The Bulldogs (8-1 overall) defeated defending state and national JC/CC champion Butte, 40-23, in Oroville on Saturday afternoon to share first place in the conference at 3-1 with City College of San Francisco (8-1 overall) and Foothill (7-2).   

 CCSF, ranked sixth in the state, rebounded from the previous week’s 30-24 loss to CSM to defeat second-ranked Foothill, 46-33, on Saturday.  The 3 leaders are responsible for each other’s single conference losses. 

Only a one-point setback at Foothill two weeks ago separates No. 4 San Mateo from looking at an outright title and No. 1 ranking in the state this week. The Bulldogs could be ranked as high as No. 2 and expect to be No. 1 in the north in the official coaches polls.

No. 3 Mt. San Antonio knocked off the state’s last major unbeaten team, No. 1 Cerritos, 27-26 on Saturday.

 In defeating tenth-ranked Butte, well-balanced CSM ran for 223 yards, with sophomore David Aknin (out of Carlmont) gaining 128 on 26 carries and scoring CSM’s first and last TDs.

The Bulldogs passed for 221 yards -- all by Matt Pelesasa (Woodside), who threw four TD passes and was 10 of 20 with no interceptions,

John Webster caught two of the scoring aerials, including the go-ahead strike, a 25-yarder with 16 seconds left in the first half for a 13-12 mid-game lead.  Pelesasa hit Webster for 24 yards and hooked up with Rahsaan Vaughn on a 69-yarder only eight seconds apart in the third quarter, the latter providing the eventual winning points.

Pelesasa won the QB duel with Butte’s Jordan Rodgers, the top rated passer in the state (and brother of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers), who was 10 of 23 for 121 yards and no TDs.  Rodgers was intercepted and sacked by CSM soph linebacker Jack Forbes (Terra Nova).

Diablo Valley, which comes to San Mateo for Saturday’s 1 p.m. finale, won its first conference game Saturday, upsetting Santa Rosa, 36-6, and has the league leader in passing yardage, Blake Wayne (267 yards per game).

CSM has already secured the host position for the Bulldog Bowl on Nov. 21, which could also be for the Northern California Championship and right to host the state championship – if the Bulldogs get the nod in a complicated conference title tie-breaker.