College notes: Stan State sees record-breaking season end in D-II third round
When Stanislaus State third-year head coach John Powell relayed the game plan to his players ahead of the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II third-round (Sweet 16) matchup on Sunday, he broke the 90-minute game into portions.
He said the most important increments would be the first and last five minutes of every half and, ultimately, he was right.
Stanislaus State (17-2-1) entered Sunday’s match as the No. 3 team in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Super Region IV, meaning they secured home field advantage all the way through the Elite Eight.
The Warriors allowed a back-breaking goal in the 43rd minute when Gabriel Gacovicaj scored on a pass from Derek Espinal that sent visiting Midwestern State (16-3-3) into the half ahead 1-0 and could never recover. They allowed another goal in the 90th minute but by then, the damage was done as the best season in program history ended with a 2-0 loss to the No. 8 team in the country.
“In critical moments, they were better than us,” Powell said after the game. “We talk about it, the first five and the last five of every half, you want to have a plus record. You want to be the one scoring goals, never conceding. And that (first-half goal) really got us.”
The Warriors knew they would have to be efficient with their chances. The Mustangs entered the match with just one goal allowed in their last seven matches. The Warriors’ defense was just as dominant and the offense was potent, outscoring their opponents 11-0 in their last four matches entering Sunday.
The Warriors attempted just seven shots with one on goal while Midwestern State finished with 13 and six on goal . Midwestern State also won the corner kick battle, generating six to Stan State’s two.
“We talked about having to get our shots on target, which I don’t think we had enough to test the goalkeeper,” Powell said.
The Warriors controlled possession for most of the first half, but as the first period wore on, the Mustangs got stronger. By the final moments of the frame, Stan State was on the back foot, forced to drop back and defend.
“We knew they were really comfortable without the ball,” he said. “One of the first things upon the scouting report today when we talked. They’re comfortable without the ball and then they fly at you on the counterattack. I think they did a lot of that and we bent and did OK for most of it, but to concede that goal right before halftime was a real deflator.”
Powell is a Modesto native who graduated from Beyer High before playing for the Warriors. He met his wife at Stan State and says the support in the stands during the season and playoff run has been great to see.
On Nov. 16, they claimed the program’s first California Collegiate Athletic Association championship since 2012 and their 17 wins is a new program record. The national tournament appearance was the third ever and first since 2015.
“Thank you isn’t enough, but thank you for the support and filling the stands,” he said. “I know it means a lot to my boys. It definitely means a lot to me. To feel them behind us and see them and the social media support and the community out to help us, (we’re) just forever grateful for it.”
Stan State men’s soccer players in record books
A number of Warriors are now in the school’s record books. Here is where they rank:
Coaching records
In just his third season, John Powell is the coach with the third most wins in program history (28-18-10). He has the best win percentage in program history (.589)
Single season records
17 wins is the most wins in a single season in school history
Emmanuel Duran is No. 5 in single season goals (10)
Gerardo Flores is No. 6 in single season goals (9)
Sebastian Carbajal is No. 9 in single season goals (7)
Samuel Villanueva is No. 1 in single season assists (13)
Adrian Yepez is No. 4 in single season assists (7)
Gerardo Flores is tied at No. 5 in single season assists (6)
Gerardo Flores is No. 5 in single season points (24)
Emmanuel Duran is tied at No. 6 in single season points (23)
Samuel Villanueva is tied at No. 10 in single season points (17)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 1 in single season shutouts (11.5)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 1 in single season goals against average (0.55)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 1 in single season saves percentage (min. 400 minutes) (.866)
Career Records
Samuel Villanueva is No. 1 in career assists (17)
Samuel Villanueva is tied for No. 9 in career points (29)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 2 in career shutouts (17.5)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 1 in goals against average (min. 1,000 minutes) (0.84)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 6 in Career saves (129)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 2 in saves percentage (min. 1,000 minutes) (.806)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 3 in wins (23)
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez is No. 4 in minutes (3,132:12)
MJC football pulls out dominant win, will face San Mateo for NorCal title
The offense rolled and the defense was stingy as the MJC football team beat Diablo Valley College in the 3C2A Northern California Regional Semifinals, securing a spot in the NorCal championship and a postseason matchup against College of San Mateo for the fourth straight season.
The Pirates travel to San Mateo for a Saturday afternoon kickoff, playing Dec. 6 at noon.
This NorCal championship matchup means the Pirates and Bulldogs meet for a regional title for the second straight season, San Mateo squeaked out a 27-22 win in 2024. The 2022 and 2023 matchups were in the regional semifinal, games San Mateo won.
The Pirates, the No. 2 team in the 3C2A NorCal bracket were dominant Saturday afternoon in their final home game this season, scoring 21 points in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth and allowing just one second-quarter touchdown and holding the No. 3 Vikings scoreless in the second half.
Running back Bryson Davis finished with rushing touchdowns of three, 77 and one yards and quarterback DayDay Tafoya completed a pair of nine-yard touchdown passes to Mateo Gallichio and Kade Clifton. In total, Tafoya completed 11 of 15 passes for 152 yards in addition to the two touchdowns and had 50 rushing yards. Davis and Aiden Muhammad shared running back duties. In addition to his three touchdowns, Davis finished with 211 yards on 24 carries and Muhammad had 64 yards on 14 carries. Kurtis Maynor led the team with three catches for 56 yards.
On defense, Lebron Stallworth recovered a fumble and returned an interception 37 yards. Jalonn Booth tallied 10 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
Gavin Sykes at Long Beach State has strong start to freshman season
Last season’s Bee Boys Basketball Player of the Year Gavin Sykes has been on a tear for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team. The 6-foot-4 freshman just recorded a career high 30 points in The Beach’s 76-72 win over the University of San Diego on Sunday. In 35 minutes, Sykes made 12 of 22 shots and went 5-for-9 from three.
Sykes entered the starting lineup in his third career game and has not left. In his first start at the University of the Pacific, he recorded his first 20 point game, scoring 20 in 31 minutes. He also had 24 points against Montana State.
Sykes is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points on 48/39/84 shooting splits.
Jeremiah Bernard at Cal Poly named second team all conference
Former Modesto Christian multi-sport athlete Jeremiah Bernard was recognized for his breakout sophomore season as a defensive back at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Bernard was named to the All-Big Sky Second Team for his impact and playmaking ability as a safety.
He led the team and finished fourth in the Big Sky with four interceptions and was third in pass breakups (6). He also finished fourth on the team in tackles (57), including three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Bernard was one of seven Mustangs to make All-Conference honors. Three made the first team, three made the second team and one was awarded Honorable Mention honors.
As a Crusader, Bernard was an All-District playmaker on the gridiron on both sides of the ball. He finished among the state’s best receivers, finishing No. 7 in California in receiving yards (1,479) as a senior. As a basketball player, he was the team’s starting point guard who is the school’s only three-time Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion.
Jacob DeJesus closing in on Cal single-season catches record
Former Manteca High and Modesto Junior College football player Jacob DeJesus is closing in on history. According to Sports Illustrated, the receiver is statistically one of the best in the nation and is quickly approaching the Cal Berkeley and ACC record for single-season receptions.
He compiled 99 catches through the Golden Bears’ 12-game regular season schedule. He ranks third in the nation behind Florida Atlantic University’s Easton Messner (104) and University of Connecticut’s Skyler Bell (101).
DeJesus needs just one catch to tie Dameane Douglas, the program’s current program leader who set the record in 1998. Two catches would put DeJesus at 101, alone atop the Cal record books.
DeJesus has played his best against the nation’s top teams. He helped lead the Bears to a pair of upset wins over No. 15 Louisville on Nov. 11 and No. 21 SMU in the regular season finale on Nov. 29. In the 29-26 overtime win over Louisville, he caught the game-winning touchdown as one of his 16 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. In the 38-35 SMU victory, he caught 12 passes for 97 yards and a score.
Cal is essentially a lock for a bowl game (those will be announced after conference championships) and could set an ACC record in that game.
He needs 12 catches to pass Virginia’s Malik Washington’s 110, a record he set in 2023. In addition to the two upsets, DeJesus has at least 12 catches in two other games.
