Riverside City blanks Long Beach City, 47-0, in showdown of ranked teams
CCCAA Scoreboard
LONG BEACH - It was a battle of top-20 teams on Saturday night as the Riverside City College football team hit the road for a non-conference contest against deep rooted rival No. 11 Long Beach City College in Veterans Memorial Stadium. On a crisp night with a cool breeze, the Tigers brought an endless amount of heat that featured a high-powered offense and an unstoppable defense leading to a commanding 47-0 victory.
It was a night of utter dominance for the Tigers. Riverside owned every major offensive and defensive category. The offense put up a total of 487 yards and a season-high points mark reading 47. They averaged 6.6 yards-per-play in comparison to Long Beach's 3.7. Additionally, Riverside more than doubled the amount of the Viking's rushing yards and earned 10 more minutes in time of possession. In other words, Riverside was in control from the opening kickoff.
Riverside planted themselves in the end zone on their first four drives of the contest. Sophomore quarterback Stone Smartt put the Tigers on the board first with a 23-yard touchdown scamper. Riverside continued to pound the rock down the Vikings' throats with three more rushing touchdowns throughout the opening two quarters. Sophomore red zone quarterback Vic Viramontes was responsible for two of the scores, while freshman running back Dunmar Fisher added a 28-yard rushing touchdown.
During the opening drives, sophomore tailback Quincy Wimbish was a huge conduit to the offensive success. Despite not scoring in the first half, he carted the ball nine times for 96 yards which encompassed a 48-yard carry. Additionally, he placed the Tigers in the red zone twice on two separate occasions leading to a 26-0 advantage at halftime.
Riverside continued to press down on the gas pedal in the second half by tossing up 21 more points. After not scoring in the first half, Wimbish linked up with Smartt for a 20-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter. The duo connected once more in the first minute of the fourth quarter for a 15-yard touchdown reception to push the Tiger's lead to 40-0.
Sophomore tailback Malik Walker added another score on a 19-yard scurry to the near pylon en route to a 47-0 triumph.
Smartt was as efficient as ever under center by going 13-for-19 through the air with 157 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Wimbish was the beneficiary of those touchdown passes as he caught four passes for 47 yards. He shined on the ground as well by rushing for season-high and career-high 130 yards off 12 carries.
Walker lead the team in touches with 13 leading to 67 yards and a score, while Fisher carried the pigskin 10 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Tyler Kennedy paced the receiving core in yards with 52 off of just two grabs.
The defensive side of the ball was downright stout. Riverside earned four sacks, nine tackles for a loss, and one turnover. Sophomore defensive end Nicolas Figueroa earned his fourth sack of the season going for a loss of 11 yards, while freshman linebackers Jose Ramirez and Kobey Fitzgerald each recorded a sack for a loss of six yards.
Freshman linebacker Kue Olotoa paced Riverside with 11 stops, while Ramirez backed him with eight. Additionally, he had a forced fumble. Viramontes recorded seven stops as well.
Riverside (3-1) continued action at home on Saturday, September 29 as they host San Diego Mesa for their final non-conference opponent. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
(Nicho DellaValle, Riverside City Athletics)