Rams rally past Wolverines

Aaron Turner
STAFF WRITER

Wanting to avenge a 27-17 loss to Sierra College last season, the Rams had their hands full as they hosted the Wolverines on Sept. 19. After enduring a sluggish offensive start, the Rams came out of the gates swinging in the second half to top third ranked Sierra 35-21, extending their record to 3-0 to start the season.

Sierra was able to strike first, as quarterback Jeff Nelson led a 68-yard scoring drive on the team’s opening possession. Sophomore receiver Justin Chastain, who would finish 139 yards on 11 receptions, hauled in the touchdown from Nelson, making the score 7-0 early on.

Quarterback Darius Bell withstood a sluggish Rams offense in the first half, but was able to move his team into scoring position on two late second quarter possessions. However, the Rams were kept out of the endzone in the first half. Going into the locker room, City College trailed 7-6 at halftime, being held to only a pair of short field goals by kicker Jens Alnervik.

“The main adjustment we needed was just execution,” Bell said. “At the half, coach Hayes was just telling us to stay confident and execute our plays. We had prepared all week, so it all just came down to executing.”

The Rams opening possession in the second half was cut short on a fumble by receiver Stacy Long. Sierra quickly responded as receiver Brandon Michalkiewicz caught a 34 yard pass from Nelson to put the Wolverines on top 14-6.

The Rams finally seemed to wake up, as the offense found its rhythm on their next possession. Running back John Jackson capped off a 59-yard scoring drive, with a one-yard run, and also ran in a 2-point conversion to knot the game up at 14.

“I really like the way the team responded when they were down,”  Rams head coach George Rush said after the game. “Even though they were behind, they never lost their composure or confidence, and battled it out the entire game.”

Sierra capitalized on another Rams fumble late in the third quarter. The Wolverines took a 21-14 lead on a one-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to tight end Jacob Segarra.

The fourth quarter would be dominated by the home team, as the defense shut down Sierra and the offense was able to move the ball with ease. Darius Bell would find Anthony Amos for a 54-yard touchdown strike, and the Rams never looked back, scoring three straight touchdowns to put the game away.

Bell finished 15 for 29 passing with 249 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He also rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, once again showing his versatility as a quarterback.

The Rams defense held Sierra to a total of 116 yards rushing for the game, limiting them to a mere two yards per carry.

“Watching film all week, we knew that Sierra was a physical team who wanted to rely on their running game, so that was something we wanted to shut down,” said defensive tackle David Angilau.

“Coach Rush just told us to keep doing what we were doing,” defensive tackle Je’Marcus Williams said. “Obviously we wanted to stop them both in the air and on the ground, but if it wasn’t for the guys around us, we wouldn’t have been successful today.”

With this victory, the Rams will move up in the rankings, as they came into the game ranked fourth in state and third in Northern California. However, they will have a short week as they play a 7 p.m. game against Laney College on Sept. 25 at Laney College Stadium.