Gauchos fall in roller coaster game

Saddleback came up two yards short of pulling off a miraculous win on Saturday night in falling to College of the Canyons, 31-28.  The Gauchos had 488 yards of offense, but couldn't come up with two yards when they needed it in falling to 1-1 on the season.

The Saddleback football team hosted College of the Canyons on Saturday night, a program located just across the freeway from Magic Mountain…home to some of the great roller coaster rides in the country.  The Gauchos found out what "Viper", "Goliath" and "Green Lantern" all felt like on Saturday night, coming up short in a game that featured a number of gutwrenching twists and turns.

Saddleback sprinted out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter in what looked like it was going to be an ordinary walk in the park.  Unfortunately, Canyons had other plans and never gave up, frustrating the offense the rest of the way with great tackling and the element of surprise.

Canyons inserted quarterback Jake Danshaw into the game in the second quarter and completely changed the momentum as a result.  Danshaw orchestrated a 10-play drive that culminated in a 22-yard touchdown pass to Travion Tucker, cutting the Gaucho lead in half and seemingly breathing life into his defense.

After a three-and-out, Canyons then got the ball back on its own 49-yard line and proceeded to score on its very first play when wide receiver Louis Gipson took a handoff on a fly sweep and found a wide open Tucker for a 51-yard score to tie the game.

Canyons wasn't done there, forcing Saddleback to punt four plays later and once again taking the ball over at midfield.  Danshaw then led the Cougars on a six-play drive and found Tucker for his third score of the game on a 22-yard pass to give Canyons a 21-14 lead with 7:24 left in the first half.

Saddleback finally recaptured its mojo two drives later when quarterback Tim Belman led the Gaucho attack on a 15-play drive that ended with a pass to Tyler Murphy for a five yard score.  It was Belman's second touchdown pass of the half, and appeared to give the Gaucho faithful the momentum heading into the locker room.

Saddleback then took the lead midway through the third quarter when Davontae Merriweather (pictured) made one of the prettiest plays ever seen in the 46-year history of the program.  Merriweather was covering Tucker on a fly pattern down the sidelines and made a "Willie Mays" over-the-shoulder interception, returning it 51 yards for a touchdown.  It gave the Gauchos a 21-14 lead, and seemed likely to give Saddleback the momentum back for good.

Unfortunately, Canyons again had other plans as running back Matt Bowen broke off a 58-yard run on the second play from scrimmage to set up Canyons with a short field.  The Cougars cashed in three plays later when Gabe Peralta scored from three yards out to tie the game at 28-28. 

The game then took a serious twist as the defenses took over.  Nine straight drives between the two teams ended in punts in what seemed to be a chess match for field position.  Eventually, Canyons broke through with 5:36 remaining on the clock when Eric Kreitz made a 36-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 31-28 lead.

Saddleback then had two more shots at winning the game in the final minutes.  Belman completed a 30-yard pas to Dominick Ela on fourth and 22…giving the Gauchos the ball at the Canyons 29-yard line with 90 seconds remaining in the game.  Unfortunately, he threw an interception on the very next play as Joey Cicoria stepped in front of a slant pattern and appeared to ice the game for the Cougars. 

Saddleback had other plans, forcing Canyons to punt with 55 seconds remaining on the clock.  The Gauchos appeared to catch a break as Canyons was called for interference on the punt, giving them the ball at the Cougar 38-yard line.  After two straight completions to Ela with the clock running, Canyons was then called for interference in the end zone, giving Saddleback the ball at the 2-yard line with 12 seconds remaining on the clock.  On the very next play, Belman tossed a swing pass to running back Tyler Murphy, who was stopped short of the goal line by linebacker Ryan McAleenan, thus running out the clock and ending the game.

For Canyons, it was a sweet ending after falling in overtime the week before.  For Saddleback, a disappointing loss following a big win in week one.

Saddleback will try to turn things around next week when it travels to Riverside to take on a very talented Tiger team.  Game time is set for 6:00 PM.