitalize. The fourth quarter began with Love and Rynder continuing their dominance. Rynder took the ball himself and ran down the middle for a 31-yard touchdown. Love proceeded to capture his second touchdown of the night on a 20-yard run, followed by a 28-yard touchdown pass to Devan Parker from Rynder. This put the game out of reach for the Cougars, finalizing the Hornets’ three-game win streak. The Hornets are now 4-2 and are exactly halfway through their season, ready to make a push to the playoffs. “That’s a long road trip. That’s where you expect your veterans and sophomores to show leadership, but it’s always a tough place to play. They run the ball really well,” said Austin about their upcoming matchup. Next week, the Hornets will make the long trip up to Bakersfield in a homecoming game against the Renegades on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is at 6:00 p.m. PST. View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment About the Contributors Nathan Tabio, Staff Reporter Nathan Tabio is a journalism major. He is a 3rd year of Fullerton college, with hopes of transferring to Cal State Long Beach next fall! Deegan Lucero, Staff Reporter Deegan Lucero, is a journalism and sports broadcasting student at Fullerton College with a passion for sports, music and entertainment. He works as a stringer for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and has a strong passion for Minor League Baseball. He hopes to write about the stories and ideas that often go unnoticed, exploring the many different sides of sports.