American River Dammed in Comeback Victory for Rams

The Rams secured their second win of their season after coming back from a first-half deficit. The defense was the key to victory, allowing only three points all second half and forcing two turnovers, both on picks by defensive back Chikala Warden Jr. .

“It means a lot to start the season 2 and 0. We just [have]to keep on working,” said Warden Jr. “Job’s not finished. But it just showed we're a resilient team, and we just keep going no matter what.” Resilient the Rams were, coming out of the half down 14-5 and going on to topple American River by just one point, 18-17. 

The offense struggled early on as freshman starting quarterback Roy Mertz threw three interceptions in the first quarter, one of which was returned for 71 yards and a touchdown. Mertz went 0 for 6 passing the ball, taking a sack in the process.

Ultimately, he was benched for freshman QB Miskir Esayas going into the second quarter, who stayed under center for the rest of the game. Esayas finished the game with 148 Passing Yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Rams Head coach Eduardo Nuño said “There’s a lot of work on the table still to be done; we can't wait to get back to work on Monday and start addressing some of those things.”

“Turnovers are the number one thing, right?” Because if we don't throw all those interceptions, I think the score would be reflective of that.”    

While the offense looked sloppy at times, one player who had no issues was Rams running back Lazaro Faraj Washington, who turned in a superb performance.  He finished the game with 182 rushing yards and came up with some huge plays to give this offense a much-needed spark, which included a 56-yard run in the 4th quarter that put City College in the red zone.

Another player that came up big for the offense was WR Tyson Jarell. With just 3 catches he made things happen, putting together 101 receiving yards and slithering his way through the defense on a touch that put the Rams 73 yards downfield. 

Rushing the ball is going to continue to be a key for this offense. "Obviously we need to run the ball, play great defense, and have great special teams. That seems to be our resume, our formula to win games.”  said Nuño.

Although they ended the day with a win, the Rams head coach still has some concerns. “We can't have what ended up being four interceptions. We just can't have those and expect to come out on top all the time.” said Nuño. “So I think it's important to address that and really get to the root of the problem and figure out why it's happening and how we can prevent it.”