Season closes with crushing defeat

With the prospects of a potentially winless season staring right in its face, the Comet football team came together and played its best game by far this year.


It simply wasn't enough, however, as College of Marin, which snapped a 51-game losing streak by beating Solano Community College Oct. 18, came out the victor in a game that featured a spirited comeback and heartbreaking finish for the Comets.


Trailing 23-21 late in the fourth quarter, CCC (0-10 overall, 0-5 in Bay Valley Conference) and its offense, which has caused many headaches for coach John McDermott and his coaching staff this year, rose to the occasion and quarterback Royce Hughes, along with wide receiver Alberto Johnson, led the offense downfield into field goal range for kicker Justin Naterman.


"I wish (the offense) could've shown up about six weeks ago," McDermott said laughing. "But they had a great week of practice and it showed during the game."


Naterman lined up for a field goal with a little under four minutes left to play, but just before CCC had a chance to snap the ball, the Mariners (2-8 overall, 2-3 in the BVC) called a timeout to "ice" the freshman kicker.


Marin coach Gary Garabato's instincts were correct, as Naterman, who had been solid kicking the ball on kickoffs and extra points, let nerves get the best of him.


His potential game-winning field goal from 29 yards out, which hooked wide left, evoked cheers from the Mariners sidelines, and groans of agony on CCC's sideline.


Despite the missed field goal, the Comets' defense came back on the field and was able to force Marin's offense to punt the ball back and give the offense one last shot at a game-winning drive.


CCC took over with 1:51 left to play and drove down the field to Marin's 21-yard line, which was within Naterman's range, but on the next play, Hughes was sacked for a loss of eight yards, and a costly holding penalty pushed CCC back to the 38-yard line with 0:16 left in the game.


With no timeouts remaining, McDermott chose to attempt a 56-yard field goal, rather than give his offense one last shot at either the end zone, or possibly running one quick play to get within Naterman's field goal range.


Naterman's kick fell well short of the goalpost, and with that miss, sheer disappointment became evident on the Comets' sideline.


"What made this loss even worse was just how close we came to winning this game," Hughes said after the game. "We wanted it bad, and (Marin) was not that good. It was just a few mistakes that set us back."


"It was the last game and everyone went hard," Johnson said. "Overall, it was a good team effort, but we just ran out of time at the end."


Both Hughes and Johnson played their best game in the season finale. Hughes completed 20 passes on 39 attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson finished with eight catches and 127 yards receiving.


The game started off poorly for CCC, however, as the Mariners jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.


Offensively, the Comets did not start to pick things up until the final three minutes of the first half, when Hughes and Johnson connected for a 38-yard pass, bringing CCC to the three-yard line, which led to a touchdown run from sophomore Daniel Zrihen, cutting the lead in half just before the end of the second quarter.


Marin's offense, which had been playing well in the first quarter, was non-existent in the second, as it punted the ball away on all five possessions in the quarter.


"The defense played great for us again," McDermott said. "They've been solid all year for us and (against Marin), it was no different."


After falling behind 21-7 in the third quarter, Hughes found freshman Maurice Scott in the end zone twice in five minutes, tying the game at 21 points apiece.


"I thought we were going to win this game," Scott said. "Marin put up a fight, and we came out too. We just gave them the game at the end."


The difference in the game proved to be on special teams, as the Comets were forced to punt from their own one-yard line. Naterman's punt was blocked out of the end zone, leading to a safety for Marin.


The play was the deciding factor on the scoreboard, as the Mariners took a 23-21 lead.


"It sucks, especially against Marin," offensive lineman Sione Manu said. "We shouldn't be losing games to Marin. It is very disappointing because we wanted this game and we didn't want to end on a bad note."


A key factor in the improved play of the offense was the offensive line, which has struggled in games prior to Saturday. They were able to provide a clean pocket for Hughes against Marin, however, and it showed in the quarterback's performance.


"The offensive line blocked their asses off today," Johnson said. "Give them credit for today, because they played great."


For the sophomores, the 0-10 finish was difficult to sum up in words after the game.


"It is disappointing, no doubt about that," Johnson said. "Especially for all us sophomores, we didn't want to go out like this."


The heartbreak following the loss led to the firing of McDermott after the game (see story on page one). Athletic Director John Wade informed McDermott of the decision shortly after the contest.


"No doubt I'm disappointed about the firing, but this all falls on me," McDermott said. "It's my fault that we finished 0-10, and we should be winning games.


"I understand (Wade's) decision and I have no problem with it," he said.


McDermott ends his coaching tenure at CCC with a 12-38 overall record.


Contact Jeff Carillo at jcarillo.advocate@gmail.com.