His first year as head coach could hardly have gone much better.

The College of San Mateo football team under first-year head coach Bret Pollack is a one-point loss to Foothill away from being undefeated.

The Bulldogs (7-1 overall, 2-1 NorCal Conference) are ranked No. 2 in Northern California and No. 4 in the state after a 30-24 win Saturday over longtime nemesis City College of San Francisco.

And the way they're doing it has opened eyes.

CSM was clearly the physically superior team against CCSF, rushing for 308 yards. David Aknin (Carlmont) gained 144 yards on 28 carries. Seta Pohahau (Aragon) rushed for 113 yards on 13 carries.

"That's one of our main philosophies — run the football and stop the run," said Pollack, a 1987 Hillsdale graduate who in 1988 played on the last CSM team to beat CCSF. "We believe in dominating the line of scrimmage."

CSM leads the state in rushing at 301.4 yards per game thanks to outstanding offensive line play from the likes of right tackle Marc Baker (Serra), left tackle Travis Billings (Carlmont) and left guard Jeremy Galton (Hillsdale).

Quarterback Matt Pelesasa (Woodside) was efficient when called on to pass against CCSF, completing 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards.

Next up for the Bulldogs is a game at defending state champion Butte (6-2) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Oroville. Butte's quarterback is Jordan Rodgers, younger brother of Green

"Butte also runs the ball well to give him support," Pollack said. "They're a lot like us."

SPECIAL EVENT

The Peninsula Athletic League cross country championships took place Thursday afternoon in the Belmont hills.

It's the purest sport. Size is no prerequisite. There's no ball and there's no bench. Everyone participates. You run against hundreds of other kids, but really you only run against yourself in a continual redefinition of physical and psychological limits. And it has more kids taking part than any other sport.

"It's absolutely unique," said PAL Commissioner Terry Stogner, swiveling to take in the scope of the spectacle, the carnivallike atmosphere. "What other sport has this kind of camaraderie?"

He gestured to the team tents set up along the hillside at Crystal Springs.

"Can you imagine two football teams under those tents getting through a day without killing each other?" he said. "These are a special group of kids, highly disciplined and highly academic."

COUNTY SPORTS NOTES

Evan Anderson (Menlo-Atherton) took third at the Big West Conference cross country championships, covering the 8,000-meter course in 23:41 and helping lead the Cal Poly Mustangs to the men's championship. Katie Voigtlander (Burlingame) took 10th in 21:07 over 6K and Liza Hitchner (Half Moon Bay) placed 21st to help lead UC Santa Brabara to the women's team title ... Ganbileg Bor (Jefferson) placed third at the West Coast Conference finals in 25:05 as USF took third in the team competition ... Terra Nova has a chance to finish PAL Bay Division play undefeated with a win tonight at home against Menlo-Atherton. Carl Cox, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound quarterback, has rushed for 539 yards and passed for 735 in the three PAL Bay games he has played

Glenn Reeves can be reached at 650 348-4345 or greeves@bayareanewsgroup.com.