By John M. Sherrard
(Riverside, CA) With a state playoff berth on the line, Mt. SAC came up short, as host Riverside City College (RCC) defeated the Mounties with a, 38-14, victory in National Division Central Conference play last Saturday night.
Mt. SAC finishes the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a share of the Central Conference crown along with RCC and Long Beach City College, who also finished with 4-1 Central Conference records.
Although the Mounties led in nearly every statistical category, four big first half plays by RCC gave the Tigers a huge 31-7 lead, which the Mounties could not recover from. Two touchdowns were scored on fumble recoveries, a game-high 57-yard touchdown reception and a blocked field goal returned 77-yards for a touchdown, was all the Tigers needed for the win.
Quarterbacks Anfernee Bruton and Richard Stammetti finished with 120 and 112 yards passing respectively, while splitting time calling signals. Bruton, a sophomore, was 11 for 24, with one TD and rushed for 34 yards on 16 carries, while Stammetti, a freshman, was 7 for 19, with a touchdown.
Sophomore running back Sateki Finau ran for 65 yards on 13 carries and sophomore wide receiver Kennedy Sykes caught seven passes for a game-high 120 yards.
The first of two Mountie touchdowns came early in the first quarter (3:28), when Sykes put the Mounties on the scoreboard with a 17-yard TD reception from Bruton. The second came late in the fourth quarter (4:01) when sophomore wide receiver Elijah Trejo, scored on a 13-yard pass from Stammetti.
Mt. SAC will finish their 2016 season, hosting College of the Canyons (5-5) in the Golden State Bowl (Covina District Field) on Saturday, November 19th at 6:00 pm.
Head Coach Bob Jastrab has never lost a bowl game as a head coach (10-0). A win would also give him his 120th win, which is a remarkable number considering he has only been a head coach for 12 seasons (overall record of 119-26, .820 winning percentage, an average of 10 wins per season).
Tickets for the Golden State Bowl are available for purchase at the gate.
- $10 Adults (13-54 years of age)
- $6 Seniors (55 or better)
- $6 Staff/Students (w/ID)
- $6 Children (6-12 years of age)
Follow Mt. SAC Football on Twitter @mtsacfootball
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.