Sierra stuns No. 1 San Mateo in four overtimes

Before Sierra College's game against San Mateo ever reached four overtimes Saturday, Wolverines coach Ben Noonan and his staff had already made a decision. If the game came down to the red zone or overtime, Ricky Cole was going to be the quarterback. So when regulation ended tied and Sierra found itself battling the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Noonan turned to Cole. The Wolverines responded with one of the biggest wins in program history, knocking off San Mateo 29-25 in a four-overtime thriller on the road. "Going into this week, before the season started, we said if we're in the red zone or we're in overtime, Ricky Cole's the guy," Noonan said. "So as soon as overtime started, Ricky Cole was the guy." Cole had already shown the Sierra coaching staff what he could do in those situations. "Just overall, last spring, summer, his redshirt year last year too, when he gets close to the goal line, he makes stuff happen," Noonan said. Sierra (1-1) needed every bit of that ability Saturday. The Wolverines trailed 14-3 in the second quarter before Cole connected with Mikey Cunningham for a 3-yard touchdown with three seconds remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 14-10. Sierra took its first lead when Dempsy James found Anthony Gallagher for a 41-yard touchdown, and the Wolverines eventually carried a 17-14 advantage into the fourth quarter. San Mateo tied the game on a 24-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining, sending the game into overtime. rom there, the Wolverines endured a wild series of momentum swings, including a blocked field goal that would have won the game in the first overtime. But Sierra kept coming. "Our team really stayed even keel," Noonan said. "We didn't get too high with the highs, too low with the lows. When we did great things, we didn't expend our energy celebrating because that's valuable energy you need late in the fourth quarter. We kind of acted like we had been there before." Cole repeatedly found ways to extend plays when the Wolverines needed him most. In the third overtime, Cole escaped pressure and scrambled around before finding an open receiver for a crucial conversion that kept Sierra's hopes alive. He did it again in the fourth overtime, evading the San Mateo pass rush and buying enough time to find an open man for another conversion. Martino emerged as Cole's favorite target throughout the overtime periods, catching every Sierra touchdown and conversion pass as the Wolverines continued to answer San Mateo. The victory was sealed by true freshman Abraham Hunter, a West Park High School product, who came down with the game-ending interception. Sierra's defense finished with two interceptions and held San Mateo to 246 yards of total offense. The Wolverines outgained the Bulldogs 354-246 and ran 68 offensive plays compared with San Mateo's 45. Noonan said Sierra's ability to withstand the swings of the game was especially significant after the Wolverines opened the season with a difficult loss to Fresno City College. "You try to keep the doubt from creeping in your mind," Noonan said. "I think someone said it best on our staff that everything that could go right went right, and everything that could go wrong went wrong at times too. That's football." For Noonan, the win also carried some personal history. "I was telling some of our staff that I've lost to those guys on the last play of the game three times in my 14 years at Sierra," Noonan said. "To get this one, it means a lot. It's a big win." The Wolverines now return to a difficult schedule with a statement victory under their belts, though Noonan knows Sierra will no longer be catching opponents by surprise. The Wolverines still have Laney, Diablo Valley, Redwoods, American River and Butte ahead on their schedule. "We've got to finish out preseason with some tough teams," Noonan said. "What matters the most is the league games. It's a brutal league schedule that we have." Sierra will enjoy the upset briefly before getting back to work. "We'll be in the office at 6 a.m. as coaches, game planning and watching film," Noonan said. "The players will show up at 10 a.m. and get their lift in, watch the film and enjoy a little family time on Monday. Back to the grind on Tuesday." Sierra hosts San Jose on Sept. 12 in Rocklin.