Riverside reaches third-consecutive State Championship game with SoCal Championship victory
Story by RCC Sports Information
The Riverside City College Tigers and the Fullerton College Hornets looked fairly identical on paper. Strong offenses, stout defenses and double-digit wins on the season. But when the game began, it was a no contest as the Tigers grabbed ahold of the reigns and never let up.
Riverside defeated the Hornets, 31-17, for their third-consecutive Southern California Championship and have successfully punched their ticket to their third-straight California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship game.
Riverside will face off against the College of San Mateo Bulldogs in a rematch of the 2019 state title game on Saturday, December 10 at College of San Mateo at 1 p.m. It is the second time in the past three years that both team will square off for the title.
The Tigers never trailed throughout the entire game with the Hornets coming to within four once throughout the contest. The offense was dominant. It featured numerous quick screens and short passing plays, mixed in with a handful of shots down field. At game's end, they accumulated over 500 total yards with 372 of them coming through the air.
Sophomore gunslinger Jake Retzlaff continued to prove why he is the top two-year quarterback in the nation by going 31-for-45 with 372 yards and two touchdown passes. It is the fifth straight game he has thrown at least two touchdown passes. Furthermore, he has tossed 23 touchdown passes in the past five games.
He zeroed in on two receivers for touchdowns starting with sophomore wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff reeling in a 19-yard score in the second quarter. He capped his performance by locating freshman wide receiver Alfred Jordan on a 74-yard touchdown pass late in the first half. Jordan put together a nice slant patterned that saw him win a foot race to the goal line.
Jordan had one of his better games to date by hauling in three grabs for 88 yards and a touchdown.
"I feel blessed to be in this position with my teammates," said Jordan. "We played resilient today and our defense really held up with our offense staying strong and staying dominant. We need to carry it into next week."
The run game was just as strong, especially in the red zone. Riverside had a pair of running back clock one-yard touchdown runs starting with freshman Donovan Harvey pounding it in on the Tiger's opening drive. Freshman Bryce Strong mimicked the one-yard stretch later in the first quarter as well.
Strong was a monster weapon in the passing game as well after hauling in seven receptions for 73 yards. R. Retzlaff followed with four catches for 67 yards, while freshman Norbert Espadron racked up four grabs for 32 yards.
Defensively, Riverside nearly held them to under 300 yards. The defense forced three turnovers on downs mixed in with two forced punts. Additionally, they did not allow more than a touchdown in each quarter.
Freshman linebacker Mafileo Tupou led the squad with eight tackles with four acting as solo stops. Sophomore defensive lineman Talib Salahuddin followed with seven stops and a sack, while sophomore linebacker Arturo Orozco also notched seven tackles and a sack.
This is familiar territory for Head Coach Tom Craft and the football program. They currently boast the only undefeated record in the state at 12-0. Last time the Tigers were undefeated leading into the state championship, the reigned supreme against San Mateo to claim the state and national title.
