The king of California junior college football will be crowned this week.
This Saturday CCSF Football (11-1, National Rank No. 1) hosts Saddleback College (10-2, National Rank No. 3) for a gridiron showdown that will determine the CCCAA State Champion. For the Rams, a coveted 10thNational title will also be at stake.
CCSF emerged victorious two weekends ago after defeating Chabot College 40-30 and capturing the Northern California Title -- the school’s 14th NorCal Title. The Rams were once again led by freshman quarterback Anthony Gordon, the Bay 6 Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Gordon torched the Chabot secondary by connecting on 32-of-43 passes for 380 yards and four touchdown passes. Eleven of those 32 completions landed in the hands of standout sophomore wideout Antoine Porter, who compiled 124 yards receiving with two touchdown receptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams shut down a Chabot team that came into the NorCal title game after posting 717 yards of total offense in their 76-55 win over College of San Mateo. CCSF’s stingy defense, led by defensive conference player of the year Rod Jones’ two-sack performance, allowed only 243 total yards to Chabot.
First-year head coach Jimmy Collins said the success of this season extends beyond the playing field.
“Our success this season as a program is a great example of how great our coaching staff is, and a great example of all the support the entire (CCSF) Athletic Department and College has given towards our program. It’s allowed us to sustain the great program Coach George Rush built,” Collins said.
The coaching staff is expecting a tough game against Saddleback College, which is coming off a convincing 43-17 win over Long Beach City College. Led by quarterback Johnny Stanton’s four-touchdown-pass performance, the Gauchos’ offense reeled off 519 total yards (390 yards passing and 129 yards rushing) against Long Beach’s 10th-ranked defense.
The Dec. 12th matchup figures to be a showdown between the Rams’ stout defense and the Gauchos’ aerial attack. The No. 2 ranked CCSF defense, which allowed 199 passing yards a game during the season, will face a Saddleback passing game that ranked sixth in total passing yards with 3,409.
The winner of this game will lay claim to the CCCAA State Title. With a Rams victory, CCSF will be in line to capture its 10th national title.
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