College Roundup: Fast start not enough for Merced College football team
The West Hills football team succeeded where no one else had the first three weeks of the season, finding success against Merced College’s vaunted defensive unit.
The Falcons racked up a season-high 508 yards, pounding the Blue Devils for 306 yards on the ground in a 44-28 victory to open Golden Coast Conference play on Saturday night in Coalinga. West Hills outscored MC 37-7 after the opening quarter.
It was a dramatic turnaround after the perfect start for the Blue Devils (2-2, 0-1 GCC) on the road. West Hills marched the game’s opening drive 79 yards for a touchdown, but the rest of the opening quarter was dominated by Merced, which struck for three scores in just over a three-minute span.
Daiquan Kelly handed the Blue Devils a short field after blocking a punt, and Andrew Trahan tied up the game with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cook three plays later.
John Toussaint helped put MC in front 1 minute, 17 seconds later. The defensive back intercepted the ball and returned it 44 yards, before fumbling just before the goal line. Cristian Nava picked him up, pouncing on the ball in the end zone for the score.
West Hills (2-2, 1-0 GCC) fumbled the ball back to Merced just two plays later, handing the ball back to the Blue Devils at the Falcons’ 34-yard line. W.R. Sanders cashed in on the chance, punching in a 2-yard TD run to make it 21-7 MC.
The Blue Devil offense went dormant after that as West Hills ran off 17 straight second-quarter points to take a 24-21 lead into the break.
Trahan (11 of 23 for 173 yards and two TDs) found Nih-jer Jackson for a 73-yard score on the opening drive of the second half. The Falcons responded with back-to-back field goals on their next two possessions to go in front for good.
Kamilo Tongamoa paced the Blue Devils with 14 tackles, while Nava and Troy Lowe each chipped in 13.
Men’s soccer
UC Merced 3, Soka 0 in Aliso Viejo – Cody Golbad and Cruz Trenado each had a second-half goal and an assist as the Bobcats (3-4) improved to 2-0 in Cal Pac play.
Brian Chongtoua added a goal as UCM struck three times in just over 10 minutes to secure the win. Alan Ochoa made two saves to earn the shutout.
Men’s water polo
Merced College 15, Las Positas 9 in Cupertino – Ethan Eagleton had a team-high three goals and seven steals and Cody Costa made 14 saves as the Blue Devils (4-11) earned a split on the final day of the De Anza Tournament.
Paul Olano chipped in three goals in the win, while Jacob Mumford, Gabriel Hoffman and Dominique Walls each finished with two.
Women’s soccer
Merced College 3, Soka 0 in Aliso Viejo – Elizabeth Cruz’s goal-scoring binge continued as she found the back of the net for the third time in four games just five minutes in on Saturday.
Bridget Villanueva and Veronica Villacorta added second-half goals as the Bobcats (4-1-3) opened Cal Pac play with a convincing road win.
Women’s volleyball
UC Merced 3, Antelope Valley 1 in Merced – Rachael Schaefer (match-high 11 kills) and Jade Fachin (10) gave the Bobcats (3-10, 1-2 Cal Pac) a formidable one-two punch as they picked up their first conference win.
Brooke Wheeler also had a big night with a match-high 33 assists and three blocks.
This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "College Roundup: Fast start not enough for Merced College football team."