A pair of second quarter touchdowns wound up being the only points on the board Saturday night at Cabrillo College, as Laney College reversed an earlier result, downing College of San Mateo 14-0 in the NCFC semifinals, propelling the Eagles into the Northern California championship game next weekend against Fresno City College.
Both teams had promising drives to start the game, but things stayed scoreless as CSM punted the ball away near the end of the first quarter, from deep in its own territory. Laney took over at the Bulldogs' 42-yard line, and used 11 plays to take advantage of the short field, capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jordon Brookshire (Cardinal Newman HS). John McDonald (Lincoln-Stockton) carried the ball six times on the drive, but it was a pair of big completions from Brookshire which kept the drive alive, hitting El-Joshua Allen (Washington-Fremont) for a 13-yard gain on 4th-and-2, and then connecting with Jared Smart (Dublin) for nine yards on 3rd-and-7 to get the Eagles inside the CSM 10-yard line.
Late in the second quarter, linebacker Josh Bolding (Alameda) came up with a big interception for Laney, setting the Eagles up at the Bulldogs' 30-yard line. This time, Laney needed just four plays to take advantage, as Brookshire hit Angelo Garrett (McClymonds) for a 12-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Laney defense continued to make big plays. San Mateo drove to the Eagles' 35-yard line on its first drive of the third quarter, but Timmy Dorsey (Antioch) sacked Bulldog quarterback Shawn Akina (St. Francis-Mountain View) on 4th-and-11 to thwart the drive. After Laney missed a field goal early in the fourth which could have extended the lead, CSM drove to the Eagles' 38-yard line, but Bolding came up with a sack, and the Bulldogs misfired on third and fourth down.
Late in the fourth quarter, San Mateo mounted one final drive, getting to the Laney 25-yard line, but it was again a familiar ending, as Ramone Sanders (McClymonds) sacked Terrell Carter on fourth down to preserve the shutout. At the end of the game, the Eagles had limited San Mateo to just 150 total yards of offense.
"I'm so proud of our guys. We faced a lot of adversity throughout the week and the team responded very well," said Laney defensive coordinator Josh Ramos. "We have been training for this moment for months, and we have another great challenge coming up against a really good Fresno City College team."
Bolding led the way defensively with 12 tackles, including four tackles for a loss, and three sacks plus an interception. Armani Turner-Jenkins (Berkeley) had eight tackles, including one behind the line, while Jahari Kay (San Leandro) had seven tackles, including a stop for a loss.
Brookshire led Laney offensively, throwing for 112 yards on 9-of-12 passing with one touchdown, while rushing for an additional 53 yards and a score. McDonald had 58 yards on 21 carries, while Harold Tidwell (Concord) added 42 yards on 10 carries. Garrett had four catches for 74 yards.
CSM was led by Rashaan Fontenette (Oak Grove), who ran for 64 yards on 15 carries, while Viko Ahoia (St. Francis-Mountain View) added 37 yards on seven carries.
