Junior College Football: Rustlers denied upset

It’s not if, but when an offense will score in community college football. With enough quickness, speed and skill to fuel a scheme that spreads the field, providing strong-armed quarterbacks multiple targets with which to pick opponents apart, defenses are usually chasing the no-huddle machinery hoping merely not to choke on its fumes.

For nearly 110 minutes this season and 123 offensive snaps, the Golden West College defense defended its goal line with unflinching resolve.

But Riverside, ranked No. 2 in the state and led by Coach Tom Craft who has built a career on offensive pyrotechnics, finally found the formula to rally for a 20-17 nonconference victory on Saturday at Orange Coast College.

The Tigers, who had managed just two field goals through three quarters, after which they trailed the No. 8-ranked Rustlers, 17-6, mixed their short passing attack with increasingly effective runs to score twice in an 11-play span and avert the upset.

Ironically, RCC (2-0) pushed through after returning all-conference quarterback Ian Fieber, was sidelined by an injury.

Backup Collyn Anderson, a sophomore out of North Carolina, led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to help drop the Rustlers to 1-1.

Anderson completed six of seven passes for 60 yards and five first downs, and running backs Seth Acda and Eltoro Allen finally found enough seams to render holding these Tigers problematic.

“We had them for about three-and-a-half quarters,” Golden West Coach Nick Mitchell said. “But that didn’t win the game. There are a lot of hanging heads [among Rustlers players], of course, because we thought we had us a good solid win here. But in the big picture, we wanted to see where we were at going against a really good team. Against a perennial state playoff team, ranked No. 2 in the state, and we had them on the ropes until midway through the fourth quarter … I feel good.”

It was the defense that prompted most of the positive feeling for the hosts, though a 16-play, 74-yard touchdown drive aided by a costly roughing-the-passer penalty allowed Golden West to hold a 10-6 halftime lead.

That lead increased when linebacker Trevin Kahunanui batted a pass backward and linebacker Hunter Margain intercepted and wheezed 68 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-6 on the final play of the third quarter.

The two teams exchanged possessions, before Riverside, which scored 46 points in its season-opening win, finally clicked for touchdown drives of 53 and 60 yards.

The Tigers’ go-ahead score was a seven-yard run by Acda to cap a 10-play procession with 5:56 left.

Golden West drove to the Tigers’ 31-yard line on the ensuing possession, but a 48-yard field-goal try was partially blocked by Riverside’s Melvin Johnson with 3:02 left and RCC ran out the clock.

Golden West, playing without returning sophomore quarterback Adam Vance (broken elbow), struggled to sustain anything offensively.

Tailback Gabe Ford, who averaged 7.8 yards on 17 rushing attempts in the 33-0 opening win at Glendale, netted just 39 yards on 18 attempts Saturday.

Starting quarterback Adam Carr threw for 61 yards, while backup Angel Matute threw for 57, completing eight of 16 and also rushing nine times for another 14 yards.

Sheldon White had four receptions for 51 yards.

Matthew Posey had an interception for the Rustlers, for whom sophomore cornerback Kory Garcia was among many defensive standouts.

The Rustlers lost starting defensive tackle Sebastian DeMartini, linebacker Joseph Inda and defensive end Damon Roberts to injuries during the contest. They also played without All-American receiver Zimari Manning (injury) and heralded left-tackle Dezmond Green (suspension).

“Last week [thumping Glendale] was great and all, but we really didn’t know who we were,” Mitchell said. “This is a game where we can kind of find out where we’re at. We’ll get better and, hopefully, we’ll get healthy.”

Nonconference

Riverside 20, Golden West 17

SCORE BY QUARTERS

RCC 0 – 6 – 0 – 14 – 20

GWC 3 – 7 – 7 – 0 – 17

FIRST QUARTER

GWC – Conoway 28 FTG, 7:21.

SECOND QUARTER

RCC – Hilfer 21 FG, 10:09.

GWC – Matute 1 run (Conoway kick), 3:05.

RCC – Hilfer 31 FG, 0:23.

THIRD QUARTER

GWC – Margain 68 interception return (Conoway kick), 0:00.

FOURTH QUARTER

RCC – Allen 2 run (Hilfer kick), 11:18.

RCC – Acda 7 run (Hilfer kick), 5:56.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

RCC – Acda, 18-105, 1 TD.

GWC – Ford, 18-39.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

RCC – Fieber, 25-44-2, 219.

GWC – Carr, 4-12-0, 61; Matute, 8-16-0, 57.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

RCC – Yoakum, 6-56; Davis, 6-51.

GWC – White, 4-51.