Behind another big performance from its rushing offense and the defense, the Bakersfield College football team was able to beat City College of San Francisco 35-14 to get BC’s first state title in front of 16,125 fans at Memorial Stadium on Dec. 8.
The Renegades (11-2) defense forced four turnovers and returned one for a touchdown, while their offense controlled the game with 294 rushing yards.
Not only was BC able to finish undefeated at home, but also end the year on a nine-game winning streak and win its first State Championship since this playoff system was put in.
“It’s been a great ride,” said BC coach Jeff Chudy. “Our guys hung in there and played at for one play at a time for a long time. Since we started playing football, it’s been 15 weeks and my hats off to our football team and coaching staff. We invested a lot into this thing and to get this far and win it, it’s just awesome.
“It’s a great win for us. To do this thing in our stadium in front of our crowd is second to none. It’s just a great feeling for everybody. Great for our players and all of our staff that spent so much time trying to get us on the field, it’s just a big deal. We came out with so much enthusiasm, of course the crowd had a lot to do with it, and we played extremely fast and hard against a quality team.”
Chudy commented on how much of an impact the crowd had on the game.
“They were huge,” he said. “It was an intangible x-factor, and you just can’t put a number on it. We played so good in the beginning of the game with so much energy and we were able to sustain that throughout the game. The energy in this stadium was just amazing and outstanding.”
A packed crowd at Memorial Stadium helped BC to a quick start. BC’s defense took control of the game from the start by forcing a quick three and out and forced a punt. Then BC’s offense imposed its will on CCSF’s defense with a heavy dose of running plays. They ran the ball on all six plays and capped off the drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown from running back Curtis McGregor. After another quick three and out for the Renegades defense with some help from two false-start penalties by the Rams offensive line, BC’s offense got the ball back and scored on another rushing touchdown. This time it was on a 42-yard touchdown from running back Jalen Sykes.
It took until the final minutes of the first quarter for the Rams to get their first first down. When it looked like they had a good drive going and could cut into BC’s lead, Rams quarterback Andrew Spivey threw an interception and BC would capitalize on the turnover. BC scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brian Burrell to tight end Mike Dunn. On the Rams next drive, they were hurt by another turnover but only this time, the Renegades defense would score the touchdown. Spivey dropped back for a pass and was hit by defensive back Salim Cleghorne, and BC defensive lineman John Oglesby picked up the ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
“I saw the ball pop out right behind him, and I was like, ‘oh the ball, let me grab it and see where I can go with it,’ so I picked it up and ran it into the end zone,” said Oglesby, who was awarded the Defensive Player of the Game.
CCSF finally was able to respond by scoring its first touchdown on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Spivey to receiver Kyani Harris to go into haltime down 28-7.
BC’s defense came out of halftime and forced another turnover and the offense once again took advantage. This time it was 21-yard rushing touchdown by Burrell that was capped off with a dive into the end zone.
The Rams were able to cut into the lead once again with another touchdown from Spivey to Harris, but BC’s defense was able to keep the Rams out getting any closer by shutting the Rams down for the rest of the game and BC was able to just run out the clock.
BC’s defense was led by Oglesby, who had eight tackles and a 35-yard touchdown on a fumble return. Cornerback Alfonso Jackson also had a big day with two interceptions and both came on the defense’s side of the field. BC’s offense had 429 total offensive yards. Sykes led the way with 179 rushing yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.
“It’s been a long road and I’m so proud of my team, happy for everyone and I just can’t explain this feeling,” said offensive lineman Brandon Sarabia.
Sykes, who was awarded the MVP of the game, commented on the winning the State Championship.
“This feeling is just amazing,” said Sykes. “We were truly blessed to be in this position and thankfully we made the best of this playoff run by winning State. During the week, we had one of our toughest practices and coach emphasized hard work and dedication and we did just that. We executed very well and I’m proud of how everyone played.
“I thought I had a good performance. I did mess up with the fumble, but I feel I contributed to the team very well and I’m proud of myself.”
Linebacker Grant Campbell explained what it meant to him winning the state title.
“It’s my first championship in my whole life and words can’t describe how good this feeling is,” he said. “After that Ventura loss, we had a big team meeting and we just stepped it up from there. We played better and we just kept improving week by week and look at where we’re at now, State Champions.”