Mt. SAC holds off late Riverside rally, captures SCFA title with 35-14 win to advance to state championship

The Mt. San Antonio College Mounties avenged an earlier season loss by beating the host Riverside City College Tigers when it mattered most, as Mt. SAC captured the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Championship with a 35-14 win at RCC's Wheelock Field on Saturday night.

With the win, Mt. SAC advances to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Football State Championship where the Mounties will host Northern California Football Association (NCFA) champion City College of San Francisco on December 13 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut.  

In Saturday's victory, the Mt. SAC defense dominated Riverside while Mounties' quarterback Justin Alo staked his squad to a 14-0 lead at halftime.

After a scoreless first quarter, Alo capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Macon to put Mt. SAC ahead 7-0 at the 9:13 mark in the second.

The Mounties extended their lead just moments before halftime when Alo connected with Treydonte Hill for a huge 60-yard TD to put Mt. SAC ahead 14-0 with 44 seconds left before the break.

Riverside managed just 85 offensive yards in the first half and collected four first-downs.

Mt. SAC made it 21-0 when Alo picked up his third touchdown pass, this time an eight-yard strike to Derrick Macon with 5:34 left in the third.

But Riverside finally got into the game with its first score late in the third quarter. RCC quarterback Nicholas King capped a long eight-play, 86-yard drive with a 34-yard touchdown reception to Jemel Walker to get the Tigers on the board at 21-7 with 57 seconds to go in the third.

On the ensuing drive, RCC forced a Mt. SAC punt after three plays to get the Tigers the ball back on their own 18-yard line to start the fourth quarter.

Down by 14, Riverside was aided by a pair of Mt. SAC pass interference calls to extend its drive. King hit Isaac Whitney for a nine-yard TD pass to bring alive dreams of another comeback as RCC trailed Mt. SAC 21-14 with still 9:25 left in the game.

But on Mt. SAC's first play on the ensuing kickoff, Omaris Tolbert broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run at the 9:06 mark to all but put the game out of reach for Riverside. Branden Wilson's 14-yard touchdown run with 3:46 left in the fourth sealed the victory for the Mounties.

Mt. SAC (10-2) totaled 512 yards of offense as Alo threw for 263 yards on 16 of 26 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Tolbert led the Mounties on the ground with 26 rushes for 172 yards.

Sitiveni Tamaivena (11 solo, 2.5 sacks) and Suliasi Tamaivena (9 solo tackles, 2 sacks) led the Mt. SAC defense with 12 tackles each.

For Riverside (10-2), King completed 12 of 26 passes for 162 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while Denzel Foster ran 16 times for 98 yards. AJ Hotchkins totaled 11 tackles to lead the Tigers' defense.

Tonight's win by Mt. SAC snapped Riverside's 30-game home winning streak at Wheelock Field.

Recap by Chris Ruiz, SCFA Sports Information Director