Beavers get ‘punched’ by Rams

By Bontã Hill
Sports Editor

With three weeks to get over the disappointment of not playing in the state title game, the City College football team showed no effects of it as they dismantled American River College 59-0 on Dec. 5 in the 2009 Hawaiian Punch Bowl.

“When we had the three weeks off we knew that we wanted to finish the season off strong,” quarterback Darius Bell said. “At the end of the day we’re competitors, and we know we’re not losers, so we handled business.”

The Rams defense held the Beavers to 135 total yards, and their offense jumped out to a 42-0 lead by halftime. Bell led the offense with 279 passing yards with four touchdowns, and also had 12 carries for 55 yards and another touchdown.

The Beavers, who came into the game with a 6-4 record, proved what many believed: They had no chance playing on the same field as the Rams, who finished with a total 610 yards.

The play of the day came in the second quarter when Bell found receiver Anthony Amos for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Rams up 28-0.

Amos, despite getting held on the play, caught the pass at the forty yard line, dragged a defender for another 20 and juked a couple more Beaver defenders before reaching the end zone.

“Darius saw the coverage come down so he called an audible with the play call,” Amos said. “While I was running, the defender kind of pulled my jersey, but Darius put the ball where I was able to catch it.”

This season, City College overcame many obstacles as the Rams had to deal with the death of offensive lineman Ricardo Antonio Colina II, who was shot and killed Aug. 19, as well as the recent illness of offensive line coach Jack McGuire, who was unable to be at the game.

Nevertheless, the Rams won their 17th conference championship in 20 years. City College finished with a 10-1 record, and their performance left no doubt the team will finish the season with a top-five ranking nationally.

“It’s a credit to our staff, our players and it says a lot about the rich history of football in this school,” said head coach George Rush. “Our team never lacked effort and I am really pleased about how they played this season.”

While every member on the team got a chance to play, many sophomores began to reflect on their great season as well as their careers coming to an end.
Sophomore defensive end Frank Gaines talked about the values he’ll take away from this successful program.

“The defensive coordinators basically taught us how to respect each other, that’s what all the coaches have shown me about caring, and not just on the field, but in life too,” Gaines said.

The Rams 2009 team closed another chapter of great football here at City College — a book that will certainly be adding more pages in the future.