SHASTA LAKE, Calif. – A 47-yard field goal attempt by Simpson (Calif.) kicker Travis Ross came up well short as time expired and Southern Oregon dodged a major upset bid, winning 38-35 in the opener for both teams Saturday night at Central Valley High.
SOU denied the Red Hawks their first-ever win in 20 tries by putting up 501 yards of offense, the team's top total in a debut since 2014.
Dom Montiel passed for 336 and three touchdowns on 26-of-36 accuracy, and
Fresh Ison rushed for 133 on 23 attempts while adding six receptions for 70 yards.
The Raiders hadn't won a game in which they surrendered 35 or more points since Nov. 14, 2015. They never trailed after Montiel threw first-quarter touchdown passes to
Dawson Douglas of 10 yards and
Sean La Chapelle of 25 to make the score 15-7, but Simpson kept pace with 441 yards of its own and a pair of second-half interceptions.
Montiel's seven-yard keeper for a touchdown gave the Raiders a 31-20 edge with 13 minutes left before Simpson's Makai James came back on the ground with a 30-yard score a few minutes later. SOU tailback
Coen Coloma got outside for a 29-yard TD run to push the lead back to two scores at the eight-minute mark, but the Simpson answered with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by Ya'j Vance's flip pass to D'Ante Benjamin with 3:10 on the clock.
Following a defensive stop, the Red Hawks got the ball back with 42 seconds remaining at their own 28-yard line for one last chance. After Vance brought them past midfield, he took one shot at the end zone and SOU safety
Isaiah Griffin knocked it to the ground with fourth-tenths of a second left on the clock. They turned to Ross, right from the spot of his previous career-long field goal, but his low-lining attempt didn't have enough juice.
Vance, making his Red Hawks debut after playing two seasons at Fresno C.C. (Calif.), finished with 257 yards passing and 58 rushing, accounting for three total TDs. He impressed in leading a Simpson offense that combined for 17 points across two matchups against SOU last season.
Junior linebacker
Raiden House led the Raiders with 11 sacks, hitting double digits for the third time in his career.
Stephen Del Giudice II and
Caden McGowan both got to Vance for sacks.
Tight end
Milan Reilly accounted for SOU's other score, making a two-yard grab in the back of the end zone early in the third quarter. He logged three receptions for 31 yards.
NOTES:
- The Raiders have won three consecutive season-opening games for the first time since 2012-14. Before Saturday, they hadn't secured one on the road in eight years.
- SOU will face nationally-ranked opponents in each of its next four games. Western Oregon, ranked No. 22 in the AFCA's NCAA Division II preseason poll, scored an impressive 22-20 road win Saturday at Colorado School of Mines. The Raiders last defeated the Wolves in 1998.
- Ten different Raiders recorded receptions, led by Ison. Sean La Chapelle totaled 65 yards and Douglas had 58, collecting four passes apiece. The Raiders averaged 12.9 yards per completion and 9.3 per attempt.
- Gunner Yates, the 2024 Frontier Conference Offensive MVP who redshirted last season due to injury, played limited snaps in his return to the field and sat most of the second half. He netted nine yards on eight rushing attempts and made one catch.
- James Webster and Dominique Ruff had Simpson's interceptions, both in the third quarter when SOU was threatening to go up by three scores.
