No. 1 Bulldogs comeback falls short in 23-20 loss at No. 6 Modesto

3C2A Football: Standings l Scoreboard

MODESTO – College of San Mateo's reign on top of the state rankings didn't last long.

For the second straight week, the state's No. 1 team was knocked off. Last week, it was defending state champion Riverside City College. This time, it was the Bulldogs falling at No. 6 Modesto Junior College by a final score of 23-20 on Saturday.

CSM fell behind early, trailing 10-0 after the first quarter and was down at one point 17-2 midway through the second.

Lolo Mataele ran in from four yards out for a touchdown at the 3:54 mark and Dieter Kelly connected for a season-long 50-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining to send the Bulldogs into halftime facing a 23-12 deficit.

Mataele scored his second TD of the contest, breaking free for a 15-yarder with 6:52 to go in the third. Quarterback Conner Stoddard connected with Simon Mapa for the two-point conversion and the Bulldogs were down by just three points.

But CSM couldn't get anything going in the fourth. San Mateo was forced to punt, went out on downs, and fumbled on its final drive to close out the game.

Despite the loss, Mataele had solid game for CSM. He ran 26 times for 146 yards with a pair of TDs.

On defense, Nate Abbott produced a highlight play, blocking a second-quarter punt near the Modesto end zone that resulted in a safety. Malaki Teo and Nehamaiah Musika both had 6 tackles each to lead the Bulldogs.

CSM, now 2-1 overall, will look to bounce back next Saturday (Sep. 28) when the Bulldogs host American River College in a non-league game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at College Heights Stadium.

(Fred Baer, College of San Mateo Athletics)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
NATIONAL DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES  
Butte 30, City College of San Francisco 14
College of the Sequoias 58, San Joaquin Delta 7
Diablo Valley 63, Feather River 21
Foothill 26, Reedley 23 (OT)
Fresno CC 14, American River 10
Laney 35, Shasta 10
Modesto JC 23, College of San Mateo 20
Sierra 23, Sacramento CC 13

AMERICAN  DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES  
Chabot 39, Cabriillo 21
De Anza 45, Hartnell 12
Gavilan 27, Yuba 20 (OT)
Los Medanos 27, Merced 24
Monterey Peninsula 21, College of the Redwoods 7
San Jose CC 40, College of the Siskiyous 27
Byes:  Coalinga, Santa Rosa

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION 
NATIONAL DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES  
Bakersfield 65, San Bernardino Valley 0
Citrus 48, Grossmont 13
College of the Canyons 26, Palomar 7
Fullerton 44, East Los Angeles 3
Long Beach CC 35, Southwestern 20
Mt. San Antonio 41, Allan Hancock 19
Mt. San Jacinto 22, Moorpark 16
Riverside CC 70, El Camino 45
Saddleback 44, Antelope Valley 28
San Diego Mesa 22, Golden West 7
Santa Barbara CC 24, Orange Coast 19
Ventura 39, Cerritos 32

AMERICAN  DIVISION NON-LEAGUE GAMES
Chaffey 54, Santa Monica 7
Los Angeles Southwest 81, Compton 28
Los Angeles Valley 55, Victor Valley 35
Santa Ana 27, Glendale 24
West Los Angeles 34, Los Angeles Pierce 20
College of the Desert at Pasadena CC, pp'd.