Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) races across the field to score a touchdown against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
RANCHO CUCAMONGA — It is not difficult for a team to find motivation when its plays a rival or undefeated team.
How that team plays against an opponent with zero wins as opposed to zeroes losses can be revealing for a coach.
Chaffey’s Darrin Thomas (26) celebrates his touchdown alongside Xavier Banks (11) and Jeremiah Beck (33) during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) charges through West LA College’s defense during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Dereun Dortch (3) hands the ball off to Jayson Cortes (28) during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s William Davis (17) points to the sky after scoring a touchdown against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Darrin Thomas (26) races along the side line during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s William Davis (17) runs along the sideline during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Corey Cabriales (2) runs though the end zone after scoring a touchdown against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Saadite Green Jr. (14) carries the ball across the field after intercepting during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) tries to stay on his feet as he carries the ball against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Dereun Dortch (3) drops back to pass during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Corey Cabriales (2) leaves behind West LA College’s Marquise Stewart (14) during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Members of Chaffey College’s football team are silhouetted by the late afternoon sky during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey runs onto the field for the second half of an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey Head Coach, Darrin Chiaverini, addresses his team on the sideline during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) charges across the field during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey Head Coach, Darrin Chiaverini, during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) is lifted as he celebrates his second-half touchdown against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Ryder Ruiz (7) races across the field as he carries the ball against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey Head Coach, Darrin Chiaverini, during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey Head Coach, Darrin Chiaverini, during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Dereun Dortch (3) tosses the ball during an American-Metro Conference football game against West LA College at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Chaffey’s Jayson Cortes (28) races across the field to score a touchdown against West LA College during an American-Metro Conference football game at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Chaffey College football team delivered one of its most dominant performance of the season Saturday evening. The offense scored nine touchdowns and the defense yielded none, as the Panthers routed West LA College 62-0 in an American-Metro Conference opener at Grigsby Field. It marked the program’s first shutout since October 19, 2019.
Chaffey coach Darrin Chiaverini wondered how he team would play against a winless team coming off a bye week.
“You’re always concerned whenever you have a big win against a ranked opponent (Pasadena City College) at home. How are you going to responded after that against a team that hasn’t won a game?” Chaiverini said. “I told the players that we’re not going to worry about who we’re playing. We will just focus on ourselves during the week and that will dictate how we play.”
Dereun Dortch tossed four touchdowns passes, and Jayson Cortes added three scores on the ground to lead the offense.
But when Chiaverini handed out “game balls” after the victory, the first was flipped to defensive coordinator Junior Tanuvasa.
Chaffey’s defense allowed only 172 yards on 65 plays (2.6 yards per play) Saturday night and forced two turnovers in the game. Saadite Green Jr. had an interception, and Sean Ivy forced a fumble to lead the defensive effort for the Panthers.
“It’s hard to get a shutout at any level. They bowed their necks and I’m proud of seeing it through to the end,” Chiaverini said.
Chaffey (6-0 overall, 1-0 in conference) needed only seven plays and less than three minutes to score its first touchdown. Darrin Thomas ran to the right side and raced up the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown. Cortes capped another seven-play drive about 6 minutes later with a 4-yard run up the gut to double the Panthers’ advantage to 12-0.
Dortch completed his first seven passes of the night, and the sixth one was a 37-yard strike to William Davis that helped Chaffey extend the lead to 19-0 with 3:02 left in the opening quarter. In the second quarter, Dortch threw a touchdown to Corey Cabriales (23 yards and a second one to Davis (58 yards), and Dortch’s fourth touchdown of the game went to Demajea Mitchell (20 yards) in the third quarter. Mitchell’s catch was the highlight-reel play of the night, as he made a one-handed diving grab in the end zone.
Cortes added scoring runs of 45 yards and 2 yards during the third quarter and finished the evening with 154 yards on 16 carries. Dortch completed 13 of 18 passes for 238 yards, while Davis had five receptions for 142 yards.
Chiaverini was not hired until May and had less than two months to assemble a staff and recruit players before summer workouts began. Chaffey only had seven players return to the program. There are 65 freshmen on the roster this season.
“This really has exceeded my expectations,” Chiaverini said. “To build a football team in six weeks in unheard of. But credit to these players in believing what we’re trying to do here and going out there and executing that plan each day.”
Dortch, who guided San Jacinto High School to a section championship last year, said it all starts with Chiaverini.
“He’s basically assembled an all-star team of top IE players who didn’t get opportunities anywhere else,” Dortch said. “We all locked in together for one common goal. Coach Chev believes in us, and we believe in him.”
Chiaverini also was impressed how his players kept their cool for the most part whenever things got chippy Saturday.
“That goes back to how you teach them during the week. Football players are going to listen to their coaches,” Chiaverini said. “If you’re focusing on the things you should be, you’re not going to let things like that distract you.”
Chaffey has back-to-back road games at Desert (Oct. 21) and Compton (Oct. 28) before a big showdown at home against Santa Ana (Nov. 4), a game that likely will determine this year’s conference champion.
