The Gavilan College Rams lost any hope of a share of the Coast
Conference football title Saturday evening with a 27-3 setback to
the host Monterey Peninsula College Lobos.
MONTEREY
The Gavilan College Rams lost any hope of a share of the Coast Conference football title Saturday evening with a 27-3 setback to the host Monterey Peninsula College Lobos.
The Rams slipped to 0-2 with two home games left in the conference campaign. Cabrillo, Gavilan’s opponent on Nov. 10, holds a 3-0 mark entering a bye week. Gavilan hosts DeAnza Saturday at 7pm at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
The Lobos, 1-1 in the conference and 6-2 over-all, limited the Rams to 139 yards in total offense, including just eight net yards in the first 30 minutes. MPC was able to build a 13-0 lead by the intermission, then called on two touchdown runs by Salinas High graduate Andrew Russo in the second half to close out the victory.
“We simply didn’t sustain any drives,” Gavilan coach John Lango said of the team’s offensive shortcomings. One month after a 45-0 blanking of Hartnell and one solid half against College of the Sequoias, the Rams came off a bye week with two sub-par offensive showings.
“Sometimes our quarterback would not throw the ball way to avoid a sack, or sometime the blockers didn’t do well,” said Lango of the stop-and-start offensive effort. “We’d get one first down, but then we’d end of facing third and 15.”
Nick Kalantari had a difficult night at quarterback for the Rams, connecting one just one 25-yard pass in the first half. Michael Incardona took over under center in the second half and managed 51 yards on a 6-of-13 effort before he was shaken up and made way for Kalantari. An interception on the first pass attempt by Kalantari left the balance of the game at quarterback to Matt Edwards.
“We wanted to see if we could get a spark from Michael,” Lango said of the switch in quarterbacks at the break.
Tim Lango was able to cover 88 yards on 18 carries for the Rams, but a seven-sack performance by the Lobo defensive front negated much of Lango’s positive moves. Lango, Gavilan’s top runner this season, broke loose for a 45-yard jaunt.
Garrett Collins propelled the Lobos attack with a 21-of-35 passing effort worth 264 yards and one touchdown. Russo played the role of a workhorse with 32 carries for 81 yards and the two scores.
“We knew they’d throw,” Lango said of the Lobos gameplan. “We were burnt deep once and had a pass interference on another series, costing us two touchdowns.”
MPC endured two missed field goals in the first quarter before Chris Pinto booted a 21-yard field goal with 4:52 left for a 3-0 lead. Reggie Johnson set up the MPC scoring play with a 41-yard punt return.
The Lobos were forced to punt on the next series, then grabbed a 6-0 lead when Pinto made a 19-yard field goal with 7:35 left in the first half.
MPC put together an 11-play drive to travel 73 yards to a touchdown with 37 seconds left in the half. Joe Collins caught a Garrett Collins toss covering 13 yards for the six points.
Gavilan was able to hit the scoreboard once in the second half, Michael Blewett booting a 27-yard field goal with 5:55 to play in the third quarter.
The Lobos responded with a one-yard Russo plunge off left tackle with 2:55 to go in the third quarter, making it 20-3.
The Lobos set up at the Gavilan 14 on a fumble recovery and Russo powered off right tackle for 14 yards to paydirt for the final scoring with 8:46 left.
Lango lauded the play of two defensive leaders, defensive end Chase Graves and linebacker Mark McCoy. “They both played extremely well.”
The Rams lost the services of return specialist Jeff Weltz to a broken collarbone during a Lobo punt.
