Gauchos shoot down Comets

The Saddleback football team ran its record to 7-2 on Saturday with a 35-13 win over Palomar College at the Saddleback Stadium.  Emari Demercado had 233 total yards from scrimmage while the defense recorded three more interceptions.

Saddleback dominated from start to finish and never let Palomar have a glimmer of hope.  The Gauchos scored 15 points in the opening quarter while the defense stifled the Comet attack.

Saddleback scored on its opening drive when they went 79 yards in four plays, capped off by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Cam Humphrey to Chris Spiering.  The Gauchos then converted a two-point conversion when holder Nick Chapman found Brad Toepfer wide open in the back of the end zone as Saddleback took an 8-0 lead just 2:47 into the game. 

Two drives later, Saddleback went 70 yards in seven plays and made the score 15-0 when Demercado scored a 1-yard touchdown with 4:17 remaining in the opening quarter.  It was the first of two straight scores from Demercado, who raced 23 yards for another score midway through the second quarter for a 22-0 lead.

Demercado finished with 233 yards in total offense, rushing for 161 yards on 20 carries while catching five balls for 72 yards as a receiver.  It was the second straight game where Demercado has totaled over 200 yards of offense while scoring seven touchdowns in the past two weeks.

Humphrey had a solid game of his own, finishing 27-of-36 for 373 yards passing and two touchdowns.  He was part of an offense that rolled up a 597-to-324 advantage in total yards over the Comets.

Saddleback's defense followed up a 5-interception performance a week ago against Grossmont with three more interceptions this week.  Donte Hamilton, Dillon Amezquita and Tristan Kafentzis all had interceptions on the night while the Gaucho defensive front recorded four more sacks.  Joe Babros led the charge with two sacks while Zachary Brumbaugh recorded a team-high eight tackles for the game.

Saddleback will finish the regular season on the road at Orange Coast College next Saturday.  The Gauchos and Pirates will get things started at 1:00 PM in Costa Mesa.