CSM continues to dominate Nor Cal

The Bulldogs (4-1 Bay 6 11-1 Overall) wrapped up their fourth consecutive California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Northern California championship Saturday with a dominant 38-7 win over the Modesto Pirates. With the victory, CSM advances to the 3C2A State Football Championship in Huntington Beach, where they will attempt to win their third state title in four years. 

“I don’t think we win things in football, we earn them,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said. “You win in bingo, you win in the lottery, but days like this are earned, and they’re earned through countless hours, days, and months of hard work.”

CSM, the No. 1 seed in Nor Cal, opened the scoring with a 46-yard rushing touchdown from freshman wide receiver Kai Hamilton, and jumped out to a 21-0 lead by halftime. The Bulldogs had an assortment of highlight plays, including a 29-yard rushing score from sophomore running back Bruce Upersea.

“It’s good when you’re grinding it out, like we were today, to have some explosive plays,” Tulloch said. “Kai’s play was explosive, it was a knockout blow.” 

The Bulldogs’ dominant performance was led by their committee-based rushing game, with three players — Hamilton, Upersea, and sophomore running back Ali Collier — rushing in for scores. CSM outgained the Pirates 395-300 in total yards, including 274-138 on the ground, while using 13 different rushers.

“We rotate everybody in so that we all stay fresh,” Collier said. “All the running backs get touches and we have to make the most of it.”

In the passing attack, freshman quarterback Luke Alexander went 8 for 11, throwing for 119 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back John Stowers. 

The Bulldogs tacked on a touchdown on special teams, as freshman punt returner Jalen Arnold brought back a 73-yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. 

“I saw my team blocking, everyone blocked right and there was a wide open gap and I hit it,” Arnold said. “I put my head down and I saw green grass.”

The Bulldogs were stellar defensively, holding Modesto scoreless until the fourth quarter, when the Pirates got on the board with an 8-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Dezjour Malone. Both teams played relatively cleanly, with only one turnover in the game: an interception from Bulldogs freshman edge rusher Beaux Savre with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

CSM also held Pirates freshman running back Bryson Davis — who rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns against Diablo Valley College in the Nor Cal semifinals — to only 74 yards on 11 carries. 

“We kept [Davis] under a hundred in Week 3, and we kept him under a hundred today, and he’s one of the top backs in the state,” Tulloch said. “He’s an extremely talented, physical, powerful back, so it’s a big accomplishment to keep him under a hundred yards.”

CSM will travel to Huntington Beach, where they’ll face the undefeated the Golden West Rustlers (12-0 overall) in the state championship this Saturday. The Bulldogs will be chasing history, as they’ll try to become the first team to win back-to-back 3C2A state championships since 2001. 

“We thrive in adverse environments, and being able to lean into the road trip and lean into the travel is going to be an amazing experience for our guys,” Tulloch said. “We know what’s at stake, so our guys will be ready.”