CSM Bulldogs pitch shutout in football home opener

CSM needed just 249 total yards of offense to outgain Reedley. The Tigers (0-2) totaled just 139 yards on the day.

“The four down (linemen), I think those guys, they’re experienced,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said. “Jason Hardee our defensive line coach, and Ben Schrider each our edge coach, they do a really good job of breaking guys down ... and getting our guys ready to attack them.”

Each of the four starting defensive linemen are sophomores, making them the most experienced department on either side of the ball for a majority freshman CSM squad this season.

“We’re more veteran up front,” Tulloch said. “And we need to lean on those guys to control games, and they did a good job today.”

Another defensive standout had an impact on the scoreboard for the Bulldogs, only the big play by freshman Trevon Watson came on special teams this week.

In CSM’s opener Saturday, Sept. 7, at Sierra College, Watson was patrolling cornerback when he saved a 27-26 victory with a tackle on the 2-yard line a two-point conversion pass completion with no time remaining on the clock. This week, Watson moved to the kickoff return unit and debuted with an explosive 91-yard touchdown to start the second half.

“He’s a true freshman that’s stepping up and rising to the occasion, two games into his collegiate career,” Tulloch said.

It was Watson’s first play as a returner this season.

Lining up opposite of return man Hassan Mahasin — who logged 238 all-purpose yards the previous week at Sierra — the 6-foot, 185-pound Watson didn’t catch the ball cleanly. The freshman got a favorable bounce, though, scooped it up in stride, and motored through the middle of the field, hurdling one defender near midfield before cutting up the right sideline and scoring a dagger touchdown to give CSM a 20-0 lead.

“Outstanding scheme by Matt Dovenberg, our special coordinator,” Tulloch said. “He just does a great job in preparation, and he saw an opportunity in our return game.”

Freshmen Conner Annacharico and Dieter Kelley led CSM to a 13-0 lead at the half. Kelly booted two field goals — a 48-yard boomer in the first quarter for the game’s first score, followed by a 35-yarder with five seconds remaining in the half — bookending a seven-play scoring drive on a short field.

Annacharico had a modest 13-for-22, 98-yard passing line in his second week as CSM’s starting quarterback. But the freshman engineered two critical drives in the first half, including the short scoring march that finished with an 8-yard scoring strike on a slant to freshman Jeremiah Hill to put the Bulldogs up 10-0 at the start of the second quarter.

Then, with less than a minute to play in the half, CSM took over at its own 20. Annacharico connected for three straight passes of 12, 20 and 2 yards to three different receivers to cross midfield. The freshman pocket passer then scrambled 22 yards to advance it to the Reedley 24. Three plays later, Kelly kicked his second field goal of the day.

“After two games, [Annacharico] has earned the opportunity to start both of them,” Tulloch said, “and he’s going to continue to get better each and every week.”

Tulloch said Annacharico’s highlight Saturday was: “The way he handled the two-minute at the end of the first half. I thought he was very poised and composed, and I thought he did a great job of throwing the ball.”

Kelly wasn’t done. After converting the point-after try after Watson’s second-half kickoff return, Kelly booted a 35-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter to cap the day’s scoring.

CSM dominated the ground game, out-rushing Reedley 151-8. Sophomore running back Lolo Mataele led the Bulldogs with 57 yards on 15 carries. John Stowers added five carries for 34 yards.

The shutout was CSM’s first since the 2022 California Community College Athletic Association championship game finale, when the the Bulldogs defeated Riverside 55-0.

Next up, CSM travels to Modesto College this coming Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Bulldogs return home Saturday, Sept. 28, to host American River College.