Tiger Football Makes a Second-Half Statement in 52-9 Rout over Victor Valley

On a day in which the gridiron was gassed up to a scorching 110 degrees, the No. 4 Riverside City College football squad played host to the Victor Valley College Rams in its non-conference season opener at home in Wheelock Stadium. After the Tigers lead by a slim 17-9 margin entering into halftime, Riverside laced up and came to play in the second half by outscoring the Rams 35-0 in the second half en route to a commanding 52-9 victory.

Victor Valley struck first in the contest by knocking home a 24-yard field goal late in the first half, but the Tigers responded on their first drive of the second quarter with sophomore quarterback Travis Jonsen (Anaheim, CA) linking up with sophomore wide receiver Justice Murphy (Vancouver, WA) for the first touchdown of the season, thus leading to a 7-3 advantage.

Jonsen continued to produce results in the latter part of the second quarter by finding sophomore wide receiver Cam Sutton (Moreno Valley, CA) for a 20-yard touchdown toss. Freshman kicker John Garibay (Rubidoux, CA) capped off the scoring in the second half by booting home a 28-yard field goal leading to a 17-9 advantage at halftime.

Riverside came rushing out of the gates in the third quarter and exploded for 28 unanswered points in the third quarter. Freshman wide receiver Tanarious Achan (Lafayette, LA) got in on the scoring action by hauling in an absolute dime from sophomore quarterback Matt Struck (Crater, OR) to begin the third quarter scoring melee.

Sophomore quarterback Vic Miramontes (Norco, CA) entered into the game and took the reins with no problems as he located Sutton on a quick six-yard short route for six to push the score to 31-9.

The run game began to gain traction in the third quarter as sophomore running back Josh Johnson (Fontana, CA) scurried across the goal line for six after breaking a handful of tackles. Viramontes followed with a monster 60-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the scoring in the third quarter. He added another 15-yard scramble that landed him in the end zone in the fourth quarter leading to a 52-9 win.

The defense flexed its muscles in the second half by not allowing a single score and holding the Rams offense to a mere 60 total yards. Freshman linebacker Mitchell Agude (Corona, CA) lead the squad with five tackles, while four other players recorded four stops. Freshman linebacker Cameron Allen (Riverside, CA) highlighted the defense by recording an interception in the fourth quarter to go along with one tackle for a loss at negative three yards.

Garibay was a perfect 7-for-7 in extra point attempts to go along with his 28-yard field goal.

Sophomore running back Clifford Simms (Compton, CA) lead the team in carries with 17 leading to 78 yards rushing. Miramontes lead the team in rushing with 89 yards and two touchdowns off eight carries.

Sutton and Murphy combined for over 100 yards receiving. Sutton hauled in two touchdown passes, while Murphy snagged one. Sophomore wide receiver Malik Holcomb earned five catches for 35 yards as well.

The Tigers will continue play at home this upcoming Saturday, September 9^th as they face off against the Golden West College Rustlers at 6 p.m. in Wheelock Stadium.