Bobcats win third straight

The Saddleback football team won its third straight game with a 41-31 victory over San Diego Mesa College on Saturday night inside the stadium.  The Bobcats now have a week off before homecoming on October 14.

Saddleback rallied from a 17-3 deficit, outscoring San Diego Mesa 31-0 over a 19-minte span to surge past the Olympians.  Branden Berwald came off the bench at quarterback and gave the Bobcats a much-needed spark after the offense sputtered for the first 1.5 quarters of the game.

Berwald hit Tristin Duncan with a 17-yard scoring strike as the Bobcats narrowed the deficit to 17-10 with 3:31 remaining in the half.  He then scampered 17 yards for a score with 30 seconds left on the clock as the Bobcats and Olympians went to the locker rooms tied at 17-17.

Saddleback continued the surge when Will Craven returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bobcats a 24-17 lead.  Saddleback would later get a field goal from Kian Afrookhteh late in the third quarter and a touchdown run from Paolo Burak to open the fourth quarter, building up a 34-17 advantage.

San Diego Mesa finally answered with a 15-yard touchdown catch from Kader Diop to end a run of 31 unanswered points.  The Bobcats didn't let up, adding a touchdown when Berwald hit Josh Collins for a 4-yard touchdown to cap off an 11-play drive that took 6:38 off the clock.

Saddleback's defense wore out the San Diego Mesa offense.  The Bobcats finished with seven tackles-for-loss and three sacks on the night.  Michael D'Amato finished with a team-high eight tackles while Travis Arena had six tackles and 2.5 sacks.  The Bobcats finished with nine pass break-ups for the game.

 Saddleback completed dominated play in the second half, controlling the clock.  After having the ball for just 11 minutes in the opening half, the Bobcats held onto the ball for 21:04 over the final 30 minutes. 

Saddleback is now 3-2 overall after winning its third straight game.  The Bobcats are also 2-0 in National Division Southern League play.  Saddleback will have the week off before returning home on October 14 for homecoming against Palomar College.  Game time on the 14^th is scheduled for 6:00 PM inside the stadium.