CSM Bulldogs back in win column

“As soon as it came off my foot, I knew it was good,” Kelly said. “I had no doubt.”

The booming end-over-end kick through the uprights in the north end zone proved to be the game-winner, as CSM’s defense put on marathon showing in the second half. While the Bulldogs scored 10 of their 17 points on special teams — sophomore Hassan Mahasin returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown — it was a day of dramatic highs and lows for CSM’s third unit.

With CSM (3-1) leading 14-0 at the half, American River opened the second half with a 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive, capped by a 2-yard run by freshman running back Akil Sohan. The Beavers then recovered the ensuing kickoff on a pooch kick, and scored three plays later on a 15-yard pass from Jett Harris to Jadon Anderson to tie it 14-14.

Then the defense stepped up. Big time. With the score deadlocked, CSM’s defensive unit spent 12 minutes, 18 seconds on the field in the 15-minute third quarter.

“We rep those long quarters, those long drives eery single day in practice,” CSM freshman linebacker Jeramiah Lewis said. “Coach [Tim Tulloch] does a great job for making sure we’re prepared for when that happens in a game, and it ended up happening. And we were ready for when the time came.”

After a brief CSM possession resulted in a 43-yard punt by Tashi Dorje to the Beavers’ 2-yard line, the Bulldogs got a stop. Lewis was the reason why. On first-and-10 from the 17, the 6-3, 225-pound freshman out of Wilcox-San Jose met an American River receiver as he attempted to catch a Harris pass and jarred it loose for an incompletion. Then on third-and-4 from the 23, Harris hit sophomore Omari Baker for a short pass near the sideline, but Lewis was there to shove him out of bounds two yards shy of the line to gain.

The Beavers (1-3) were forced to punt from their own 25, but the punt reception was fumbled by Mahasin, putting the CSM defense back on the field before the defensive unit even had a chance to sit down on the sideline.

“We didn’t have a chance,” Lewis said. “But we prepped that sudden change and we were ready for it.”

CSM’s defense forced a three-and-out. The Bulldogs took over at their own 11 to start the fourth quarter, and used two big plays — a 17-yard run by Lolo Mataele and a 35-yard pass from Dominic Ingrassia to Jack Elgaan to move into American River territory. A 6-yard run by Mataele then got CSM into field-goal range with the light wind at Kelly’s back for what proved to be the game-winner.

American River had two good opportunities to take the lead back in the fourth quarter.

The Beavers advanced their first possession of the period to CSM’s 22 before freshman cornerback Trevon Watson intercepted an ill-advised, crossbody pass by Harris on third-and-4. After starting in CSM territory at the 47-yard line, the Beavers moved the chains once before the secondary delivered two big defenses, with freshman Sherrod Smith nearly intercepting a pass on third down, and Watson defending the intended receiver on fourth-and-9 from the 36 to force an incompletion and seal the win.

“Our defense was phenomenal in that fourth quarter,” Tulloch said. “I know there was a lot of snaps for those guys, and we’ve got to find a way to take a load off them ... and keep them off the field a little bit more.”

CSM’s defense pitched a shutout in the first half.

The Bulldogs opened the day with a dynamic kickoff return by Mahasin, who received the ball with his back foot on the goal line and bolted through the middle of the field before cutting up the left sideline, emerging from two different clusters of American River jerseys along the way, then outrunning the final pursuers to tumble into the end zone. It was a showcase of speed not just by Mahasin, but the cluster of blockers who moved down the field with him.

“We’ve got our best players on that unit,” Tulloch said. “So, you see some of those front guys, they’re our starting receivers, our upbacks, those are that guys that are in the 1s and 2 deep. And it’s an important, important unit for us.”

With Ingrassia taking the start at quarterback — CSM’s third starting QB in three weeks — the offense struggled to find its footing. The Beavers outgained the Bulldogs 229-184 in total yards on the day. But after Ingrassia threw two interceptions in the first half, CSM for the ball moving on its final possession of the half. A first-down pickup on a short third-and-1 burst by Mataele was followed by an 18-yard pass from Ingrassia to tight end Simon Mapa into the red zone. Three plays later, Mataele scored on a 1-yard blast to make it 14-0.

Kelly’s leg wasn’t the only story for CSM. Dorje exacted two punts inside the 5-yard line on the day. He drilled a 66-yard punt that was downed at the American River 4-yard line with five minutes remaining in the first half. He was also the place-holder on Kelly’s 51-yard game-winner with 10:50 left to play.

It was Kelly’s second field goal of 50 yards or more this season. The freshman hit a 50-yarder the previous Saturday in CSM’s 23-20 loss at Modesto.

“Our guys found a way,” Tulloch said. “Regardless of the adversity, regardless of the plays [American River] made — tip your cap to them — our guys stayed together and we finished, and we finished together. And I think that’s the biggest thing we learned about this team. We have heart.”