College of San Mateo football takes the field again

The Bulldogs have had a lot of time to stew about that defeat as all they managed to do during the 2020-21 season was have padded spring practice and a simulated, intra-squad scrimmage.

“There are still some guys who were on the bus ride home from Bakersfield (site of the title game),” said CSM head coach Tim Tulloch. “That score is on our scoreboard every Monday. [This team] is hungry.”

The same could be said of Tulloch, who has hyped, cajoled, supported, disciplined and helped his team through the unprecedented time of the pandemic. Now that the 2021 season opener — a 5 p.m. road game at Santa Rosa Saturday — Tulloch said he’s champing at the bit as much as his players.

“Man, I am so fired up,” Tulloch said. “I’m especially happy for the players who have been through this COVID journey for almost two years off the field. … As long as the stars align, we get a chance to play football again.”

CSM went a perfect 10-0 during the 2019 regular season and added two more wins in capturing the Northern California championship. The Bulldogs didn’t lose until the state title game.

Like they have the last several seasons, the Bulldogs will play one of the toughest schedules in the state and as the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the JC Athletic Bureau preseason poll, every opponent will have CSM circled on their calendars.

Eight of the Bulldogs’ 10 2021 opponents are ranked in the state preseason poll by the JC Athletic Bureau. Saturday’s opponent, Santa Rosa, is ranked No. 16 in the state. Week 5 opponent Modesto is ranked No. 4. Rival San Francisco City College is No. 5.

“With our non-league schedule, you have very good programs and conference champions,” Tulloch said. “But we just focus on us. … Just focus on getting better every single day. The mission every week is to go 1-0.”

The Bulldogs certainly have the weapons to accomplish their weekly goal, starting with quarterback Luke Bottari, a sophomore out of Serra. As a freshman, Bottari threw for more than 2,100 yards, with 18 touchdowns against six interceptions.

But more than his stats, it was his leadership qualities and other intangibles that led Bottari to being named the 2019 Nor Cal Offensive Player of the Year. He triggered the offense to nearly 33 points per game that season and while CSM head coaches have made it habit over the years to not name a starting quarterback ahead of time, Tulloch most certainly tipped his hand.

“You’ll see Saturday, but when you have the returning Nor Cal Player of the Year …” Tulloch said, trailing off. “We were trying to figure out a quarterback who started as a freshman and was a returner the next year. … It hasn’t happened in a long time. We transfer so many guys, to have a quarterback who understands what we’re doing … makes all the difference in the world.”

And even though there was no 2020 season, if there was an MVP, Bottari would have Tulloch’s vote.

“He has just been amazing for providing leadership … whether through Zoom or podded workouts, he was amazing as far as finding a way to keep guys together (during the pandemic),” Tulloch said.

Bottari won’t have to shoulder the entire load, however, as running back Darryl Page, a sophomore from Homestead, returns. Like Bottari, Page was an all-Nor Cal selection who rushed for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Mason Starling, another sophomore who prepped at Rainier Beach High School in Tacoma, Washington, is the leading returning receiver. Starling pulled in 29 passes for 441 yards and tied for the team lead with six touchdown catches.

Trey Hines, another sophomore receiver from Dublin High School in the East Bay, led the Bulldogs with 17.4 yards per catch in 2019.

On defense, the Bulldogs have an anchor at each level which should help them maintain the level they established in 2019 when they allowed less than 12 points per game and held offenses to just over 250 yards of offense

The defensive line is held down by 2019 Burlingame graduate Noah Lavulo, who notched a team-leading five sacks as a freshman. Demarii Blanks, who was a star running back at Carlmont, has transitioned to linebacker and holds down that unit, while Dillon Juniel, from Sheldon High School in Sacramento, is the lead cornerback who broke up a team-high six passes in 2019.

“I expect those sophomores to be impact guys for us,” Tulloch said.