The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

CSM cornerback Andre Neal, left, celebrates the first of his two interceptions during a 41-9 win over Santa Rosa in the Bay 6 Conference opener last Saturday. Photo by Lauren Anderson.

For the College of San Mateo Bulldogs, great cornerbacks are made, not born.

This is certainly the case with Saturday’s starting corners in the Bay 6 Conference opener, Andre Neal and Damari Cual-Davis.

While CSM’s offense totaled 27 points in the first quarter en route to a 41-9 victory over Santa Rosa Junior College at College Height Stadium, the Bulldogs’ defense made the points spree possible with consistently keeping the Bear Cubs pinned deep in their own territory. Up front, CSM effectively pressured Santa Rosa quarterback Jake Simmons, while the clutch man-to-man defense in the secondary of Neal and Cual-Davis consistently finished the deal.

“Their offense, they were doing what we game-planned for,” Neal said. “It came down to our defensive line pressuring them and imposing our will.”

CSM imposing its will has become a rally cry among the Bulldogs’ “D,” especially the pass defense. The CSM defense currently ranks eighth in the state in fewest yards allowed, and sixth in fewest passing yards allowed.

Neither Neal nor Cual-Davis began their community college football careers as defensive players. Both were recruited as wide receivers before CSM defensive backs coach Omari Green intervened and prompted their conversions to the defensive side of the ball.

Cual-Davis was a standout quarterback at Jefferson, where he graduated in 2017. He played as a freshman wide receiver at CSM last year, but suffered an offseason injury, fracturing his collarbone during a scrimmage in practice. He missed the first two games of this season, but behind the scenes was busy converting to cornerback, where he has settled in since returning to action in Week 3.

Neal was a natural wide out at New Town High School-Maryland, where he graduated in 2015. Later that year he converted to cornerback for his freshman year at CSM, and spent the last two years as an inactive player until rejoining the Bulldogs roster as a sophomore this season.

“Andre Neal, that’s a ball player,” Cual-Davis said. “He’s all about being, ‘I already know it’ coming in changing positions. I just try to stay under his wing … because that’s a real DB right there.”

Neal was a human highlight reel Saturday with two first-quarter interceptions. On the other side, Cual-Davis nearly came up with a pick on the game’s first possession, a rushed throw by Simmons compliments of a blitz by sophomore linebacker Bubba Palu.

Cual-Davis also broke up a third-down pass play, with Simmons effectively threading the needle with a perfect pass on a slant pattern to Lucas Triplett, but Cual-Davis was on him and able to disrupt the would-be first-down reception.

“At first it was definitely hard coming in from high school, making big plays all the time, then coming here I was like I have to make the best of my opportunities,” Cual-Davis said. “But little stuff like that, I take it as a win.”

Up front, the Bulldogs nabbed one other interception in the first quarter courtesy of the Tuitavake brothers, both out of Serra.

“So it was a Tuitavake to Tuitavake one-two punch,” CSM head coach Tulloch said.

CSM defensive end Billy Tuitavake hits Santa Rosa quarterback as he released the ball, enabling Tevita Tuitavake to come up with an interception. Photo by Lauren Anderson.

Defensive end Billy Tuitavake pressured Simmons, leveling Santa Rosa’s quarterback at the point of release, sending a wobbly pass into the air for linebacker Tevita Tuitavake to produce the interception.

“Over the past week, all we worked on was our get-off, watching their weaknesses,” Billy Tuitavake said. “Our linebackers tell us where to go and we just execute.”

CSM held Santa Rosa to 218 total offensive yards, including 196 passing yards, a good outcome considering Simmons currently ranks 21st in the state in passing.

The Bulldogs will have to be on their game Friday in travelling to Laney College for a 7 p.m. start. Laney quarterback Jordon Brookshire ranks 18th in the state averaging 207.8 yards per game. The sophomore Saturday led a second-half surge in Laney’s 42-21 win over City College of San Francisco. After CCSF tied the game 21-21 in the third quarter, Laney broke the tie on a 65-yard pass from Brookshire to Angelo Garrett with 5:56 remaining in the quarter, then capped the third with Brookshire throwing a 24-yard TD pass to Jared Smith.

Laney’s bread and butter has been its run game though.  Sophomore running back John McDonald ranks sixth in the state, averaging 112.2 yards per game.