The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
CSM sophomore Kalen Woods celebrates after an interception Friday at Laney College. Photo by Patrick Nguyen.
OAKLAND — Lolo Mataele wasted no time taking care of business to ensure College of San Mateo would finish an unbeaten Bay 6 Conference season Friday night at Laney College.
The Bulldogs (5-0 Bay 6, 9-1 overall) enjoyed a resounding 52-7 victory, with the 6-0, 210-pound star running back scoring the team’s first three touchdowns. He totaled 131 yards on 17 carries, increasing his league-leading per game average to 94.3 yards (943 net yards) for the season — while needing only limited duty on the evening.
“I liked what Lolo did,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said. “I thought he established our physicality from the get-go.”
Indeed. Mataele had runs of 32, 18, and 6 (TD) yards on CSM’s first drive to a make it 7-0 just over two minutes into the game. A pair of 1-yard scores made it 21-7 just after the first quarter mark.
On Laney’s (0-4, 2-7) next possession, John Gayer recorded a first-down sack to lead the state National Division with 10 1/2 on the season. That set up Kalen Woods’ interception of Eagles quarterback Dreyan Paul on the Laney 5-yard line. Ali Collier quickly ran the ball those remaining 5 yards to the end zone for a 28-7 lead that continued to the intermission.
Another perfect Bay 6 season
State No. 3 ranked San Mateo finished Bay 6 League play with a perfect 5-0 record, three-peating as champions. The reigning Northern California champion Bulldogs also cemented home field advantage for up to three state playoff games, beginning Nov. 30.
“We advanced,” said Tulloch. “We checked all the boxes.”
The expected post-Thanksgiving weekend opponent is NorCal Conference champion American River College (7-3 overall), while Valley Conference foes Fresno (8-2) and Modesto (7-2) clash in the other region semifinal. CSM met all three qualifiers in non-league play — defeating ARC, 17-14, and Fresno, 14-7, at San Mateo and losing the only 2024 contest at Modesto, 23-20, while playing with an injured CSM quarterback.
Current CSM signal caller Dominic Ingrassia was dominant against Laney, completing 10 of 19 passes for 251 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The former grayshirt, promoted after the Modesto game, has now led the Bulldogs to victories in all seven of his starts. Ingrassia had not been picked off since his first game and only surrendered once on Friday – on a “Hail Mary” toss on an extra play before halftime. He had run more than 20 yards for a first down and potential field goal try as time expired, but Laney was called for a penalty. The only way for the Bulldogs to get another play was to accept the 5-yard infraction and then loft a throw towards the end zone from the Laney 43. It was grabbed by Laney defender Gavin O’Leary just short of the goal line and, of course, counts as a theft on the stat sheet.
“That was just a situation throw,” said Tulloch.
Ingrassia still improved his Bay 6 best collegiate efficiency rating to 164.8, with 11 TDs and a 60.8 completion percentage — vs. only three season interceptions.
“I thought he did a really great job,” said Tulloch.
Injury-plagued Laney finished 1-4 in league and 3-7 overall on retirement night for two-decade head coach John Beam — with a halftime video tribute and post-game honors on the field, which CSM team members also witnessed.
The Bulldogs were not deterred by the events, scoring almost at will and allowing just one defensive lapse, early — an 85-yard pass play from Paul to JP Zamora, at the start of a Laney possession.
That was the only Eagles first-down until late in the first half, when they converted on fourth down in their own territory before turning the ball back on another futile fourth-down try.
Ingrassia had a pair of third quarter long TD pass connections, 60-yards to KB Boone-Nelson and 76 yards to Jack Elgaan, before sitting out the rest of the game.
Boone-Nelson caught four passes for 118 yards and leads CSM season receivers with 31 receptions for 601 yards and five TDs.
Former starter Conner Annicharico finished at the helm, completing all four of this throws for 57 yards, including a 53-yard TD to Maurice Savage.
The CSM defense picked off three passes, had three sacks and 13 tackles for loss, five pass break-ups, and caused a fumble — limiting the Eagles to just 58 net rushing yards and 165 passing (which included that one long TD). Kyle Hall and Quintan Togiai also had interceptions. Jovaughn Williams and Malakai Ross-Graves each had four tackles.
San Mateo rushed for 252 yards and had 294 passing, a total of 538.
The Bulldogs continued to display the state’s top kicking game. Dieter Kelly polished off a 10-point kicking afternoon with a CSM record 15th field goal of the season, also leading the state at the time. Tashi Dorje had a pair of punts to maintain his state leading season average of 43.1 yards.
Mataele, with 90 points, and Kelly, with 83, have been the state’s top 1-2 scoring duo, now with 173 total points.
