The College of San Mateo football team powered past host Gavilan
44-12 Saturday night in non-conference play at Mustang Stadium.
The College of San Mateo football team powered past host Gavilan 44-12 Saturday night in non-conference play at Mustang Stadium.
The Rams completed the pre-Coast Conference portion of the 10-game schedule Saturday night in Visalia against College of Sequoias.
We battled, we played hard,” said Gavilan coach John Lango of the club’s third setback in five outings.
“I was proud of the players. We didn’t tackle well, but we caused four turnovers and played our defensive scheme well at times.”
Lango may have been worried about the Rams’ effort going into the game because Gavilan had offered little resistance in a 65-0 loss to Sierra two weeks earlier and San Mateo had a higher ranking than Sierra and averaged 507 yards on offense.
The Bulldogs nearly hit that figure, rolling to 500 yards (276 rushing, 224 passing). Gavilan finished with 176 yards of offense, 78 on the ground and 98 in the air.
“We were too spotty in the first half,” said Bulldogs coach Larry Owen. “Our defense played well, but the offense was inconsistent. Give Gavilan some credit. That’s a good football team with some good athletes.”
The Bulldogs called on reserve Dion Pickett to quarterback against Gavilan. The freshman responded with a 15-for-25 passing effort for two scores and one interception. Sophomore quarterback Steve Haren was sidelined with an injury.
Nick Buzzetta, Gavilan’s starting quarterback, suffered a hip injury with 6:45 left in the third quarter. Prior to the ride in the ambulance, Buzzetta passed for 61 yards and ran for 24 more, including a two-yard touchdown ramble with 1:17 left in the first half. He raced 47 yards to the Bulldog 12 on the final play of the half.
Patrick Ames and Brandon Zertuche split time behind center for the rest of the second half. Zertuche completed all three pass attempts, including a 20-yard pitch to Albert Lebron with 2:24 left in the game.
Bulldog workhorse fullback Sione Tavake used his 260-pound frame to 74 yards on the ground before a hamstring injury sidelined him late in the first half. The sophomore scored the game’s first two touchdowns. Tavake went 18 yards to paydirt with 10:27 left in the first quarter, then took a 21-yard pass from Pickett with 2:29 left in the quarter.
The Bulldogs added nine points in the second quarter. Joe Griffin powered over from three yards out with 5:16 left. San Mateo added a safety with 4:21 showing.
Coast Conference play begins Oct. 18 when the Rams visit DeAnza at 1 p.m.
