Flores at the finish for Olympians

Lorenzo Flores converts a 42-yard field goal as time expires, completing No. 17 Mesa’s 9-point 4th-quarter comeback against No. 5 Mt. SAC

SAN DIEGO MESA 20, MT. SAN ANTONIO 19

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Mesa needed one final drive, one final snap and one fearless kicker to complete one of the most significant upsets of the young California community college football season.

Lorenzo Flores converted a 42-yard field goal as time expired, lifting No. 17 San Diego Mesa to a 20-19 victory over No. 5 Mt. San Antonio on Saturday night.

The Olympians trailed 19-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining before scoring the game’s final 10 points. Freshman quarterback Diesel Taylor directed an 11-play touchdown drive, then moved Mesa 54 yards on its final possession to give Flores an opportunity to win it.

Flores delivered at the horn.

 

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The sophomore accounted for eight points, making field goals from 24 and 42 yards while converting both of his extra-point attempts. His final kick sent Mesa to a 2-0 start and completed a victory over one of the state’s traditional powers.

Mt. SAC had been ranked fifth in the JC Athletic Bureau/California Community College Football Coaches Association poll after defeating then-No. 8 Cerritos in its opener.

The Mounties were two seconds away from leaving San Diego with another victory.

Instead, Mesa produced the defining final minutes.

TAYLOR LEADS THE COMEBACK

Mt. SAC appeared to have control after Kenneth Junger Porta’s 37-yard field goal extended the Mounties’ lead to 19-10 with 9:42 remaining.

Mesa had generated only one touchdown through the first three quarters. Its running game had been smothered, Taylor had thrown two interceptions and the Mounties had recorded five sacks.

The freshman responded by directing the most important possession of his young college career.

Taylor moved the Olympians 58 yards in 11 plays, completing the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Chanel with 6:10 remaining. Flores’ extra point reduced the deficit to 19-17.

It was Chanel’s third touchdown reception in two games. He caught two scoring passes in Mesa’s 44-6 opening victory over East Los Angeles, one from Taylor and another from former Helix quarterback Ryland Jessee.

Mt. SAC attempted to exhaust the remaining time after receiving the kickoff.

The Mounties consumed more than four minutes, but Mesa’s defense prevented them from closing the game. A third-down sack near midfield forced a punt with 1:51 remaining.

Mesa took possession at its own 21, needing only a field goal but facing a defense that had already intercepted two passes, recovered a fumble and sacked Taylor five times.

Taylor moved the Olympians 54 yards to the Mt. SAC 25.

With the clock nearly exhausted, Mesa turned to Flores. The former San Ysidro High kicker calmly converted from 42 yards, giving the Olympians their first lead since the second quarter and ending the game immediately.

McCANN BREAKS THROUGH

Taylor completed 24 of 45 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown, overcoming the two interceptions and repeated Mt. SAC pressure.

Colin McCann delivered the biggest receiving performance of the night, catching eight passes for a career-high 141 yards. His receptions averaged 17.6 yards, and his 50-yard gain was the longest play from scrimmage by either team.

McCann accounted for more than half of Mesa’s passing yardage and repeatedly supplied the explosive gains the Olympians could not produce on the ground.

Alexander Villanueva contributed in both phases, catching six passes for 53 yards and rushing six times for a team-leading 36 yards. His 26-yard run was Mesa’s longest rushing play.

Chanel caught two passes for 39 yards, including the fourth-quarter touchdown. Braxton Sherley added two receptions for 20 yards, while Preston Bowles caught two passes for 15 yards.

Mesa finished with 299 total yards, 272 through the air.

The passing game had to carry nearly the entire offensive burden because Mt. SAC limited the Olympians to 27 net rushing yards on 28 attempts. Taylor lost 28 yards on 11 official carries, primarily because of the five sacks.

Despite that imbalance, Mesa converted 9 of 19 third downs and two of three fourth-down attempts. Those conversions allowed the Olympians to run 73 plays and remain within striking distance until the offense finally broke through in the fourth quarter.

MOUNTIES CONTROL THE EARLY ACTION

Mesa opened the game with one of its best sustained possessions, driving 73 yards in nine plays before Flores made a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Mt. SAC responded with a 75-yard touchdown march.

Running back Elijah Tehe completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Junger Porta’s extra point placed the Mounties ahead, 7-3.

Mt. SAC’s defense added two points less than two minutes later by forcing a safety, expanding the advantage to 9-3 with 4:33 remaining in the opening quarter.

Mesa reclaimed the lead in the second.

Devin Cerda scored on a 1-yard run with 10:03 remaining before halftime, and Flores’ conversion moved the Olympians in front, 10-9.

The Mounties prevented Mesa from extending the advantage.

Jordan Arias and Kanyee Childress intercepted Taylor during the second quarter, ending two possessions in Mt. SAC territory. The Mounties carried only a one-point deficit into halftime despite Mesa outgaining them through the air.

Mt. SAC returned to its rushing attack on the opening possession of the third quarter.

Starting at the Mesa 44, the Mounties kept the ball on the ground for all seven plays. Tehe scored from 4 yards out to complete the drive and give Mt. SAC a 16-10 advantage.

Tehe scored both Mounties touchdowns but was limited to 19 yards on seven carries.

The Mounties created another opportunity later in the quarter when they forced and recovered a Villanueva fumble. Mesa immediately regained possession when Beau Caliendo intercepted Malachi Jones on the following play.

Taylor drove the Olympians to the Mt. SAC 3, but the Mounties stopped Mesa on fourth-and-goal to preserve the six-point lead.

That stand appeared likely to become one of the game’s decisive moments—until the Olympians reversed everything during the final 10 minutes.

DEFENSE KEEPS MESA CLOSE

Mesa’s defense allowed Mt. SAC to control possession for 33:21 and rush for 132 yards, but the Mounties finished with only 285 yards of offense.

The Olympians limited Mt. SAC to 153 passing yards and did not surrender a completion longer than 16 yards. Mounties quarterbacks JP Mialovski and Jones combined to complete 19 of 29 passes without a touchdown.

Mialovski finished 8-for-13 for 80 yards. Jones completed 11 of 16 attempts for 73 yards but threw the third-quarter interception to Caliendo.

Kealii Sione led Mesa with six tackles and added a tackle for loss. Elijah Peau recorded five tackles and two tackles for loss, while Alec Eckholm also finished with five stops.

Caliendo added a 13-yard sack to his interception. Mesa finished with two sacks and eight tackles for loss while holding Mt. SAC to 4.1 yards per offensive play.

The most important defensive stand came late.

Mt. SAC received the ball with a two-point lead and 6:10 remaining. The Mounties had rushed effectively and had controlled possession for most of the night, creating an opportunity to end the game without returning the ball to Taylor.

Mesa’s defense refused to allow it.

The third-down sack forced the punt, and the Olympians’ offense finally received the possession it needed.

FROM ROUT TO RESOLVE

Mesa’s 44-6 opening victory at East Los Angeles demonstrated the Olympians’ explosive potential.

The win over Mt. SAC revealed something more important.

Mesa won despite rushing for only 27 yards. It won despite committing three turnovers. It won after Taylor was sacked five times and after Mt. SAC moved ahead by nine points in the fourth quarter.

The Olympians did not require ideal circumstances to remain unbeaten.

Taylor responded to his mistakes by producing two pressure drives in the final six minutes. The defense recovered after allowing Mt. SAC to control the ground game. Flores converted both of his field-goal opportunities, including the most important attempt of his college career.

Massey Ratings had given Mesa only a 40-percent probability of defeating Mt. SAC. The Olympians did more than outperform that forecast.

They defeated the state’s fifth-ranked team with the final kick of the game.

Mesa (2-0) travels to Citrus on Saturday at 6 p.m. before returning home for its National Division opener against Palomar on Sept. 19.

NEXT GAME

San Diego Mesa (2-0) at Citrus
Saturday, Sept. 12, 6 p.m.

MT. SAC 19, SAN DIEGO MESA 20

Mt. San Antonio — 9  0  7  3 — 19
San Diego Mesa   — 3  7  0 10 — 20

SCORING

First quarter

• MESA — Lorenzo Flores 24-yard field goal, 11:18.
• MSAC — Elijah Tehe 1-yard run (Kenneth Junger Porta kick), 6:02.
• MSAC — Safety, 4:33.

Second quarter

• MESA — Devin Cerda 1-yard run (Flores kick), 10:03.

Third quarter

• MSAC — Tehe 4-yard run (Junger Porta kick), 10:05.

Fourth quarter

• MSAC — Junger Porta 37-yard field goal, 9:42.
• MESA — Diesel Taylor 14-yard pass to Jayden Chanel (Flores kick), 6:10.
• MESA — Flores 42-yard field goal, 0:00.

BY THE NUMBERS

SAN DIEGO MESA LEADERS

Passing: Diesel Taylor 24-45-272, TD, 2 INT.

Rushing: Alexander Villanueva 6-36; Devin Cerda 9-27, TD.

Receiving: Colin McCann 8-141; Villanueva 6-53; Jayden Chanel 2-39, TD; Braxton Sherley 2-20.

Defense: Kealii Sione 6 tackles, TFL; Elijah Peau 5 tackles, 2 TFL; Alec Eckholm 5 tackles; Beau Caliendo 4 tackles, sack, interception.

Kicking: Lorenzo Flores 2-for-2 field goals, long of 42; 2-for-2 extra points; eight points.