Gauchos release “Killer B’s” on Pirates

The Saddleback football team improved to 4-3 with a 49-10 win over Orange Coast College on Friday at Mission Viejo High School.  The Gauchos were dominant in the passing game, led by a wide receiver trio of Bama, Brandon and Berry…the "Killer B's".

Saddleback's went above .500 for the first time this season and has won four of their past five games after the impressive performance on Friday.  The Gauchos used an aerial assault that seemed unstoppable, as Dejour "Bama" Smith, Brandon Reaves and Yasir Berry were routinely behind Pirate defenders.  The Gaucho trio combined for 14 catches, 228 yards and four touchdowns, averaging nearly 16.3 yards-per-catch.

Saddleback opened the scoring on their opening drive when Robbie Patterson hit Berry for a 35-yard touchdown.  The Gauchos went for two and Patterson found Sefo Mailangi wide open for an 8-0 lead with 8:37 remaining in the opening quarter.

Midway through the second quarter Saddleback opened up a 15-0 lead when Patterson found Smith for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 8:06 remaining in the half.  Later in the second quarter with Saddleback leading 22-7, Patterson found Berry for a 12-yard touchdown with 35 seconds remaining to increase the lead to 29-7 heading into the locker room.

Reaves got into the action on the second drive of the third quarter when Patterson found him wide open along the sidelines for a 38-yard touchdown and a 36-7 lead with 10:46 remaining in the third quarter.  It was the fourth touchdown for Saddleback in five drives, prompting the Gaucho coaching staff to get some new jerseys into the game.  The Gauchos would again drive down the field on the following drive and finish with a 44-yard field goal from Matthew Freem that would have been good from 50+. 

Saddleback finished the game with a 409-223 advantage in total yardage for the game.  The Gaucho defensive front was stellar, holding the Pirates to just 51 yards rushing on 34 attempts.  Colton Larceval was all over the field, finishing with a team-high eight tackles to go along with one interception and two tackles-for-loss.  Patterson finished 19-of-28 for 235 yards and four passing touchdowns, and is now 42-of-58 for 510 yards passing and five touchdown passes over the past two outings. 

Saddleback is 4-3 overall and 2-0 in National Division Southern League play following the win.  The Gauchos will play on the road next Saturday when they travel to Golden West College.  The Gauchos and Rustlers are scheduled to start at 1:00 PM in Huntington Beach.