DEFENDING CHAMP CSM OFF TO 58-12 START OVER DE ANZA IN BAY 6 OPENER

COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO SPORTS NEWS       October 14, 2017    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Fred Baer             baerf@smccd.edu

DEFENDING CHAMP CSM OFF TO 58-12 START OVER DE ANZA IN BAY 6 OPENER

CUPERTINO -- Miles Kendrick passed for 279 yards and accounted for five touchdowns as College of San Mateo overwhelmed host De Anza College, 58-12, in a Bay 6 League football opener Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (5-1 overall), ranked No. 4 in the state, scored on their first possession and never looked back. Kendrick finished a quick 5-play, 60-yard drive with an 18-yard TD run.

In addition to rushing for San Mateo's first two touchdowns, Kendrick passed for three -- including 39 and 44-yard tallies to Jared Latu. He also hooked up with Rajae Johnson on a 64-yard bomb as the Bulldogs took a 42-12 halftime lead. San Mateo High grad Latu caught six passes for 145 yards and Johnson five for 125.

Kendrick completed 12 of 18 passes for 279 yards. He rushed for 66 yards on ten carries for a total offense of 345 – all but 28 in the first half.

"I though he started off the game pretty well," said CSM coach Larry Owens. "But our rhythm was off. The last day we had any contact was Tuesday." The Bulldogs had their outdoor practices curtailed because of bad air quality from the Wine Country Wildfires.

Shawn Akina handled most of the second half signal calling, which was primarily a ground game. He rushed for 74 yards on eight carries and completed 2-of-3 passes for nine yards, leading a pair of San Mateo scoring drives. They were finished on short runs by Dennis Green.

CSM HAS TOP 2 RATED PASSERS: CSM has the top two rated community college passers in Northern California, both freshmen. St. Francis High grad Akina has a 168.1 passer rating and Kendrick (Valley Christian) 167.2.

Damani Sistena was the game's top rusher with 88 yards on ten carries, including a 4-yard TD. The 5-10, 182-pound freshman out of James Logan High School played only one series after the mid-game break. He started in place of CSM season rushing leader Cameron Taylor (Hillsdale), who sat out the game with a minor injury.

The Bulldogs totaled 300 yards on the ground and 288 in the air for a total offense of 588. De Anza (1-5 overall) was held to 242 net yards.

Linebacker Dorrzel Hicks led the San Mateo defense with ten tackles (eight solo). Lineman Toa Iafeta had six tackles and linebacker Laipeli Palu (Burlingame) had five.

FIRE IDLED CONTRA COSTA NEXT: San Mateo plays its first home league game on Saturday (Oct. 21) against Contra Costa (0-5 overall) at 1 p.m. at College Heights Stadium. The Comets had their Bay 6 League opener with Santa Rosa postponed by the wildfires. The Bulldogs share the Bay 6 lead with City College of San Francisco (4-2, 1-0), which opened with a 59-7 victory over Diablo Valley. CSM plays at CCSF on Oct. 28.

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