#3 AMERICAN RIVER UPENDS #1 COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO, 24-14

SACRAMENTO – Realizing its first No. 1 state ranking has come to an end (for the time being), College of San Mateo can now concentrate on its official quest for a state championship when play opens in the Northern California Football Conference’s new Bay 6 League on Oct. 18. The Bulldogs (4-1) will host unbeaten Santa Rosa JC (5-0) in the 1 p.m. contest. A bye week provides more time for CSM’s season starting quarterback and running back to return from injuries that have sidelined them and others in recent games. Despite turning over the ball five time, No. 3 American River (5-0) upset No. 1 CSM, 24-14, in a non-conference football game Saturday night in Sacramento. .

October 4, 2014

COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO SPORTS NEWS               Oct. 4, 2014                                Contact: Fred Baer          baerf@smccd.edu          

 League Opener Oct. 18, SRJC at CSM:

   #3 AMERICAN RIVER UPENDS #1 COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO, 24-14

 SACRAMENTO – Realizing its first No. 1 state ranking has come to an end (for the time being), College of San Mateo can now concentrate on its official quest for a state championship when play opens in the Northern California Football Conference's new Bay 6 League on Oct. 18. The Bulldogs (4-1) will host unbeaten Santa Rosa JC (5-0) in the 1 p.m. contest. A bye week provides more time for CSM's season starting quarterback and running back to return from injuries that have sidelined them and others in recent games. 
 
Despite turning over the ball five time, No. 3 American River (5-0) upset No. 1 CSM, 24-14, in a non-conference football game Saturday night in Sacramento. No. 4 Santa Rosa, a 28-3 winner over College of the Sequoias, and ARC are now the only remaining unbeatens among the NCFC's 18 National (state championship) Division teams. Four will qualify for the state playoffs.  
ARC's last loss was at CSM by a record 75-9 score in the Bulldog Bowl last November. This setback ended an 8-game winning streak for the Bulldogs, who went 10-1 in 2013.
 
The host Beavers took a 14-0 lead in the first 16 minutes. Division I quarterback transfer Tanner Trosin accounted for both TDs on a 14-yard run and a 12-yard pass to Tyler Young. CSM cut the margin to 14-7 on a 3-yard run by Sammy Fanua midway through the second quarter which completed a 62-yard drive. But that was the closest the Bulldogs would get.
 

San Mateo did get back in contention at 24-14 with 3:44 left in the game on a 20-yard pass from Justin Burgess to Kevin Kutchera. An onside kick attempt failed, however. CSM used its timeouts to get the ball back but then fumbled the ball away on the first play. The Bulldogs had four turnovers.

CSM totaled a season low 281 yards. The Beavers totaled 366 yards. Burgess completed only six of 18 passes for 129 yards and added 35 more on the ground. Kutchera caught three passes for 65 yards. Durell Crooks led San Mateo rushers with 68 yards on 15 carries.
On defense, Anthony Hines and Ahmari Hayes intercepted passes from Trosin (who went 15 of25 for 154 yards and also rushed for 90 yards).  Top Bulldogs tacklers were Mosa Likio with eight (five unassisted). Totaling seven each were Keith Marcus, Elijah Jones, and Randy Allen.
 
--Of the five remaining foes on San Mateo's attractive schedule, three are ranked among the state's top ten: San Francisco, Diablo Valley, and Santa Rosa.
How last week's top California Community College Football Coaches Association teams fared:

#3 American River 24, #1 San Mateo 14

#5 Long Beach 41, #2 Mt. San Antonio 38

#4 Santa Rosa 28, Sequoias 3

#6 Fullerton 66, #9 Golden West 43

#7 San Francisco 66, Modesto 29

#8 Riverside 31, #18 El Camino 7

#10 Diablo Valley 31, #21 Sierra 30

#11 Butte 35, San Joaquin Delta 34