Late Surge Sees Sacramento State Past Fresno State

04.09.2023College Men

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Sacramento State defeated Fresno State 42-27 to win the California DIAA final Saturday.

The scoring started quite slowly as these two rivals tested each other and probed for space.

Kellan Fisch kicked a penalty goal for a 3-0 lead before Fresno State scored the first try of the game 25 minutes in.

Fish added another penalty and it was, amazingly, only 6-5 at halftime—a symbol of how hard the defenses we working.

Fresno State raced in for a try five minutes into the second period to take a 12-6 lead, but Sac State took control after that.

No. 8 Michael Niu's try made it a one-point game at 12-11 in Fresno State's favor. Four minutes later lock Austin Malinowski's try, with Fisch's conversion, put Sac State ahead ... but not for good. That made it 18-12. Fresno added a penalty, and, after Sac State center D'Maurier McKenzie scored, showed their quick-strike ability with two tries in the space of two minutes.

That turned a 25-15 Hornets lead into a 27-25 Bulldogs advantage.

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But Sacramento State has been finishing strong and they certainly did that this time around. The Hornets tightened it up, and prop Tre Darden scored twice, and McKenzie iced it late (Malachy Coghlan converted Darden's first effort), and that finished it off 42-27.

Three tries in the final seven minutes won the conference for Sac State.

This result sets up the CRAA DIAA finals in Houston in May. Sac State and Fresno State will play the top two teams from the Florida DIAA conference. We'll know who that is next week, when South Florida takes on Florida State.

California Collegiate Conference, DIAA, Fresno State, Sacramento State

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