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

With just two full weeks of regular season play remaining, the top teams in California Community College football remain in place, heading into league and post-season deciding crucial contests.

College of San Mateo stays atop this week’s JC Athletic Bureau coaches poll with six first place votes and 268 points.

CSM won a first place Bay 6 showdown at then No. 8 Diablo Valley, 24-7. No. 3 City College of San Francisco beat formerly No. 21 Laney, 46-7. That sets-up a potential meeting of 9-0 teams in a Nov. 13 finale.

Formerly No. 4 College of the Canyons was upset by then No. 24 East Los Angeles, 10-7, and now faces a first place Northern Division showdown with visiting No. 2 Ventura on Saturday. Ventura, trailing 32-21, scored two fourth quarter TDs for a 35-34 comeback win over No. 14 Allan Hancock to stay perfect. There is a “new” unbeaten in now No. 4 Golden West, which received a forfeit of its early 20-19 setback to Bakersfield. The Rustlers finish with title-determining contests against No. 10 San Diego Mesa and No. 7 Fullerton.

Fresno City College is No. 5 after taking control in the Valley with a 22-16 comeback win at Modesto.

Post season play a week later in 2021

With Nov. 20 reserved for make-up games throughout the state, regional playoff semifinal games and post-season bowls are slated for just after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 27. Region championship games will be on Dec. 4, with the state title game at the Southern California champion on Dec. 11.

CSM expected to make playoffs

CSM expects to play at least three more games, the two remaining Bay 6 contests and a post-season contest on Nov. 27. With the top RPI in Northern California, the Bulldogs should be in the playoffs regardless of the outcome of the league finale with CCSF.

San Mateo played a school record 13 games in 2019, reaching the state finals against Riverside – the only Bulldogs loss since 2018. CSM has a 23-game regular season winning streak.

Climbing the CSM record lists

San Mateo’s two returning all-state offensive stars out of the West Catholic Athletic League, quarterback Luke Bottari (Serra) and Darrell Page (St Franccis), are climbing the CSM career lists.

• Page has rushed for 1,418 yards and could become CSM’s eighth 1,500 yard rusher next week. Bill Ring, who has one of CSM’s 19 Super Bowl rings (with the 49ers), is No. 7 on the list with 1,514 yards. Record is 1,945 yards.

• Bottari has 37 touchdown passes and 3,690 yards passing. Records are 43 TDs and 5,051 yards.

• Gabe Plascencia, the freshman placekicker out of Bishop O’Dowd H.S. (Oakland), already has Bulldogs individual game records of six field goals (and without a miss) and longest FG (51 yards). He has kicked ten field goals this season and 69 total points (Northern California leader). Season records are 13 goals and 92 kicking points.

2021 JC Athletic Bureau Coaches Poll

Rk. College Record Pts. PR

  1. CSM [6] 8-0 268 1
  2. Ventura [3] 8-0 263 2
  3. CCSF [2] 8-0 258 3
  4. Golden West* 8-0 243 5
  5. Fresno CC 7-1 230 7
  6. Canyons 7-1 213 4
  7. Fullerton 5-2 191 9
  8. Riverside CC 6-2 183 10
  9. Modesto JC 5-3 181 6
  10. San Diego Mesa 5-2 165 11
  11. American River 5-3 162 13
  12. Mt. San Antonio 4-2 136 16
  13. Diablo Valley 5-3 135 8
  14. Allan Hancock 4-3 127 14
  15. Butte 4-4 115 12
  16. El Camino* 4-4 90 15
  17. East Los Angeles 4-4 84 24
  18. Bakersfield* 2-6 79 17
  19. Sierra 4-3 71 24
  20. Palomar 4-4 57 22
  21. Reedley 5-3 52 24
  22. Feather River 7-0 50 20
  23. Shasta 4-3 43 19
  24. Mt. San Jacinto 7-1 31 nr
  25. Laney 3-5 28 21

Others included:

Contra Costa 25; Sequoias 19; Long Beach 14; Antelope Valley & Foothill 10; Grossmont 9; Cerritos & Saddleback 8; Santa Ana 6; Monterey Peninsula 5; Glendale 3; Citrus 2; Pasadena 1.

*Bakersfield forfeited 3 wins, including to G.West & El Camino.