Owning the No. 1 defense in the state, College of San Mateo opened the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) state football championship game with a statement hit, and an authoritative one at that.
Jeramiah Lewis
Golden West-Huntington Beach used the game’s first play from scrimmage to attempt a short pass over the middle to receiver Tanner Schmidt. Sophomore quarterback Kauna’oa Kamakawiwo’ole delivered the ball to the No. 3 receiver in the state right in the hands in stride, but Schmidt never possessed the ball due to a crushing hit from freshman linebacker Jeramiah Lewis.
Lewis read the play the whole way, and lit up Schmidt at the point of contact to force him to drop the ball for an incomplete pass, with the freshman receiver collapsing to the ground in agony.
“That set the tone,” CSM defensive coordinator Hansen Sekona said. “You talk about our brand of football. Our brand of football is fast, physical and violent. And this is the beauty of the game. ... You can legally punch a guy and get away with it, but punching a guy within the confinement of the rules of the game. So, that’s the beauty of this friggin’ sport. So, that set the tone for the whole game.”
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For all the rave reviews of the CSM secondary known as “DBU” — a nickname, meaning “Defensive Back University,” used to praise the longtime tradition of great CSM secondaries — the Bulldogs’ linebacker corps deserves its due this season.
CSM had two defensive backs named to the All-Bay 6 Conference team, sophomore safety Kyle Hall, and the Bay 6 Defensive MVP, sophomore cornerback Trevon Watson. The Bulldogs also had two All-Bay 6 linebackers in Lewis and sophomore Albert Tuakalau.
While Kamakawiwo’ole totaled 320 passing yards in the game, with sophomore receiver Don Thompson stepping up to total 10 catches for 132 yards, CSM held Schmidt without a catch. More importantly, the Bulldogs intercepted Kamakawiwo’ole four times, including Lewis coming up with a pivotal pick in the third quarter to deny Golden West a score off a tip by Hall in the end zone. The Bulldogs were leading 21-7 at the time, and the interception set up their final scoring drive of the game for a Malakhi DeMoss 22-yard touchdown run that would prove the difference in the 28-27 final.
Lewis finished with a team-high eight tackles, including one tackle for a loss. He led the Bulldogs with 58 tackles and 11 1/2 tackles for a loss this season. The freshman is signed to transfer to San Diego State University next season.
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