Long road to a state title

College of San Mateo sophomore linebacker Taniela Latu is the perfect example of a player using the community college to further his education.

Latu is not your “traditional” college player. A 2017 graduate of Serra High School, Latu is already in his early 20s. He was a senior on Serra’s first-ever state finalist team in 2016, losing a heartbreaking 42-40 decision to Sierra Canyon in his final season with the Padres. A year later, the Padres won their first-ever football state championship, beating Cajon 38-14.

By the time that championship season rolled around, however, Latu was done with football.

“I took a break from football,” Latu said following CSM’s demolition of Riverside 55-0 in the CCCAA state football championship game Saturday in San Mateo. “[Playing again] was always a ‘maybe.’”

Latu would spend two years on the continent of Africa as part of his Mormon mission, during which time he decided he wanted to play again. He returned to the Peninsula and enrolled at CSM — during the pandemic. The 2020 football season was canceled, but Latu stuck with it. Last season as a freshman, he was part of a CSM squad that fell short of both the Bay 6 Conference and Nor Cal championships, losing to City College of San Francisco each time.

This season was the culmination of everything Latu missed. The Bulldogs won a share of the Bay 6 Conference title before they flexed their collective muscle and put together one of the most dominant defensive performances you’ll ever see as the Bulldogs rolled to the state championship.

Latu was part of a defense that allowed a total of 5 points through three playoff games. Considering 2 of those points came on a safety, the defense allowed just one field goal in a 30-0 win over Modesto, a 30-5 win over American River and the 55-0 destruction of Riverside in the championship game.

Latu was a main cog in a defensive effort that did not allow a touchdown over 12 quarters of playoff football. In three playoff games, Latu recorded 12 tackles, three sacks, three tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a fumble return.

He was named game MVP following CSM’s 30-5 win over American River in the Northern California final and was Defensive Player of the Game against Riverside.

So after coming up short in both high school and college, Latu is finally a state champion.

“I came back because I love to play football,” Latu said. “[Winning a state title] makes up for all of it (the other missed opportunities).”

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It was a lament heard throughout Northern California as both high school and college state title games were played in less-than-ideal weather conditions: that the winter storm did not allow teams to give their best effort.

Shafter High School head coach Jerald Pierucci was especially critical of CIF after his team’s 20-7 loss to Orland in a game that was more mud bowl than championship bowl game. He essentially said it wasn’t fair that the Open Division and Division I championship games were played on turf in Southern California, where they did not have to deal with weather, while many bowl games in Northern California were played in the muck and mire of natural-grass fields.

In the College of San Mateo press box, a member of the CCCAA contingent in town for the state title game said it must be hard for Riverside to accept the loss to CSM in a brutal first-half storm when the Tigers knew they were the better team.

My reply to both those comments? Oh well. Both teams had to play in the same conditions and obviously one did better than the other. Did the rain prevent Riverside from tackling CSM’s Ezra Moleni when he took a pitch left, went around the corner and went 33 yards untouched for a touchdown on the third play of the game? Or was it because the CSM offensive line blocked the crap out of the Tigers on the play? Did the storm keep Riverside from tackling Moleni or J’Wan Evans, who rushed for a combined 380 yards and four touchdowns?

Same can be said for the high school title games. Orland simply played better than Shafter in the sloppy conditions.

Instead of complaining, why not just congratulate the opponent on a game well played?

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Amid the crowd on the field following CSM’s win over Riverside in the state championship game, I was looking to interview CSM head coach Tim Tulloch. I finally saw him as he was talking to a reporter from Riverside City College. I initially decided to just join in, but Tulloch asked to talk with me after that interview.

As I stood off to the side, I found it humorous when the other reporter asked Tulloch about the Bulldogs’ ability to play in bad weather, since they encountered it much more than Riverside had this season.

It’s funny because for the first 11 games of the season, I don’t think CSM played through a drop of rain until the Nor Cal championship game Dec. 3.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.