Dons lose 7th in a row

Defense lax in 61-14 defeat to CSM

Donovan Rios, Staff Writer

De Anza College’s football team lost 61-14 to the College of San Mateo on Saturday Oct. 25 for their seventh consecutive loss of the season.

San Mateo started the game off strong, scoring a touchdown just six minutes into the first quarter. The extra point was blocked by De Anza’s defense.

The Dons retaliated with a successful catch in the end zone, putting their first points on the board and gaining a 7-6 lead.

Running the ball in for a touchdown, San Mateo pulled ahead 13-7 four minutes into the second quarter.

The momentum the Bulldogs gained did not slow down after the play. Intercepting the ball six minutes into the second quarter and scoring on the same drive, the Bulldogs continued to shut down De Anza.

The Dons fumbled the ball away on their next possession, and San Mateo capitalized with a touchdown run to make the score 27-7.

San Mateo also scored a touchdown on its next drive. De Anza attempted a field goal with twelve seconds left in the first half, but it was blocked leaving the score 34-7 in favor of the Bulldogs at halftime.

Head coach Dan Atencio said it was tough for his team, being full of freshman, to face teams with more experienced upperclassmen.

The Bulldogs continued to dominate the second half of the game and scored four unanswered touchdowns in ten minutes.

The Dons never stopped putting up a fight and recovered their own punt with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.  They battled their way through San Mateo defense to score a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game. Nevertheless, San Mateo defeated De Anza 61-14.

Atencio said the Dons would be going right back to work Monday after the game.

The players said they were not discouraged by the loss. Linebacker Ethan Stanton said the team always stayed determined and put up a constant fight.

Offensive guard and tackle Michael “Big Country” Holland said the offensive line was as strong as ever, from the first to third string.

The Dons’ next home game is on Saturday Nov. 8 against San Francisco City College.