Written by James H. Williams

Riverside City College ends season in semifinal game against Gauchos

If you have followed the Riverside City College football team long enough, you have likely caught on to the trends that have carried over the years. There was the shake up at quarterback, the injury bug and a game or two away from the big game.

For the Tigers, the season concluded in the semifinals of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Championships game, following a loss to Saddleback, 37-20, in the National Bowl.

The loss snapped the Tigers five-game bowl winning streak.

The Tigers, who spent six weeks as the No. 1 team in state during the 2015 season, had defeated the Gauchos in Week 2 of the season, 38-18.

Does all this sound familiar yet?

It was just last year that the Tigers finished the 2014 season with a postseason loss Mt. SAC, the same program that was left out of the playoffs this year following a three-way tie at the top of the National Central Division Conference standings with RCC and Long Beach City College.

Also, in 2013 the Tigers were swept by Fullerton in its two meetings that season.

With the way the program has turned around under the guidance of Tom Craft, who has compiled a 58-9 record during his six-year tenure at RCC, it is only a matter of time before the Tigers can claim a National Championship since its first in 1989.

For an offense that produced 3,968 of total offense, the Tigers had four players named to the All-Conference team.

Sean Krepz, KJ Young and Nate Ve’e were named as unanimous selections. On the defense side of the ball, University of Oregon commit AJ Hotchkins was the only unanimous selection for RCC.

Center Sid Acosta and quarterback Ian Fieber received second team All-Conference honors. There were no defensive players for RCC on the second team.