No. 1 Riverside Runs Back Opening Kickoff for 99-yard TD, Rolls to 38-18 Win over Rival Saddleback Saturday

RIVERSIDE – Returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looking back, the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers football team went on to post a 38-18 nonconference victory over rival Saddleback College (SC) Gauchos Saturday evening (Sept. 12) at historic Arthur N. Wheelock Stadium.

Riverside (2-0 overall), which took over the top spot in the latest California Community College Football Coaches Association (CCCFCA) poll after opening the season at No. 3 in the state, saw freshman defensive back Tyreke Lewis (Palatka, FL) take the opening kickoff and race 99 yards to pay dirt with only 15 seconds elapsed in the game. Freshman PK Aidan McCarley (Riverside / M.L. King HS) kicked home the point after touchdown and RCC led, 7-0.

RCC led, 10-0, before Saddleback (0-2 overall) capped a modest nine-play, 51-yard drive when sophomore starting quarterback Johnny Stanton (Santa Margarita HS) bulled his way in from two yards out with 3:12 to play in the first quarter. Reserve quarterback Jacob Gibson ran in the two-point conversion and the Gauchos were within 10-8.

The Tigers extended their lead to 17-8 with 50 seconds left in the opening stanza and led, 31-8, at halftime.

RCC starting sophomore QB Kevin Olsen (Wayne Hills, NJ) completed 17 of 23 passes (with one interception) for 177 yards and two TDs, both to sophomore WR K.J. Young (Riverside / Citrus Hill HS), whose two TD grabs totaled 25 yards.

Riverside also had not one, but two runningbacks eclipse the century mark in net rushing yardage. Sophomore RB Christopher Anderson (Hemet / West Valley HS) had 16 carries for 113 net rushing yards (zero for losses) and two TDs, and freshman RB Seth Acda (Murrieta / Vista Murrieta HS) had a game-high 17 totes for 105 net rushing yards (minus one yard lost).

Stanton completed 14 of 23 passes, but for only 75 yards. Backup QB Jacob Gibson completed six of 13 passes (with one interception) for 87 yards. Sophomore WR Zach Davis (Central Catholic HS, OR) led with six receptions for 33 yards (with a long gain of 15 yards). Sophomore RB Myron Buchanan (Pattonville HS, MO) had 13 carries for 57 net rushing yards.

In the all-time series, Saddleback leads, 28-13, but Riverside has won the last five meetings (2011-15).

Both teams will be in action next Saturday, Sept. 19. Saddleback will face the host El Camino College Warriors at Redondo Union HS in a 5 p.m. kickoff before RCC hosts the Grossmont College Griffins at Wheelock Stadium at 6 p.m.

***

Editor's note: Lewis' 99-yard kick return ties for second-best in the most available annals of RCC Football. In 1994, DeSean Moore had a 99-yard TD kick return against Rancho Santiago (nee Santa Ana). The RCC record for longest kick return is 100 yards by Aaron Webber against Orange Coast in 1992.

-30-