The Chabot College football team had a lead before its offense took the field for the first time in Saturday’s home game against Gavilan.
Ja’far Bashir returned an interception for a touchdown on the third play of the game, one of three touchdowns produced by the Gladiators’ defense and special teams in a 37-7 victory. “Our defense played lights out,” said Chabot coach Eric Fanene. “Our defense came out to play, and special teams did a great job today too.”
Chabot (3-1) had five sacks and didn’t allow any points until 8 minutes, 57 seconds remained in the game.
Bashir, a San Leandro High graduate, grabbed his interception and bolted down the left sideline for a 30-yard score. Donovan Umeki’s kick made the score 7-0 just 1:21 into the game.
“It was outside leverage. We’re playing like a two-to-one read,” said Bashir about the interception. “I saw [the receiver] go out to where I was supposed to be in the flat, and easy pick.”
Special teams produced the eventual winning touchdown. Gavilan’s Siro Lauchian attempted a 28-yard field goal with 6:11 left in the first quarter, but it was blocked by Samoamoni Leremia. Trevon Kenney scooped up the ball and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 Gladiators lead.
On the play, a Gavilan player suffered an injury that required ambulances to drive on the field to attend to him. Play was halted for approximately 40 minutes before Umeki’s PAT kick made the score 14-0.
Chabot ended up taking a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Joseph Stephens made an excellent leaping catch in the far right corner of the end zone on a pass by Harris Nekrawesh for an 11-yard touchdown, and three plays later Andy Viernes returned an interception 24 yards into the end zone on the final play of the quarter. Umeki connected on both the PATs.
Chabot defensive players were largely the stars of the game. “The guys battled hard,” said Jerome Manos, Chabot’s defensive coordinator. “The guys came out, played hard and played fast. … We wanted to just keep it simple and really focus on technique and fundamentals.”
After a scoreless second quarter, Umeki’s 21-yard field was the only scoring in the third quarter, capping a 71-yard drive. Gavilan (1-3) scored on a two-yard run by Houstyn Lee-Perry in the fourth quarter, but Chabot produced the final touchdown of the game. After a 47-yard pass by Nekrawesh to Malakai Matthews, the duo combined for a six-yard touchdown with 5:47 remaining. Matthews finished with a game-high nine receptions for 108 yards. Daemon Duran added six catches for 49 yards and also rushed for a team-high 47 yards.
Chabot’s defense produced five sacks, including two from freshman Tomu Satini. Elliott Lachenmyer, Nathan Vera and Jeremiah Foni also had sacks. Travion Newton also had kickoff returns of 65- and 72-yards for the Gladiators.
