The San Jose City College Jaguars improved to 2-0 in Coast
Conference play Saturday night by toppling the visiting Gavilan
College Rams 43-27.
The San Jose City College Jaguars improved to 2-0 in Coast Conference play Saturday night by toppling the visiting Gavilan College Rams 43-27.
The Rams, 0-1 in conference and 2-5 overall, look toward Saturday’s visit to Monterey Peninsula College for a 6 p.m. contest against the Lobos. Cabrillo also reached 2-0 in conference play with a 52-40 win over DeAnza.
Gavilan claimed a 20-19 lead with 6:33 to play in the third quarter when Nick Kalantari threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blair Wortham.
The Rams failed to add another touchdown from scrimmage the remainder of the contest however, while the Duce Ferrante-led Jags responded with three touchdowns and a field goal in the closing 21 minutes.
“It was a good football game,” said Gavilan coach John Lango. “I think every conference game will probably be like that one. San Jose played very well, while we turned the ball over more than we normally do. We had thrown just two interceptions all year, then we throw three against San Jose, including one in the end zone. We also lost two fumbles. While San Jose may have had two touchdowns on fluke plays, their offense was very crisp and we gave them a chance to move the ball by not tackling well.”
Ferrante, the sophomore quarterback for the improving Jaguars, threw for three touchdowns in a 27-of-37 performance worth 382 yards.
Gavilan pushed to 300 yards in total offense, including 218 through the air.
Gavilan trailed for just 27 seconds in the first half.
The Rams struck first when tailback Tim Lango scored the first of two touchdowns with 6:03 to play in the first quarter, a seven-run burst. Michael Blewett’s point-after kick gave Gavilan a 7-0 lead.
San Jose responded with the first of two Tunde Adedipe touchdown runs, a three-yard jaunt with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. The point-after try was blocked, leaving Gavilan up 7-6.
Lango’s second run to paydirt covered three yards, giving Gavilan a 14-6 lead with 1:39 to play in the quarter.
San Jose accounted for all of the scoring in the second quarter.
Adedipe struck from one yard out with 7:26 left before the intermission to leave the Jags down 14-12.
Ferrante then dumped a two-yard pitch to tight end Jonathan Marquez with 27 seconds left in the second quarter. Shosuke Kawamoto converted the PAT to give SJCC a 19-14 intermission edge.
Wortham’s scoring grab for the Rams gave the visitors a final lead at 20-19.
The Jaguars countered quickly as Ferrante lofted a pass to wide-out Larry LaCotti behind the defense for a 61-yard scoring play with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
The Jags took a 33-20 lead with 10:08 left in the contest on a 23-yard TD pass from Ferrante to LaCotti. Gavilan pulled within six at 33-27 when sophomore Jeff Weltz returned the SJCC kick-off 85 yards for a touchdown.
San Jose regained the momentum with a Kawamoto 29-yard field goal with 6:48 left, then completed the scoring at the 2:40 mark when Kenny Strickland scored on an 18-yard run.
Kalantari covered 195 yards with a 14-of-28 showing. Jeremy Burns caught six passes for 5 yards, Wortham five for 61, Steven Conner three for 62.
Lango led the Rams’ ground game with 45 yards on 13 carries.
