NCFC Bowl games to showcase top community college football on Saturday

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Five postseason bowl games, administered by the Northern California Football Conference, will showcase community college football in the region over the next two weekends.

These games are in addition to the California Community College Athletic Association’s 8-team state playoffs, which will feature American River, College of San Mateo, Laney, and College of the Siskiyous.

After those top four teams – the three National Division league champions and at-large selection Siskiyous -- were seeded into the state playoffs, the NCFA announced the following bowl game pairings:

 

 

--The final game, the Living Breath Foundation Bowl, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 25 and pair the top two seeds in the American Division: No. 1 Merced (9-1) vs. No. 2 Los Medanos (8-2) at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas at 1 p.m.

All the bowl teams wound-up ranked among the top 30 teams in the state according to the JC Athletic Bureau’s final regular season poll of California Community College Football Coaches Association members.

NCFC Commissioner Gary Kollenborn is administering the bowl games, since the conference is now responsible for finances. Participating colleges can benefit from proceeds. NCFC president Andreas Wolf, director of athletics and division dean at College of San Mateo, facilitated the reorganization of the bowl system.

 

The CAPITAL CITY BOWL matches the Bay 6 runner-up CCSF Rams (7-3, 4-1), ranked No. 11 in the state, and the NorCal league third place finisher No. 12 Sacramento CC (8-2, 3-2). The 1 p.m. game will be played at Sac’s Hughes Stadium, which will also be the site of the CCCAA State Championship game on Dec. 9.

  CCSF — Offensive avg.: 41.7 ppg / 459.2 ypg: Rams freshman running back Isaiah Floyd is the state’s top rusher (averaging 166.1 yards per game) AND scorer (17 TDs and 114 points). He is also No. 1 in all-purpose running with 1795 total yards. Sophomore QB Zach Masoli is averaging 191.8 passing yards per game with 14 TD passes for a 153.1 passer efficiency rating (No. 5 overall in the NCFC). His total offense is 1,947 yards and 23 TDs responsible for. Top CCSF pass receivers are sophomores Kevin Fox, Jr. (30 for 420 yards) and Kevin Shaa (22 for 479 yards). Soph placekicker Greg Thomas has scored 73 points, including eight field goals.

  Sacramento — Off. Avg.:  31.5 ppg / 395.9 ypg: Panthers frosh quarterback Jayden Machado leads the NCFC’s National Division passers with 239.4 yards per game and has 20 TD passes, helping to produce a solid 148.7 passer efficiency rating. Leading receiver is Jordan Moore with 48 catches for 971 yards (20.2 average) and eight TDs. Sac’s top running back is Tre Bussey, averaging 69.8 yards per game. Sophomore Tayvian Cunningham is the state’s top kickoff returner, averaging 35.9 yards on 15 kickoffs, scoring on four of them (long of 96 yards). Soph linebacker Terrence March leads the state’s National Division in tackles with 87 (8.7 per game).

 

The STATE CENTER BOWL pits state No.  21 Butte (5-5, 2-3), fourth in the tough NorCal league, at No. 14 Fresno CC (7-3, 4-1), runner-up in the Valley league.

  Butte – Off. avg.: 28.9 ppg / 321.5 ypg: Roadrunners freshman QB Easton English has passed for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tyler Fountain is Butte’s top rusher with 595 yards (66.1 average per game) on 88 carries (6.8 average) and seven TDs. Butte has two of the state’s top kickoff returners, Micah Massey, 33.5 average on eight returns (too few to qualify for No. 2 in state rankings) and Jackson Taylor, 23.7 yards on 12 returns. Massey, a sophomore running back, has 676 total all-purpose yards.

  Fresno – Off. avg.: 34.7 ppg / 397.9 ypg: Rams frosh quarterback Trey McGuckin is the No. 2 National Division thrower in Northern California, averaging 227.4 yards per game, He is tied for the STATE LEAD in TD passes with 28 and has a 153.6 passer efficiency rating. Top rusher is sophomore Khai Williams with 491 yards on 114 carries and eight touchdowns. Soph wide receiver Coltin Velasquez leads Fresno pass catchers with 27 receptions for 449 yards and five TDs. Versatile WR Anthony Stewart is Fresno’s all-purpose running leader with 839 yards and averages 25.5 yards on kickoff returns. Evan Rios has kicked nine field goals and leads the Rams in scoring with 69 points.

 

The GRIDIRON CLASSIC BOWL features No. 24 state Diablo Valley (5-5, 2-3), co-third in the Bay 6 league, at No. 18 Modesto JC (5-5, 3-2), third in the Valley league.

  Diablo Valley – Off. avg.: 23.7 ppg / 321.5 ypg: Vikings freshman QB Matt Vitale has passed for 1,560 yards (124 of 233) and 15 TDs. Top receiver is freshman Cameron Norfleet with 40 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore RB Miles Harrison has 481 yards on 79 carries (6.1 average) with five TDs. Frosh DB Dieontae Malan averages 21.2 yards on kickoff returns. Jake Peralta, a freshman DB, leads Vikings tacklers with 66 (6.6 per game).  

  Modesto JC— Off. avg.: 34.6 ppg / 439.1 ypg: Pirates freshman running back Devan Bass is the state’s No. 2 overall scorer, with 108 points -- and averages 109.5 yards per game rushing. Including receiving and kick returns, he has 1.473 all-purpose yards (No. 6 in the state). Frosh QB Dan Velasquez is averaging 176.9 yards per game and has thrown for 18 TDs with a 126.5 passer efficiency rating. He has also rushed for 614 yards and eight TDs for a total offense of 1,383 yards and 26 TDs responsible for. Top MJC pass catcher is sophomore Michael Thompson, with 45 receptions for 776 yards and ten TDs.

 

The AMERICAN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP BOWL – featuring the champions of the Golden Coast & Pacific 7 leagues:

Golden Coast co-champion Monterey Peninsula (7-3, 5-1), No. 27 in the overall state coaches poll, will play at Pacific 7 champion and No. 30 Shasta (6-3, 4-1) in Redding for the NCFC’s American Division trophy.

  Monterey Peninsula – Off. avg.: 30.1 ppg / 371.6 ypg: Lobos freshman Quarterback Hunter Raquet is averaging 212.4 yards per game and has thrown 19 TD passes for a passer efficiency rating of 154.0 – which leads all American Division signal callers in the state. Top MPC pass receivers are sophomores Matteo D’Alfonso with 645 yards on 29 receptions (22.2 average) and eight touchdowns, and Michael Armstead (37 for 554 yards, 4 TDs). Freshman running back Hunter Nye is averaging 100.2 yards per game rushing and has scored 11 TDs.  Akili Jones averages 26.1 yards on kickoff returns.

  Shasta — Off. avg.: 28.6 ppg / 389.4 ypg: Knights freshman quarterback Trent Darms is averaging 212.4 yards per game, the same as MPC’s signal caller. Top pass receivers are freshmen Karnell Calloway (29 for 511 yards, 17.6 avg.) and Jaquez Durham (26 for 500, 19.2 avg.). Durham, who also has a 24.9 kickoff return average, racks up 97.9 all-purpose yards per game. Soph Justin Hellyer is Shasta’s top rusher, averaging 74.4 yards per game. He also averages 94.9 all-purpose yards. Freshman placekicker Kendall Raschein has made eight field goals and scored 46 points.

 

State No. 16 Merced (9-1, 5-1) shared the Golden Coast title with Monterey Peninsula, which gave the Blue Devils their only loss of the year. No. 25 Los Medanos (8-2, 3-2) finished second in the Pacific 7, losing only twice all year -- but both times in league play. (And it is conference finish that determines the division championship bowl qualifiers.)   

  Merced — Off. Avg.: 33.0 ppg. / 389.5 ypg: Blue Devils frosh RB Hanisi Lotulelei is the state’s top American Division rusher, averaging 130.0 yards per game (1,300 net yards) and has scored six touchdowns. He has 1,420 all-purpose yards. Soph wide receiver Nick Cook leads the STATE with 16 TD catches (42 receptions for 747 yards, 17.8 avg.) and also paces the state in overall scoring with an 11.8 average. He is a kick and punt return threat too and has 1,078 total all-purpose yards. Soph QB Frank Cocio is averaging 209.9 passing yards per game with ten TDs and a 143.5 passer efficiency rating, No. 3 in the state for the American Division. Frosh lineman David Perales is the state sack leader with 12.5.

  Los Medanos – Off. Avg.: 30.0 ppg / 364.5 ypg: Mustangs sophomore QB Sohsini Mohsini led all NCFC quarterbacks with 241.0 yards per game passing and has a 143.8 efficiency rating – No. 2 in the state in the American Division. Top receiver sophomore is Jelani Davis with 45 catches for 833 yards (18.5 average) and eight touchdowns. He has 1,048 all-purpose yards. Soph Namontte Grisby leads LMC rushers, averaging 62.6 yards per game, and has scored eight TDs. Sophomore linebacker Richie Peralta ranks No. 3 in the state in tackles with 10.4 per game.

NCFC National Division Bowl Games (with NCFC National Division seeds):         

Capital City Bowl: #6 City College of San Francisco (7-3) at #5 Sacramento City College (8-2), 1 p.m.

State Center Bowl: #8 Butte (5-5) at #7 Fresno City College (7-3), 3 p.m.

Gridiron Classic Bowl: #10 Diablo Valley (5-5) at #9 Modesto JC (5-5), 3 p.m.

 

American Division Championship Bowl: Golden Coast co-champion Monterey Peninsula (7-3) at Pacific 7 champion Shasta (6-3), Redding, 3 p.m.

 

Living Breath Foundation Bowl: #1 Merced (9-1) vs. #2 Los Medanos (8-2), Rabobank Stadium, Salinas, 1 p.m.