CUPERTINO – Coalinga College nearly pulled off its biggest upset of season. Facing unbeaten and No. 19 state-ranked De Anza College on Saturday, the Falcons rallied late in the fourth quarter but ultimately came up just short in a valiant 42-40 loss.

Coalinga trailed early 21-7 after the first quarter and was down 28-14 midway in the third. But the Falcons got a pair of unanswered TDs to get back into the game.

Justyn Delzeit connected with David Dunn for a long 70-yard touchdown reception at the 8:52 mark in third and the duo hooked up again for a nine-yard TD to open the fourth quarter. Coalinga couldn't convert the extra point attempt, which proved to be costly, and the Falcons trailed by one, 28-27 with 14:56 to play.

De Anza responded on the ensuing kickoff, running it back 87 yards for a touchdown. The Mountain Lions added another TD at the 10:40 mark to take a commanding 42-27 advantage.

Facing another big deficit, Delzeit and the Falcons never quit. Delzeit led Coalinga on a seven-play, eight-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard Ke'Marian Albert touchdown run at 7:05. That was followed by another long drive, this time for 10 plays, capped by a six-yard Delzeit to Curtis Rodgers TD pass with just 1:56 left in the game.

Down 42-40, Coalinga was forced to go for the two-point PAT. On the play, Delzeit's pass attempt sailed high, allowing De Anza to escape with the win.

The Falcons' offense totaled 428 yards, led by impressive performances from Dunn and Demarion Wright. Dunn hauled in 5 receptions for 122 yards with two touchdowns while Wright ran for a season-high 188 yards on 23 carries.

Delzeit completed 17 of 37 passes for 202 yards with 3 TDs and an interception.

On defense, Nathaniel Stroud led the Falcons with 8 tackles while Julian Zaragoza totaled 5 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Coalinga had its five-game winning streak snapped. The Falcons are now 5-3 overall and sit in third place in the American Golden Coast League standings at 2-1. Just two games remain on the regular-season schedule with the Falcons heading to Gilroy next Saturday (Nov. 1) for a 1 p.m. game at Gavilan College.