Olympians overcome mistakes, Jaguars

2021 COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SAN DIEGO MESA 35, SOUTHWESTERN 29

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS staff writer

CHULA VISTA —- Over his passing career as a quarterback in high school varsity and community college football, San Diego Mesa College quarterback Gunner Gray has thrown for more than 10,000 yards.

However, after Gray committed the greatest faux pas in his career to help blow a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead, Gray picked himself off the turf.

Gray fired his fifth touchdown pass with 1.2 seconds remaining, allowing the Olympians to escape with Saturday’s (Nov. 13) dramatic 35-29 triumph over host Southwestern College at Devore Stadium.

Gray fired three TD passes in the second half to assume a 29-12 advantage with 4:01 remaining, but the Jaguars tallied the game-tying points over a 4:59 span.

Southwestern opened its comeback by all-state kicking candidate Asher Booth, who booted a 44-yard field goal with 6:40 left.

Mesa’s next drive ended on a solo tackle by middle linebacker No.23. Mesa then elected to punt rather than go for it on a fourth down in Jags territory, but the boot just went a mere 11 yards.

Southwestern followed with a double-pass trick play saw quarterback Kahanu Davis toss a swing pass to the left side to receiver JaQuan Dorsey, who never hesitated in firing a home run bomb down the left sideline. The lefty found a wide-open Christian Jourdain for 51 yards.

Gray then committed his near-fatal mistake, fumbling away a perfect snap in the shotgun formation. The loose ball was recovered by Gabe Acosta.

On a short field from the Mesa-19, Davies survived a pair of hard hits yet stayed in the pocket to complete short passes to gt to the Mesa 5. Then he looked right and sprinted for the end zone in what could’ve been a designed draw to tie the game with 1:41 to go.

However, the contest barely got tied as Booth’s conversion kick was tipped by Mesa, yet went through.

However, Gray bounced back with his fifth TD pass — one each to five different receivers — hitting Timieion Jackson on a 9-yard crossing pattern with 2.6 seconds left. The PAT was botched.

Despite the 30 combined points in the fourth quarter, the first half was anything but a score-fest. Tied ay 7-all through the first period, a Booth field goal, and a safety gave Southwestern a 12-7 halftime advantage.

Mesa finished the regular season with a 6-3 overall record; the Jaguars went 3-6.