JC football: Fresno City opens with victory
Fresno City College coach Tony Caviglia couldn’t be more pleased with how his defense played Saturday.
Oh, and his quarterback played pretty well, too.
Sophomore Christian Rossi passed for four touchdowns and the defense had three sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in a 30-20 season-opening victory over De Anza in Cupertino.
“We really swarmed on defense,” Caviglia said. “We pretty much held them in check, except for a couple of long passes and one long run, but for the most part our defense played really well.”
We pretty much held them in check, except for a couple of long passes and one long run.
Fresno City coach Tony Caviglia on season-opening win vs. De Anza
The Dons were thwarted on one third-quarter drive that had reached the Rams 29 when defensive back Craig Williams Jr. intercepted Mitch Kidd’s pass at the Fresno City 4.
Williams is the younger brother of former Fresno City running back Jeremy Smith, who transferred to Louisville after his freshman season.
Safety Tajhe Moore made the second interception late in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
The Rams had a 30-6 lead in the fourth quarter, but De Anza trimmed the lead by scoring a pair of touchdowns in less than a minute.
With 6:59 remaining, Nick Bernardo scored on a 1-yard run.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kailon Carter returned the kick and De Anza forced and recovered the fumble at the 23. Three plays later, Rodney McKenzie caught a 10-yard pass from Kidd to cut the deficit to 30-20 with 6:17 to go.
Fresno City got rolling in the first half.
The Rams (1-0) led 16-0 in the second quarter, thanks to two Rossi touchdown passes. The first went to Elgin Austin for 8 yards and Rossi then hit Rashaan Miller on a 7-yard strike. Miller caught a 2-yard TD in the third quarter.
“Christian really did a great job today,” Caviglia said. “Took us awhile to get accustomed to what they were doing on defense, and we got settled in there.
“Rashaan is a really good target for us in the red zone.”
Rossi described how he made use of Miller’s imposing physical stature. The freshman receiver from Pawling, N.Y., stands 6 feet, 5 inches.
“On his two touchdowns, I was just taking advantage of his height,” he said. “He’s a big receiver with great hands, perfect for red-zone fades.”
Anthony Galaviz: 559-441-6042, @agalaviz_TheBee
Fresno City 30, De Anza 20
Fresno City (1-0) | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | — | 30 |
De Anza (0-1) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | — | 20 |
First quarter
F: Elgin Austin 8 pass from Christian Rossi (kick failed)
F: FG Eddie Padilla 32
Second quarter
F: Rashaan Miller 7 pass from Rossi (Padilla kick)
D: Nick Bernardo 3 run (kick blocked)
Third quarter
F: Miller 2 pass from Rossi (Padilla kick)
Fourth quarter
F: James Whitfield 40 pass from Rossi (Padilla kick)
D: Bernardo 1 run (Pedro Cornesana kick)
D: Rodney McKenzie 10 pass from Mitch Kidd (Cornesana kick)
Fre | DeA | |
First downs | 18 | 16 |
Rushing-yards | 41-171 | 37-123 |
Passing yards | 192 | 148 |
Total yards | 363 | 271 |
Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 1-1 |
Penalties-yards | 5-40 | 10-78 |
Time of Possession | 32:00 | 28:00 |
Rushing: Fresno City, Briquez Alvies 14-79, Nate Jones 8-56, Elijah Shufford 12-47, Kailon Carter 1-0, Team 3-0, Rossi 3-(-11). De Anza, Bernardo 16-75, Trevon Harris 6-39, Mark De 3-14, Kidd 5-6, Dennis Green 2-2, Anthony Logan 2-5, Mathias Iafeta 1-0, Ron Johnson 1-(-3), Cole Carrithers 1-(-11).
Passing: Fresno City, Rossi 17-26-0-192. De Anza, Kidd 10-4-2-148, Carrithers 0-0-0-0.
Receiving: Fresno City, Whitfield 4-79, Jones 1-34, Kailon Carter 2-29, Darius Green 2-25, Miller 2-9, Austin 1-8, Dwine Walls 1-7, Marquese Livers 1-3, Alvies 2-1, Bryant Fisher 1-(-3). De Anza, McKenzie 6-77, Cris Nutall 2-36, Edric Gamble 1-22, Marque Watson 1-13.
Defensive leaders (tackles): Fresno City, Josh Hinson 7, 0.5 sack; Tajhe Moore 6, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery; Tamarcus Russell 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble; Titus Charles 4; Christopher Woolbright 3, 2.5 TKL; Craig Williams Jr., 1 interception; Elijah Watkins 1 sack; Daud Davis 1 sack; Chauncey Brownfield 0.5 sack. De Anza, Edwin Campbell 12; Mathias Iafeta 12, 1 forced fumble; Isaiah Sires-Wils 1 fumble recovery; Isaiah Alapai 0.5 sack; Alejandro Orozco 0.5 sack
2015 Fresno City schedule
- Sept. 5: at De Anza, W, 30-20
- Sept. 12: vs. Sierra, 5 p.m.
- Sept. 19: vs. San Francisco, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 26: at Butte, 6 p.m. (Oroville)
- Oct. 3: at Reedley, 6 p.m.
- Oct. 10: Bye
- Oct. 17: vs. Laney*, 6 p.m.
- Oct. 24: at Chabot*, 6:30 p.m.
- Oct. 31: vs. Delta*, 1 p.m.
- Nov. 7: at Modesto*, 1 p.m.
- Nov. 14: vs. COS*, 1 p.m.
*Valley Conference game
This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 9:14 PM with the headline "JC football: Fresno City opens with victory."