BULLDOGS UPSET NO. 6 SANTA ROSA, 26-23, TO WIN BAY 6 & STATE PLAYOFF BERTH NOV. 19

COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO SPORTS NEWS      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      Contact: Fred Baer          baerf@smccd.edu

CSM Football Closes at Home wih Diablo Valley Saturday Nov. 12):

BULLDOGS UPSET NO. 6 SANTA ROSA, 26-23, TO WIN BAY 6 & STATE PLAYOFF BERTH NOV. 19

SANTA ROSA (Nov. 5, 2016) -- Cesar Silva kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining to give College of San Mateo a 26-23 win at state No. 6 ranked Santa Rosa JC Saturday night for the Bay 6 Conference football championship.

Linebacker Daniel Lavulo sacked Santa Rosa backup QB Tyler Okyama on his final two plays and CSM (4-0 Bay 6 League, 6-3 overall) took over on the Bearcubs 26 with seven seconds left for the final kneel down.

POST-SEASON SITUATION: The state No. 12 ranked Bulldogs close regular season play hosting fifth place (but No. 16 state) Diablo Valley Saturday at 1 p.m. in the final College Heights game of the year; then open in the state playoffs on Nov. 19 against either Valley League champion Modesto or NorCal League king-pin Butte. Both are 4-0 (7-2 overall) and clinched the playoff berths for their leagues with wins on Saturday. State No. 10 Modesto, which beat CSM in the season opener, toppled No. 4 Laney, 12-0. No. 7 Butte, which San Mateo beat in Chico, defeated No. 2 American River, 21-14, in overtime.

Santa Rosa (2-2, 7-2) fell into third place in the tough Bay 6. Defending California Community College Athletic Association champion City College of San Francisco survived a scare at De Anza (0-4, 1-8), 38-37, to clinch the runner-up spot in the Bay 6 and remain in the running for the north's single at-large berth for the state playoffs.  

The three "upsets" -- along with No. 1 Riverside losing for the time this year, 38-31 in overtime to No. 11 Long Beach – assures a complete revision of the state rankings this week. San Mateo had taken control of the Bay 6 race a week earlier by defeating rival CCSF, 24-21 – the margin of another Silva field goal in the second half (although Keenan Smith scored the winning TD later). San Francisco (3-1, 6-3) could still tie for first in the Bay 6 -- should the Bulldogs lose to Diablo Valley – but CSM has already earned the league's state playoff berth.

GAME WRAP: CSM completed 77-yard drive to tie the game at 23 with 11:10 left on a 20-yard TD pass from Ryan Brand to Line Latu (after trailing since holding an early 7-3 lead). Santa Rosa threatened to go ahead again, marching to the San Mateo six. But quarterback Mitch Hood was picked off by Kava Maka, who appeared to return the ball 94 yards to the Bearcubs one. But an illegal block below the waste penalty early in the run at the 27 brought it back and placed the ball on the CSM 12. Although the Bulldogs advance only as far as Santa Rosa's 44, Silva's ensuing punt was downed at the five.

The Bulldogs recorded a pair of sacks, including the second of the game by Tukua Ahola, to force a quick 3 & out for Santa Rosa and got the ball back, after the punt, on their own 42 with 2:25 left in the game. Quarterback Bobby Calmeyn completed passes to Smith, for seven yards, and to Tasi Teu for 46 yards to give San Mateo a first and goal at the three. After three rushes moved the ball to the one, while Santa Rosa used its remaining timeouts, Silva kicked the game winner.   

Smith had scored the game's first TD on an 8-yard run to give CSM an early 7-3 lead with 9:38 left in the first quarter. Santa Rosa moved ahead, 20-7, with three straight scores before the Bulldogs bounced back in the final three minutes of the first half. Ramiah Marshall tallied a TD on a 15-yard pass from Calmeyn with 2:56 left.

San Mateo took advantage of a final first half opportunity, getting the ball back with 13 seconds remaining when the Bearcubs fumbled away a CSM punt at their own 15. The Bulldogs got to the seven from which Silva produced a 25-yard field goal to close it to 20-16 at midgame.    

STAT LEADERS: Calmeyn completed 26 of 40 passes for 249 yards and two TDs. Smith was the game's top rusher with 128 yards on 26 carries and also caught six passes for 48 yards to total 176 yards from scrimmage. Marshall had 86 all-purpose yards.

Linebacker Colt Doughy was CSM's top tackler with 12 while Keenan Johnson had six solo tackles. San Mateo recorded eight sacks, holding the Bearcubs to a net of minus three yards rushing.

Silva, a freshman kicker out of Milpitas High, had a good statistical day in addition to his two key field goals -- averaging 42 yards on seven punts (with a long of 53) and three inside the 20) and averaging 55 yards on six kickoffs.