SAN MATEO — For the fourth time in its storied history, the College of San Mateo football team finished the season with 10 victories after crushing No. 7 American River 75-9 in a record-setting Bulldog Bowl on Saturday afternoon at College Heights Stadium.
Ranked fourth in the state, CSM (10-1) set Bulldog Bowl records with 675 total yards, 582 of those coming on the ground — just 10 yards short of the school single-game rushing record.
“The guys came out ready to play,” CSM coach Bret Pollack said. “And I think the most important thing is each and every week, this team just kept getting better, better and better. They were focused in a commitment to the process and didn’t let the results get in the way.”
Offensive player of the game George Naufahu, a sophomore out of San Mateo High, scored two touchdowns and rushed for 156 yards to become the top single-season scorer in CSM’s 92-year football history with 19 touchdowns and 114 points. His 1,193 season rushing yards rank second to current New England Patriots starter Julian Edelman, a Woodside product who had 1,253 in 2005.
CSM started fast against American River (8-3) and remains unbeaten in the Bulldog Bowl. Quarterback Casey Wichman ran 59 yards for a TD 2½ minutes into the game. Then Raeshawn Lee caught three successive scoring passes and the Bulldogs were in control 28-3 with more than 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Wichman was the Bulldog Bowl MVP, rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns and throwing for two more (5 of 7 for 38 yards). Running backs Robert Johnson (Carlmont-Belmont) and Durrell Crooks (St. Francis-Mountain View) got in on the fun with touchdown runs of 73 and 75 yards, respectively.
CSM also finished 10-1 in 2003 and had 10-2 seasons in 1989 and 2009.
“It’s Groundhog Day,” Pollack said. “I told the freshmen at our team meeting on Friday prior to the game, ‘Once that clock says 0:00 in the fourth quarter, you are now sophomores and it starts all over again.’ They were in the weight room today. They were in study hall today. And we’ll take it easy with no practice until mid-January. For the rest of the stuff, we go on.”
