Schmidt named SCFA Player of the Week; No. 4 Rustlers head to No. 15 Bakersfield for Central League opener

Golden West College freshman wide receiver/punt returner Tanner Schmidt was named the Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Special Teams Player of the Week after his solid game in the Rustlers' win over Allan Hancock College.

Schmidt broke free for a big 75-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also contributed 2 catches for 70 yards in the victory.

Golden West, now 3-0 overall and ranked No. 4 in the state, will look to continue its unbeaten start to the 2025 season on Saturday (Sep. 20) when the Rustlers travel to No. 15 Bakersfield College (2-1) to open National Central League play. Kick off is set for 4 p.m. at BC's Memorial Stadium.

TICKETS | Admission is free to Saturday's game as part as Bakersfield College's celebration of Memorial Stadium 70^th anniversary.

LIVE STREAM | The game will be broadcast live for free by the BC Athletic Department on YouTube. Live play-by-play stats will also be available online at the GWC Athletics website.

RANKINGS | Thanks to its huge 55-0 shutout of Allan Hancock last Saturday at home, Golden West moved up one spot to the No. 4 position in this week's state poll of California community college football coaches by the JC Athletic Bureau. Bakersfield checks in at No. 15 and fell four spots from No. 11 after its loss to previous No. 7-ranked Ventura.

LAST WEEK | The Rustlers dominated both sides of the ball as they totaled 458 yards of offense while limiting Allan Hancock to 159 yards in its 55-0 rout. Of those 458 yards, Golden West rushed for a season-high 343 yards and ran in for five touchdowns.

GWC jumped out to a 21-0, first-quarter lead after touchdown runs from Aaron Mitchell (57 yards), Ardwon Morris (2 yards), and quarterback Noa Banua (1 yard). The Rustlers took a 41-0 advantage into halftime.

Kendric Thomas added a 73-yard TD run on his way to a team-high 141 yards on 6 carries.

ABOUT BAKERSFIELD | Despite racking up over 500 yards of total offense, Bakersfield came up just short of knocking off Ventura, falling 45-38 on the road last Saturday night. The first quarter alone was an electric back and forth shootout as the Renegades and Pirates combined to light up the scoreboard with 63 points.

BC trailed 35-28 at halftime and got within seven points twice in the fourth quarter but couldn't get a big stop when it needed it most.

LAST YEAR | The Rustlers opened the 2024 schedule with a narrow 27-25 win over the Renegades in Bakersfield. Golden West was down early, trailing the Renegades 13-7 just moments into the second quarter before the Rustlers' offense exploded for 17 unanswered points.

With Golden West leading 24-13, Bakersfield rallied for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Fernando Mancilla's 32-yard field with 5:22 to play proved to be the difference.

Quarterback Will Burns completed 16 of 21 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in his GWC debut. He also ran 8 times for a team-high 73 yards rushing.

UP NEXT | The Rustlers continue their National Central League schedule with a 12 p.m. game at home next Saturday (Sep. 27) against East Los Angeles College.